The Establishment of Company Power Chapter Notes | History Class 8 ICSE PDF Download

Mahatma Gandhi’s Views from Hind Swaraj

• Mahatma Gandhi discusses how the British gained control over India in his book Hind Swaraj.
• He argues that the British did not conquer India by force; instead, Indians allowed their rule by welcoming and supporting the East India Company’s trade activities.
• Gandhi believes Indians were lured by the Company’s wealth, buying their goods and aiding their officers, which enabled the British to establish power.
• He suggests that India was not lost to the British but given to them due to Indian cooperation.

The Portuguese Traders

• The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in India, with Vasco da Gama discovering the sea route in 1498.
• They were followed by the Dutch, English, French, and Danish traders.
• European traders set up trading centers called factories, which included offices, warehouses, and living quarters.
• These factories were later fortified for protection.
• They traded in cotton, silk, spices (cloves, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon), and saltpetre.
• Competition among European companies led to conflicts, including sinking ships, blocking trade routes, and fortifying trading posts.
• These actions often caused disputes with local rulers.

The British East India Company

• Formed on December 31, 1600, with a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I, granting exclusive trading rights with the East.
• The charter gave monopoly rights among English traders but did not restrict other European powers.
• In 1612, established a factory at Surat with permission (Firman) from Mughal Emperor Jahangir.
• In 1662, Bombay was gifted to King Charles II by the Portuguese as part of his marriage to Princess Catherine Henrietta of Braganza.
• Trading posts were set up in Madras, Ahmedabad, and Calcutta, with Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta becoming major centers.
• These centers were fortified, and the Company employed large armies of Indian soldiers led by British officers to protect trade.

The French East India Company

• Established in 1664 to compete with the British East India Company.
• Set up trading posts at Chandernagore, Pondicherry, Mahe, and Karaikal.
• Under Governor Joseph Dupleix, the French became a significant rival to the British.
• Intense rivalry led to conflicts with the British in India.

The Carnatic Wars

• Three Anglo-French Wars (1746–1763) were fought in the Carnatic region (present-day Tamil Nadu, parts of Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh).
• First Carnatic War (1746–1748): Linked to the Austrian War of Succession in Europe; French captured Madras, British attacked Pondicherry; ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, returning Madras to the British.
• Second Carnatic War (1749–1754): Fought over succession disputes in Hyderabad and Carnatic; French supported Muzaffar Jung and Chanda Sahib, British supported Nasir Jung and Muhammad Ali; French initially succeeded but lost; Treaty of Pondicherry (1754) returned territories to the British.
• Third Carnatic War (1756–1763): Triggered by the Seven Years War in Europe; British captured Chandernagore and defeated the French at the Battle of Wandiwash (1760); Treaty of Paris (1763) returned Chandernagore and Pondicherry to the French but prohibited fortification.
• The British emerged victorious, eliminating the French as a major rival in India.

The British in Bengal

• Bengal was a wealthy province; the East India Company set up a factory on the Hooghly River in 1651.
• By 1696, the factory was fortified.
• In 1698, the Company gained zamindari rights over Sutanuti, Gobindapur, and Kalikata, which developed into Calcutta (Kolkata).
• Job Charnock is credited with founding Kolkata.
• Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb granted duty-free trade rights, formalized by Farrukhsiyar, but Company officials misused these for private trade, causing revenue loss for Bengal.
• Conflicts grew with Bengal Nawabs (Murshid Quli Khan, Alivardi Khan, Siraj-ud-Daulah), who tried to limit the Company’s power, demanded tributes, and opposed fortifications.

Battle of Plassey

• Fought in 1757 between Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and the British led by Robert Clive.
• Siraj-ud-Daulah opposed British trade privileges and fortifications, capturing Calcutta in 1756.
• The British, with support from Mir Jafar (Siraj’s commander-in-chief, promised the throne), defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah at Plassey.
• Mir Jafar’s non-participation was key to the British victory.
• Siraj-ud-Daulah was later assassinated.
• The battle marked the start of British political dominance in India.
• Mir Jafar became Nawab, granting the British duty-free trade and revenue rights over 24 parganas in Bengal.

Battle of Buxar

• Mir Jafar was unable to meet British revenue demands and was replaced by Mir Qasim.
• Mir Qasim resisted British control, abolished duties on internal trade for Indian merchants, and modernized his army.
• The British replaced Mir Qasim with Mir Jafar again.
• Mir Qasim allied with Shuja-ud-Daulah (Awadh) and Shah Alam II (Mughal Emperor) and fought the British at Buxar in 1764.
• The British won, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) granted them diwani rights (revenue collection) in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha.
• Shuja-ud-Daulah paid a war indemnity of 50 lakh rupees; Awadh came under British influence.
• The British became the undisputed masters of Bengal.

Expansion of the British Empire

• After Bengal, the British expanded through annexation or policies like Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse.
• Subsidiary Alliance (Lord Wellesley, 1798–1805): Native rulers maintained British troops at their cost, ceded territory for non-payment, could not keep their own army, had to expel non-British foreigners, needed British permission for alliances, and hosted a British Resident.
• States under Subsidiary Alliance: Hyderabad, Mysore, Cochin, Travancore, Awadh, and Gwalior.
• Doctrine of Lapse (Lord Dalhousie, 1848–1856): If a ruler died without a male heir, the kingdom became Company territory; adopted heirs were not recognized.
• States annexed by Doctrine of Lapse: Satara, Kittur, Jhansi, Sambalpur, Udaipur, and Nagpur.

Mysore

• Mysore became powerful under Hyder Ali (1761–1782) and Tipu Sultan (1782–1799).
• Mysore controlled trade on the Malabar Coast (cardamom, pepper).
• Tipu Sultan banned exports of sandalwood, pepper, and cardamom, restricted trade with the British, and allied with the French to modernize his army.
• Four Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767–1799) were fought; Tipu Sultan died in the Fourth War (Battle of Seringapatam, 1799).
• Mysore was restored to the Wodeyar dynasty under a Subsidiary Alliance; part was given to the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Marathas

• The Marathas, weakened after the Third Battle of Panipat (1761), were divided into clans (Bhonsles, Sindhias, Gaekwads, Holkars) under the Peshwa in Pune.
• First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782): Fought due to British interference in Maratha internal conflicts; ended with the Treaty of Salbai (1782) with no clear winner.
• Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–1805): Triggered when Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted a Subsidiary Alliance (Treaty of Bassein, 1802); British gained territories.
• Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1818): Crushed Maratha power; the Peshwa was pensioned off to Bithur, and clans signed Subsidiary Alliances.

Punjab

• The Sikhs, under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, were a strong power until his death in 1839.
• Power struggles followed, leading to two Anglo-Sikh Wars.
• The Sikhs were defeated, and Punjab was annexed by the British in 1849 under Lord Dalhousie.

Afghanistan, Sindh, Burma, and Nepal

• Afghanistan: British fought Anglo-Afghan Wars (1839–1842) to counter Russian influence; gained indirect control.
• Sindh: Annexed by the British in 1843.
• Burma: Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824–1886) led to British annexation of Burma.
• Nepal: Anglo-Nepalese Wars (1814–1816) resulted in British annexation of Garhwal and Kumaon and recruitment of Gurkha soldiers.

Awadh

• Awadh came under British influence after the Battle of Buxar (1764).
• Annexed in 1856 by Lord Dalhousie, citing misgovernment.
• Annexation caused unrest, contributing to the Revolt of 1857, in which Awadh’s people participated.

Administration

• British territories were divided into three Presidencies: Bengal, Bombay, and Madras, each ruled by a Governor and Council.
• The Governor General was the supreme head; Warren Hastings was the first (1773–1785).
• Districts were the basic administrative units, managed by Collectors for revenue, taxes, and law enforcement.
• Regulating Act of 1773: Gave British Parliament oversight over Indian affairs.
• Pitt’s India Act of 1784: Established a Board of Control to supervise the Company.
• Charter Act of 1813: Affirmed British Crown’s sovereignty over India.
• Company rule ended after the Revolt of 1857 in 1858.

Civil Administration

• The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was introduced by Lord Cornwallis in 1793.
• Initially, civil servants were nominated; from 1853, a competitive exam in London was required, which was difficult for Indians due to cost, age limits, and language barriers.
• Satyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to clear the ICS exam.
• Indians were restricted to lower administrative posts; higher posts were for British only.
• Cornwallis Code (1793): Divided civil servants into revenue, judicial, and commercial branches to curb corruption.

Army

• The Company’s sepoy army (Indian soldiers led by British officers) was trained to European standards with regular salaries.
• It was key to defending and expanding British rule.
• Indian sepoys could only rise to the rank of subedar; higher ranks were for British officers.
• Ignoring religious sentiments and caste hierarchies caused tensions, leading to the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.

Police

• Lord Cornwallis established a permanent police force, with districts divided into thanas under darogas.
• Villages and cities had chowkidars and kotwals.
• The system was known for corruption and oppression; Indians were limited to lower ranks.
• District Superintendents oversaw police administration.

Judicial Administration

• Before British rule, India lacked a uniform legal code.
• Warren Hastings and Lord Cornwallis introduced a judicial system with two courts per district: faujdari adalat (criminal) and diwani adalat (civil).
• Maulvis and pandits interpreted Indian laws for European collectors in civil courts; criminal courts were led by qazis and muftis under collectors’ supervision.
• Regulating Act of 1773: Established the Supreme Court in Calcutta and Sadar Nizamat Adalat (appeal court).
• High Courts were set up in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta; subordinate courts were led by Indian judges but limited to lower roles.
• In 1775, Warren Hastings commissioned a digest of Hindu laws, translated into English in 1776; Muslim laws were compiled by 1778.
• Cornwallis Code (1793): Reorganized the judiciary; introduced the Rule of Law, but Europeans and Indians were tried in separate courts.

The British Power and Supremacy

• The British transformed from traders to a major colonial power.
• By 1857, the East India Company directly ruled 63% of India’s territory and 78% of its population, with indirect control over the rest.
• The Company became a territorial power through battles, alliances , and policies.

Slave Trade in South Africa

• By the 17th century, the Dutch started the slave trade in South Africa’s Cape region.
• Slaves were captured, chained, and sold in markets; by 1834, 36,774 slaves were privately owned in the Cape.
• An 1824 account describes a slave auction where a mother and her children were sold separately, highlighting the cruelty and insensitivity of the trade.

Points To Remember

• The Portuguese, English, French, and Danish established trading centers in India, known as factories.
• The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb allowed the East India Company to trade without duties in Bengal.
• In the 18th century, the East India Company and Nawabs of Bengal clashed in the Battle of Plassey (1757), where the British defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah.
• In 1764, the Battle of Buxar saw Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II fail to defeat the British, who then gained significant control.
• The Dual Government was introduced in Bengal by the East India Company, giving them substantial authority despite lacking responsibility, while the Nawab held nominal power.
• The French and Anglo-French Wars in India (1744-1763) favored the British, diminishing French influence.
• The Subsidiary Alliance, introduced by Lord Wellesley, forced native rulers to cede control to the British.
• The Doctrine of Lapse, enacted by Lord Dalhousie, declared that if an Indian ruler died without a male heir, their kingdom would be annexed by the Company.
• The Anglo-Mysore Wars (1769-1799) involved the British against the rulers of Mysore, Hyder Ali, and Tipu Sultan, ending with British victory.
• The Anglo-Maratha Wars saw the British defeat the Marathas, and by 1818, the Maratha chiefs accepted the Subsidiary Alliance.
• The Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845-1849) resulted in British victory, leading to the annexation of Punjab in 1849.
• Before British rule, India lacked a uniform legal system.
• In 1773, under the Regulating Act, the Supreme Court was established in Calcutta, followed by High Courts in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta.