Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about The Extension of the British Rule from Class 10 Social_Science. Through the Carnatic wars, the English made the other European countries not to challenge them in India. They gained complete political control over Bengal through Plassey and Buxar battles. By 1765, they had gained control over most of the eastern parts of India. Since the Marathas and Mysore states were dominant in southern and western part of India, the hold of the British was restricted to Bengal and Bombay regions only. Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan of Mysore along with Peshwas of Marathas were the only impediments in the path of expansion for the British. The others were Sikhs in the North western region. Ranjit Singh who emerged in the early part of nineteenth century was a formidable opponent to the British. He was successful in organizing the Sikhs. The British also waged repeated wars from mid eighteenth century to mid nineteenth century to extend their empire in India. Apart from this, they also annexed various kingdoms with cunning policies like Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse. During this period, the British waged three Anglo-Maratha wars, four Anglo-Mysore wars and two Anglo-Sikh wars. The Anglo-Mysore wars are discussed in unit 4, here we shall understand the wars of the British against the Marathas and Sikhs. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us begin with the First Anglo-Maratha War, which lasted from 1775 to 1782. The Marathas installed Shah Alam-II back on the throne of Mughal Empire in Delhi. Shah Alam-II was under the control of the British after the defeat in Buxar war. Now, the Emperor gave Koara and Allahabad to Marathas, which he had earlier given to the British. This resulted in the enmity between the Marathas and the British. During this period, the death of the Maratha strong man Madhav Rao Peshwa was a major setback to Marathas. Though his brother Narayanrao came to power, he was murdered by his uncle Raghobha, also known as Ragunatha Rao. This resulted in fighting for the Peshwa post. The Maratha federation brought Madhav Rao II, the minor son of Narayana Rao, to the post of Peshwa. Upset with this development, Raghobha approached the British for support. The British thought of exploiting this situation in their favour. A long war was waged from 1775 to 1782 between the Marathas and the British. Initially, though the Marathas gained upper hand, finally they lost it. The Maratha federation was unable to sustain the war with the British and finally entered into Salbai Agreement and ended the war. Madhav Rao II was named as the Peshwa. Note this for your exams, as the Salbai Agreement marks the formal end of this conflict. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will study Lord Wellesley and the Subsidiary Alliance. Lord Wellesley served as the Governor General of India from 1798 to 1805. The expansion of the British Empire took place at a faster pace after his arrival. By this time, the powerful states of Marathas and Mysore had become weak and expansion was easier. Lord Wellesley followed three policies to expand the British Empire in India. They were Subsidiary Alliance, waging war against new states, and administering the states directly that were under the control of the British. Let us look closely at the Subsidiary Alliance. Lord Wellesley brought this policy into effect in 1798 in order to bring the local kings under control. This was basically a military protection agreement between the British East India Company and the Indian State. The Conditions of Subsidiary Alliance are as follows. First, the Indian Kings had to keep the British Army in their kingdom. Second, the state concerned had to bear the expenses of the army and the wages of soldiers, or had to give certain revenue lands for the same. Third, the King had to have a British Resident in his Court. [CHECKPOINT]
Fourth, the King could not appoint any other European without the permission of the British. Fifth, in order to enter into any agreement or pact with any Indian state, the permission of the Governor General was mandatory. Sixth, in return for all these services, the Company would offer protection to the state from any internal or external aggression. The British could place the Indian states under their control through this policy and the maintenance of the army became easy. The Indian states were subjected to severe economic exploitation. Hyderabad was the first state to enter into this agreement. Later, Mysore, Awadh, Tanjavur, Maratha Kingdom, Berar, Arcot, Pune, Gwalior and other states entered this agreement. Moving on to the Second Anglo-Maratha War, which occurred from 1803 to 1805. The differences among the Maratha Chieftains was the reason for this war. There was enmity between Yeshwanth Rao of Holkar family and Daulath Rao of Scindia family. Both wanted to establish control over the Peshwa Balaji Rao II. In 1802, the army of Holkar defeated the armies of Scindia and the Peshwa. The Peshwa appealed to the British for help. [CHECKPOINT]
Lord Wellesley finally got an opportunity to meddle in the affairs of the Marathas. The Peshwa entered the Subsidiary Alliance system by accepting the Treaty of Bassein. Other Maratha families like Holkar, Gwalior and Bhonsle formed an alliance opposing this treaty. Lord Wellesley defeated the armies of various Maratha families from 1803 to 1805. But, his battle-thirstiness increased the financial burden on the Company. On being criticised for this policy, Lord Wellesley resigned from his post and returned to England. This resulted in temporary peace in the region. Now let us examine the Third Anglo-Maratha War, which took place from 1817 to 1818. The Maratha families tried their best to protect their independence and honour. Even the Peshwa attempted to free himself from the clutches of the English. In 1817 the Peshwa attacked the British Residency in Poona and burnt it down. Appa Saheb of Nagpur and Malhar Rao Holkar rebelled against the British and were suppressed ruthlessly. Finally, in 1818 Peshwa Baji Rao II fought against the British at Koregaon and Ashti and later surrendered to the British. The British abolished the Peshwa post and granted a pension to Baji Rao II. They installed Pratapa Simha, the descendant of Shivaji as the ruler of Satara, a mini state, and named him as the traditional leader of Marathas and suppressed the Maratha resistance. [CHECKPOINT]
The Consolidation of the British Power occurred between 1818 and 1857. During this period, the British completed their agenda of ruling the entire India. They occupied major states like Punjab, Sindh, Awadh and many other smaller states. Let us now turn our attention to the Anglo-Sikh Wars. A political anarchy broke out in the Punjab after the death of King Ranjith Singh in 1839. The British attempted to invade Punjab violating the Treaty of friendship of 1809, they had with the erstwhile King. In December 1845, a war broke out between the British and the Punjab. Sensing the danger from an outside force, the Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims got together to defeat the British. Finally, they had to accept defeat due to few traitor leaders. They signed a humiliating Lahore Agreement in 1846. With this the British Resident became the de facto ruler of the Punjab. Thus, Punjab became the dependent state of the British. In 1848, the Sikh opposed the attempts by the British to rule Punjab directly. The opposition was led by Chattar Singh Attariwala in Lahore and Moolraj in Multan. Again the people of Punjab were defeated. Finally, Lord Dalhousie merged the state of Punjab with the British Empire. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will study Dalhousie and the Doctrine of Lapse. Lord Dalhousie arrived in India as the Governor General in 1848 and made a final attempt to integrate Indian princely states with the British Empire. He adopted the Doctrine of Lapse policy whereby the adopted children of Indian Kings were refused their right to throne. According to this policy, if any Indian ruler died childless, his adopted male child had no legal right over the throne. Such a state was merged with the British Empire. Princely states like Satara, Nagpur, Sambalpur, Udaipur, Jhansi, and Jaipur came under this policy. As the Governor General knew the conditions of these states, he used this policy as a political weapon. With the severe implementation of this policy, not only the princely families, but even ordinary people who were sympathetic to these kings rebelled against the Company. Their love for their Kings and the sense of loyalty fuelled this rebellion further. This finally resulted in the First war of Indian Independence of 1857. This is a very important concept for your board examinations, so please note it carefully. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us read the special information box titled Know this, which focuses on Ranjit Singh. Ranjit Singh was born in 1780 as the son of Sardar Maha Singh who headed Sukerchakia misl, one of the twelve Misls of Punjab. He lost his father at the age of ten. When Shah Zaman of Kabul invaded India, Ranjith Singh offered his services to him. Shah Zaman made him the governor of Lahore along with the title Raja. He was nineteen years old then. Thereafter, he grew up in an amazing way. He aimed at achieving absolute power over all the Sikhs. He took control over all the Sikh Misls to the West of Sutlej and established his own Sikh Kingdom. He entered into a Treaty of Friendship with the British in 1809 at Amritsar. He organised his army on the lines of European armies. His army included Gorkhas, Biharis, Pathans and even Muslims apart from Sikhs. He established a Foundry, which is a workshop, at Lahore to manufacture cannons. [CHECKPOINT]
The army of Ranjith Singh was the best among all the Indian rulers of that time. He was secular in temperament and supported both Hindu and Muslim spiritual leaders. People from all religions held high offices in his regime. He was successful in protecting his state from the British by not having any enmity with them. Meanwhile, even the British wanted a strong Buffer State to protect them from invasions from the North West of India. In a nutshell, Ranjit Singh founded an independent Sikh state and ruled it as an independent king till his death in 1839. Let us now proceed to the exercises. I will read each question and provide the complete answer for your revision. First, fill in the blanks with suitable answers. Question one. At the end of First Anglo-Maratha war, Salbai agreement was signed between the Marathas and the British. Question two. The Subsidiary Alliance system was implemented by Lord Wellesley. Question three. The Governor General who integrated Punjab into the British empire was Lord Dalhousie. Question four. The Doctrine of Lapse policy was implemented by Lord Dalhousie. Note that Lord Dalhousie is the answer for both the third and fourth questions. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will discuss and answer the following questions. Question five. Explain the reasons for First Anglo-Maratha War. Answer. The reasons for the First Anglo-Maratha War were that the Marathas installed Shah Alam-II back on the Mughal throne in Delhi. Shah Alam-II, who was under British control after the Buxar war, gave Koara and Allahabad to the Marathas, territories he had earlier given to the British. This created enmity. Additionally, the death of Madhav Rao Peshwa led to a succession crisis. Narayanrao was murdered by his uncle Raghobha, leading to a fight for the Peshwa post. The Maratha federation made the minor Madhav Rao II the Peshwa. Raghobha sought British support, and the British exploited this situation, leading to the war from 1775 to 1782. Question six. What were the conditions under Subsidiary Alliance? Explain. Answer. The conditions were sixfold. First, Indian kings had to keep a British Army in their kingdom. Second, the state had to bear army expenses and soldier wages, or provide revenue lands for them. Third, the king had to host a British Resident in his court. Fourth, the king could not appoint any other European without British permission. Fifth, the king needed the Governor General mandatory permission to enter agreements with other Indian states. Sixth, in return, the Company offered protection from internal or external aggression. [CHECKPOINT]
This policy allowed British control, eased army maintenance, and led to severe economic exploitation. Hyderabad was the first state to join, followed by Mysore, Awadh, Tanjavur, Maratha Kingdom, Berar, Arcot, Pune, and Gwalior. Question seven. Explain the Third Anglo-Maratha War. Answer. In the Third Anglo-Maratha War from 1817 to 1818, Maratha families tried to protect their independence and honour. In 1817, the Peshwa attacked and burnt down the British Residency in Poona. Appa Saheb of Nagpur and Malhar Rao Holkar rebelled but were ruthlessly suppressed. In 1818, Peshwa Baji Rao II fought the British at Koregaon and Ashti, then surrendered. The British abolished the Peshwa post, granted Baji Rao II a pension, installed Pratapa Simha, a descendant of Shivaji, as ruler of the mini state of Satara, and named him the traditional leader of the Marathas, effectively suppressing their resistance. Question eight. How did the Doctrine of Lapse support the expansion of British Empire in India? Answer. Introduced by Lord Dalhousie in 1848, the Doctrine of Lapse stated that if any Indian ruler died childless, his adopted male child had no legal right over the throne. This meant such states were directly merged with the British Empire. It served as a political weapon to annex princely states without war, systematically expanding British territorial control and consolidating their power across India. [CHECKPOINT]
Question nine. Which were the states that came under the Doctrine of Lapse policy? Answer. The states that came under this policy were Satara, Nagpur, Sambalpur, Udaipur, Jhansi, and Jaipur. Finally, let us address the activity. Activity one asks you to analyze the strategies adopted by the British to expand their empire in India and write an essay on the same. For your essay, you should structure it around three main strategies. First, direct military conquest through repeated wars like the Anglo-Maratha, Anglo-Mysore, and Anglo-Sikh wars. Second, diplomatic manipulation using the Subsidiary Alliance system introduced by Lord Wellesley in 1798, which forced Indian rulers to host British troops, pay for them, and surrender foreign policy control, leading to economic exploitation and political subjugation. Third, legal annexation through the Doctrine of Lapse implemented by Lord Dalhousie in 1848, which denied succession rights to adopted heirs and allowed the British to merge states like Satara, Nagpur, and Jhansi directly into their empire. Conclude your essay by noting how these combined strategies of warfare, diplomatic coercion, and legal manipulation systematically dismantled Indian sovereignty, leading to complete British dominance by 1857 and ultimately sparking the First War of Indian Independence. Make sure to include specific dates, names of treaties, and the exact conditions of the policies in your essay for maximum marks. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]