International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

The British colonization of India began with the Battle of Plassey in 1757, when Nawab Sirajud-Daulah's forces lost to Robert Clive. By 1765 the suba (province) of Bengal, one of the richest in Mughal India (1526–1857), was controlled by the English East India Company, which had obtained the diwani rights to collect taxes. From this base the British expanded in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries under aggressive governor generals, especially the Marquis of Wellesley, Lord Hastings, and the Marquis of Dalhousie. The kingdom of Mysore was annexed, the Nizam (ruler) of Hyderabad forced to accept a subsidiary alliance, and the Marathas and the Sikhs vanquished. Resistance to British rule from the late eighteenth century took three forms: Mughal, popular struggles, and tribal rebellions. In the initial era of subjugation, some Mughal princes did not peacefully accept dispossession. Mir Qasim of Bengal, who originally gained power with British assistance, sought sovereignty from the British before his defeat. But the staunchest opponents of the British and the East India Company were rulers of Mysore, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, who joined forces with the Marathas and others in the region. Alone among the Indian rulers, Mysore rulers seemed to have perceived the dangers posed by the British. While the Marathas were less consistent, Nana Phadnavis and several others ... log in or subscribe to read full text