3 Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion 66

18th Century
Anglo-French War
Battle of Plassey & Buxar
Anglo- Mysore War
Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

Rise of Regional States
● The states that emerged as a result of the decline of the Mughal
Empire can be classified into:
○ Successor States-
■ These were the Mughal provinces that turned into states after
breaking away from the empire.
■ Some examples are Awadh, Bengal & Hyderabad.

○ Independent Kingdoms-
■ States that came into existence primarily due to the

destabilization of the Mughal control over the provinces.
■ For examples being Mysore, Kerala & the Rajput states.

○ The New States-
■ Rebel states of Mughal empire.
■ For examples, being the Maratha, the Sikh & the Jat states.

Hyderabad
● Kilich Khan, defeated & killed Mubariz Khan in the Battle of
Shaker-Kheda (1724) & assumed control of the Deccan.
● In 1725, he became the viceroy and conferred on himself the

title of Asaf-Jah. (Asaf Jahi dynasty)
● Founder- Nizam-ul-mulk Asaf Jah

● Tolerant
● 1748 death issues with succession

Carnatic
● One of the subahs of Mughal Deccan & thus
came under Nizam.
● Deputy governor known as Nawab of Carnatic

● Made his office hereditary
● Nawab Saadatullah Khan made his nephew
Dost Ali his successor without approval of
Nizam
● Founder of Nawayath dynasty

Bengal
● 1700: Murshid Quli Khan appointed the Diwan of
Bengal by Aurangzeb.
● After Aurangzeb's death founded an independent
kingdom of Bengal.
● 1727: Succeeded by his son in law Shuja-ud-din.
● 1739: He died & was succeeded by his son Sarfaraz
Khan
● 1740: Alivardi Khan revolted , killed the Nawab &
becomes subedar of Bengal.

Bengal
● Tolerant appointed Hindus as revenue farmers
● Didn’t build big army
● Didn’t tackle corruption

Awadh
● 1722: Saadat khan Burhan-ul-Mulk was appointed
governor of Awadh.
● Bold, energetic, iron willed & tolerant.
● Province was made virtually independent &
hereditary before he died in 1739.
● Succeeded by his nephew Safdar Jang, who became
the Wazir of Mughals in 1748
● He died in 1754.
● Prolonged peace resulted in growth of Awadhi
culture.

Mysore
● Nominal part of Mughal empire.
● King Chikka Krishna Raj, a puppet at the hands of 2 ministers

Nanjaraj (the Sarvadhikari) & Devraj (the Dulwai).
● Mysore emerged as an important power under Hyder Ali.
● 1755: Modern arsenal in Dindigul.

● 1761: Overthrew Nanjaraj & established his authority.

Tipu Sultan
q Complex character but innovator
q New calendar , new coinage system & new scales of weights & measures.
q French revolution: Planted a 'Tree of Liberty' at Seringapatam & he became a

member of a ‘Jacobin Club’.
q He was the only one who understand the threat of the English.
q Tried to establish modern navy

Tipu Sultan Continued…
q Sent emissaries to France, Iran, Turkey & Pegu Myanmar.
q Traded with China
q Promoted trade with Russia & Arabia
q Mysore flourished & comparatively was better than others
q Sir John Shore wrote, ‘the peasantry of his dominions are protected &
their labor encouraged & rewarded’.

Tipu Sultan Continued…
q Described as religious fanatic. But gave money for the construction of
image of goddess Sarda in Shringeni Temple.
q His personal library contained books on such diverse subjects as religion,

history, military science, medicine, & mathematics.

Kerala
q Divided into 4 important states Calicut, Cochin , Chirakkal & Travancore.
q Kingdom of Travancore rose under Martand Varma (1729-58)
v Defeated the Dutch: Battle of Colachel (1741), resulting in the
complete eclipse of Dutch power in Malabar.
v Padmanabhaswamy temple recreated

v By 1763 only 3 big states of Calicut, Cochin , Travancore existed.

Kerala Continued….
q Rama Varma (1758-98)
v A poet, scholars, musician, renowned actor &, a man of great culture.

v Took keen interest in European affairs.
v Read newspapers & journals published in London, Calcutta & Madras.
q 18th century saw a remarkable revival of Malayalam literature.
q Trivandrum, the capital of Travancore become a famous centre of Sanskrit

scholarship (2nd half of 18th century).

Rajput States
● Raja Sawai Jai Singh Amber (1699-1743)
● Distinguished statesman, law maker, astronomer & reformer
● Man of Science & arts

● Founded Jaipur: Made it a seat of science
● Observatories in Ujjain, Jaipur, Delhi, Varanasi & Mathura
● He drew up a set of tables, entitled Zij Muhammad Shahi, to
enable people to make astronomical observations.

● Euclid's "Elements of Geometry", translated into Sanskrit
● & also several works on trigonometry,
● & Napier's work on the construction & use of logarithms.
● Law to reduce expenditure on daughter’s marriage (Social

reformer).

Jats
q A caste of agriculturists, lived in around Delhi, Agra & Mathura.
q The Jat state of Bharatpur was set by Churaman & Badan Singh.
q Reached its highest glory under the Suraj Mal (1756-1763).
q Extended his authority from the Ganga in the east to Chambal in the
south, Subah of Agra in the west to Subah of Delhi in north.

Jats
q A contemporary historian-
“ Though he wore the dress of a farmer & could speak only his own Braj
dialect, he was the Plato of the Jat tribe. In prudence & skill, & ability to
manage the revenue & civil affairs he had no equal among the grandees of
Hindustan except Asaf Jah Bahadur.”

Bangash Pathans and Rohelas
q Muhammad Khan Bangash, an Afghan adventurer, established his control
over territory around Farrukhabad (during the reign of Farrukh Siyar &
Mohammad shah).
q The region is identified as modern Aligarh & Kanpur.
q Ali Muhammad Khan carved out a separate principality, known as

Rohilkhand.
q With its capital 1st at Aolan in Bareilly & later at Rampur.

Wars, Battles
and Treaties
Modern Indian History

Anglo-French Carnatic Wars
● Why South?
● (North)- Aurangzeb had stalled

● Nadir Shah’s showed the decay
● (West)- Marathas
● (East)- Bengal Alivardi Khan
● (South)- Central power had disappeared & 1748 death of Nizam
● Both English & French desired it

Anglo-French Carnatic Wars/ Carnatic Wars
q Fight between the English & the French on the Indian soil for supremacy
Joseph Dupleix Robert Clive

Anglo-French Wars
War of Austrian Succession :1740-1748
France, Prussia, Spain, Bavaria, Britain ,Habsburg, Hanover, Dutch

Sicily, Naples, Genoa, Sweden Republic, Saxony, Sardinia, Russia

First Carnatic War
● Madras vs. Pondicherry
● Lord Dupleix Ambition
● 1746: Capturing of Madras by the French
● Important English trading centre, ruled by Nawab of Carnatic
● Strong defense by Dupleix
● Battle of St. Thome-(1746) (Dupleix defeated the Indian Forces led

by Anwar-ud-din, the Nawab of Carnatic)

● Retreat of the British
● Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle:
● Madras to be returned to British in exchange of French fortress

Louisbourg in North America to France.

● Outcome-
○ French Superiority had been clearly displayed.
○ Dupleix had given ample proof of his extraordinary skill &

diplomacy.
○ Brought out the importance of naval power as an important

factor.

Second Carnatic war
● Civil Wars in Hyderabad & Carnatic on the issue of succession.
● Interfering in the local dynastic dispute.

● In Carnatic, Chanda Sahib (son in law of former Nawab, Dost Ali) vs
Anwar-ud-din (the Nawab)
● In Hyderabad, Muzaffar Jang (grand son) vs Nasir Jang (son)
● Anwar-ud-din was killed at the Battle of Ambur (1749) near Vellore, but
his son Muhammed Ali fled to Trichinopoly.
● Nasir Jang also lost his life in 1750.

Second Carnatic War (1748-1754) Continued…..
● Chanda Sahib become Nawab of Carnatic & Muzaffar Jang become
subehdar of Deccan.
● At the request of new Subahdar, a French army under officer Bussy was
stationed at Hyderabad.
● France was initially successful in both places
● While French were in Trichy, English attacked Arcot so, French had to
raise the siege. (The British Counter attack led by Robert Clive)
● Dupleix failure to capture Trichy. Along with his political ambitions &
ruinous expenses sealed his fate.

● Treaty of Pondicherry – Dupleix returns to France( English demand)
replaced by Godehu as new Governor General.
● Reason of the second Carnatic war was based on Internal Issue led by
the lure of Commercial Supremacy.

Third Carnatic War (1757-63)
● War was an echo of 7 year war in Europe & thus ended the short term
peace in India between the Europeans.
● 1757: Robert Clive had defeated Siraj-ud-duala & captured Bengal.
● Boosted the morale of English Soldiers.
● Richness of Bengal helped the English to defeat France in the south.
● 1758: Count de Lally, French governor at Pondicherry attacked Fort St.
David (British Settlement).

● 1760: Wandiwash English (Sir Eyre Coote) defeat the French (Count de Lally)
● 1763: Treaty of Paris was signed
● Outcome-
○ French possessions in India were made protectorate states
○ Pondicherry & few other territories were returned.
○ No fortification allowed, No standing army
○ French confined to only few areas
● This sealed French ambitions in India.

Reasons for French Defeat
● French East India Company was a State Undertaking
● Directors were Appointed by Crown
● Lethargy and Bureaucratic Control over Company
● English EIC was a Private entity

● Opening up of different fronts by the French
● India, Europe, North America

● Failed to understand complex political situations in India
● Also couldn’t build strong navy like the English
● The British had the advantage as they had partial control over Bengal.

Reasons for the French Defeat? Continued…….
● The British had 3 important bases in India – Calcutta, Madras & Bombay
● The victory at Plassey gave the English Company large area of a rich
resources
● On the other hand, the French had only one strong base at Pondicherry.
If Pondicherry was endangered, it could not get any effective support
from their other bases in India.
● End of British Conquest over the European Powers
● Now, British Conquest over the Indian Princely States

Conquest of Bengal - Background
● 1717: The Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar issued a farman giving the
Company a large number of trade concessions.

Outcome
○ The officials of the Company made rampant misuse of its trade

privileges that adversely affected the Nawab’s finances.
○ 1756: Alivardi died & was succeeded by his 23 year-old grandson,

Siraj-ud-daulah.
○ Combination of a ferocious temper & a feeble understanding.

○ Suspicious of the large profits made by the European companies in
India , asked them to trade on similar terms like Murshid times.

Immediate Cause
q When the British & the French started improving their fortifications in
anticipation of another war between them, he immediately ordered
them to stop such activities as they had been done without permission.
q French agreed but not the English.
q When the British refused to cease their constructions, the Nawab led a
detachment of 3k men to surround the fort & factory of Cossimbazar &
took several British officials as prisoners, before moving to Calcutta.

● The city was occupied on 16 June by Siraj’s force & the Fort William
surrendered after a brief siege on 20 June 1756.
● Black Hole Tragedy: The prisoners who were captured at the siege of
Calcutta were transferred by Siraj to the care of the officers of his guard,
who confined them to the common dungeon of Fort William .
● J Z Holwell
● English took refuge at Fulta near the sea.

● Robert Clive entered into agreement with the leading man of Nawab’s
Court:
○ Mir Jafar (Mir Bakshi)
○ Jagat Seth: A marwari banker.
○ Omi Chand or Amir Chand : A rich merchant.
○ Manik Chand: Officer in charge of Calcutta.
○ Rai Durlabh: He was the treasurer of Nawab.
○ Ghaseti Begum: The rich maternal aunt of Nawab.
○ Khadim Khan: Commended large army

Battle of Plassey -1757
● About 30 km from Murshidabad.
● Battle only in name: The battle was merely a skirmish but in its results
was one of the most decisive battles of Indian history as it paved the
way for the foundation of British rule.
● Only Mir Madan & Mohan Lal fought

● Nawab was put to death by Mir Jafar’s son Miran.
● “A night of eternal gloom for India”

● Concession given by Mir Jafar-
○ Large sums of money plus the Zamindari of 24 parganas to the
English.
● Historical Importance-
○ Mir Jafar became a puppet in the hands of Clive
○ Paved the way for the British mastery of Bengal & eventually to
whole India.
○ Boosted British prestige & status of a major contender for the Indian
Empire.
○ Rich revenue of Bengal enable them to organize a strong army &
meet the cost of conquest.

● Control over Bengal played a decisive role in the Anglo-French war.
● Regarded as a starting point of British rule in India.
● Main rivals, the French, were ousted.

● Mir Jafar became a puppet in the hands of Clive who couldn’t satisfy
the demands & was forced to resign in 1760.
● 1760: Vansittart, the new Governor of Calcutta, agreed to support Mir

Qasim's claim after a treaty signed between them.

Treaty of 1760 (Mir Qasim)
Important features:
● Agreed to cede to the Company the districts of Burdwan, Midnapur &
Chittagong.
● The Company would get half of the share in chunam trade of Sylhet.
● Agreed to pay off the outstanding dues to the Company.

● Promised to pay a sum of rupees 5 lakh towards financing the
Company’s war efforts in southern India.

Battle of Buxar (22nd October 1764)
q Mir Kasim succeeded him but he too couldn’t satisfy the growing
demands.
q He was an able & competent leader
q Tried to check the misuse of dastak
q Abolished all inland duties
q He shifted his capital to Monghyr

Battle of Buxar (22nd October 1764)
q War broke with the company. He lost in a series of battle (1763) & he fled to
Oudh to organize a confederacy with Shuja-ud-Daula Nawab of Oudh & Shah
Alam II.
q The combined armies were defeated, Mir Kasim fled while the other 2
surrendered.
q Significance-
v Demonstrated ‘the superiority of English army’ over the combined army of
major Indian powers.
v Establish British as the ‘masters of Bengal, Bihar & Orissa’ & placed Oudh at
their mercy.

Outcome of Battle of Buxar
● Treaty of Allahabad (August 1765) was signed between the British &
Shuja-ud-daula & Shah Alam II.
● Shuja ud Daula was confirmed in his possessions on the following

conditions:
○ Nawab surrendered Allahabad & Kara to Shah Alam II.
○ Pay 50 lakh to company as war indemnity.

○ Forced to maintain English forces.

● Shah Alam was taken into company’s protection
● To reside in Allahabad.
● Granted the company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar & Orissa.
● Provision of Rs. 53 lakh to the Company in return for ‘nizamat
functions’.

● 1763: Mir Jafar made the Nawab again
● On his death his son, Nizam ud Daulah made the Nawab
● Clive was appointed the 1st governor of Bengal & signed a new treaty
(Nawab had to disband his army & administer Bengal through a
‘Deputy Subedar’ who was nominated by British)

Dual System of Administration
● Dual Government:
○ The administration of Bengal was carried out by 2 heads with the
Nawab of Bengal as a nominal head & Company as the Dewan
having control over revenues as well as police and judicial powers.
● Introduced by Robert Clive.

○ The British East India Company obtained the actual power; whereas
the responsibility & charge of administration was entrusted to the
Nawab of Bengal.

● Under this the British administration acquired both the functions of the
Diwani or revenue & Nizamat or civil administration of Bengal from 2
distinct sources, Diwani from the Mughal emperor & Nizamat from the
Nawab of Bengal.
● Company was authorized to accumulate revenues of the Bengal
province as the Diwan.
● Moreover with the right to appoint the Deputy Subahdar, the British
obtained the designation to control the police and judicial powers or
the Nizamat.
● The difficulty was created by the fact that the servants of the Company
did not undertake duties as Diwan or Nizam in their own person.

● The nominal head of the administration was Deputy Naib Mohammad
Reza Khan at Murshidabad (Bengal) & Raja Shitab Rai at Patna (Bihar).

Anglo-Mysore
Wars
Indian Modern History

Anglo- Mysore Wars
● The Anglo–Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought in India over the
last 4 decades of the 18th century.
● Between the Kingdom of Mysore & the British East India Company,
represented chiefly by the Madras Presidency.
● The 4th war resulted in the overthrow of the house of Hyder Ali & Tipu,
in 1799, & the dismantlement of Mysore to the benefit of the British &
their allies.

First Anglo- Mysore War 1767-69
Background-
● Hyder gained some measure of success against the
British but suffered heavy defeats at the hands of the
Madhavrao in 1764, 1766 & 1771.
● After easy success in Bengal, British wanted Northern
circars on rent, as it the connection between Madras &
Bengal, but Nizam rejected it so they got firman from
Mughal ruler
● Haidar also had territorial disputes with Nawab of Arcot.

Changing Alliances:
● Initially, the Nizam, the Marathas, & the English allied together against
Hyder. But acting with considerable tact & diplomatic skill, he made
peace with both the Nizam & Marathas.
● He paid the Marathas to turn them neutral &, promising to share

conquered territories with the Nizam, converted him into his ally.
● He joined the Nizam to attack the Nawab of Arcot.
● The war continued for a longer period without any conclusion.

● Meanwhile, Hyder changed his strategy & attacked Madras, forcing the
English to conclude a humiliating Treaty of Madras (April 4,1769).
● The Treaty provides:
○ Exchange of prisoners & mutual restitution of conquests.
○ British promised to help Hyder in case of attack by any other power.
○ Territories occupied were restored to each other.
○ 1771: Marathas attack Mysore & the British did not help Hyder.

2nd Anglo–Mysore War (1780–1784)
● Background:
○ Accused the British of breach of faith & non-observance of the

Treaty of Madras when attack by the Marathas.
○ The capture of Mahe (under the protection of Hyder Ali ) gave

Hyder an opportunity to take revenge.

● Main Events:
○ 1781: Hyder after forging an anti-British alliance with the Marathas

and Nizam attacked Carnatic & captured Arcot, defeating the
English Army.

● Warren Hastings bribed Nizam by giving Guntur thus leading him to
withdraw.
● 1781: Eyre Coote defeated Hyder at Porto Novo & saved Madras.
● 1782: Hyder died of Cancer.
● Now his son, Tipu carried on the war.
● Finally, the war ended with the last British-Indian treaty with an Indian
ruler on equal footing, Treaty of Manglore (March,1784).
● Treaty of Mangalore, at which both sides agreed to restore the other's
lands to the status quo ante bellum.
● Thus, no tangible benefits.

Third Anglo–Mysore War (1789–92)
Background:
● Dispute arose between Tipu & the state of Travancore.
● Travancore had purchased Jalkottal & Cannanore
from the Dutch in the Cochin state.
● As Cochin was a feudatory of Tipu, he considered the
act of Travancore as a violation of his sovereign
rights.
● 1789: Tipu invaded the nearby state of Travancore,
which was a British ally.

● 1791: Lord Cornwallis, had succeeded through shrewd diplomacy in
isolating him by winning over the Marathas, the Nizam, & the rulers of
Travancore & Coorg.
● A resounding defeat for Mysore.
● The war ended after the siege of Seringapatam & the signing of the
Treaty of Seringapatam, according to which Tipu had to surrender half
of his kingdom to the Company.
● Paid 330 lakhs of rupees as indemnity.

Fourth Anglo–Mysore War (1799)
○ Saw the defeat of Tipu & further reductions in Mysorean
territory.
○ Mysore's alliance with the French was seen as a threat to
the Company.
○ Nizam & the Marathas launched an invasion from the
north.
○ 1799: The British won a decisive victory at the Battle of
Seringapatam under the leadership of Arthur Wellesley.

○ Tipu was killed. Much of the remaining Mysorean territory was annexed
by the British, the Nizam & the Marathas.
○ The remaining core, around Mysore & Seringapatam, was restored to the
Indian prince belonging to the Wodeyar dynasty.
○ An important result was the complete elimination of the French threat to

British supremacy in India.

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18th Century

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

■ Some examples are Awadh, Bengal & Hyderabad.

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

■ States that came into existence primarily due to the

■ For examples being Mysore, Kerala & the Rajput states.

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

■ Rebel states of Mughal empire.

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

● In 1725, he became the viceroy and conferred on himself the

● Founder- Nizam-ul-mulk Asaf Jah

● 1748 death issues with succession

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

● Deputy governor known as Nawab of Carnatic

● Founder of Nawayath dynasty

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

● Didn’t build big army

● Didn’t tackle corruption

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

● King Chikka Krishna Raj, a puppet at the hands of 2 ministers

● Mysore emerged as an important power under Hyder Ali.

● 1755: Modern arsenal in Dindigul.

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

q French revolution: Planted a 'Tree of Liberty' at Seringapatam & he became a

q Tried to establish modern navy

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

q Promoted trade with Russia & Arabia

q Mysore flourished & comparatively was better than others

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

q His personal library contained books on such diverse subjects as religion,

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

v Padmanabhaswamy temple recreated

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

v A poet, scholars, musician, renowned actor &, a man of great culture.

q 18th century saw a remarkable revival of Malayalam literature.

q Trivandrum, the capital of Travancore become a famous centre of Sanskrit

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

● Distinguished statesman, law maker, astronomer & reformer

● Man of Science & arts

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

● & also several works on trigonometry,

● & Napier's work on the construction & use of logarithms.

● Law to reduce expenditure on daughter’s marriage (Social

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

q A caste of agriculturists, lived in around Delhi, Agra & Mathura.

q Reached its highest glory under the Suraj Mal (1756-1763).

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

q The region is identified as modern Aligarh & Kanpur.

q Ali Muhammad Khan carved out a separate principality, known as

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

Modern Indian History

● (North)- Aurangzeb had stalled

● Both English & French desired it

Modern History: Module III - Provincial Kingdoms and British Expansion

Joseph Dupleix Robert Clive