Monday, October 15, 2007
British Intrigues to Rule India
The Honourable East India Company (HEIC), often colloquially referred to as "John Company", was an early joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). It was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intention of favouring trade privileges in India. The Royal Charter effectively gave the newly created HEIC a 21 year monopoly on all trade in the East Indies.
In 1617, the Company was given trade rights by Jahangir the Mughal Emperor. One hundred years later, it was granted a royal dictate from Emperor Farrukhsiyar exempting the Company from the payment of custom duties in Bengal, giving it a decided commercial advantage in the Indian trade. A decisive victory by Sir Robert Clive at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 established the Company as a military as well as a commercial power. By 1760, the French were driven out of India, with the exception of a few trading posts on the coast, such as Pondicherry. In South-East Asia, the company would establish the first trading posts and exert its military dominance leading to the eventual establishment of British Malaya, Hong Kong and Singapore as British Crown Colonies.
The Company also had interests along the routes to India from Great Britain. As early as 1620, the company attempted to lay claim to the Table Mountain region in South Africa; later it occupied and ruled St Helena. Piracy was a severe problem for the Company. This problem reached its peak in 1695, when pirate Henry Avery captured the Great Mughal's treasure fleet. The Company was held responsible for that raid, because according to Indian popular opinion of the time, all pirates were by definition English. Later, the Company unsuccessfully employed Captain Kidd to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean; it also cultivated the production of tea in India. Other notable events in the Company's history were that it held Napoleon captive on St Helena, and made the fortune of Elihu Yale. Its products were the basis of the Boston Tea Party in Colonial America.
Its shipyards provided the model for St Petersburg, while elements of its administration, the Honourable East India Company Civil Service (HEICS), survive in the Indian Civil Service (ICS). Its corporate structure was the most successful early example of a joint stock company. However, the demands of Company officers on the treasury of Bengal contributed tragically to the province's incapacity in the face of a famine, which killed millions of people in 1770-1773.
Chronology -- Modern India -- 1757 AD to 1947 AD
1757 Battle of Plassey: The British defeat Siraj-ud-daulah
1760 Battle of Wandiwash: The British defeat the French
1761 Third battle of Panipat: Ahmed Shah Abdali defeats the Marathas; Accession of Madhava Rao Peshwa; Rise of Hyder Ali
1764 Battle of Buxar: The British defeat Mir Kasim
1765 The British get Diwani Rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
1767-1769 First Mysore War: The British conclude a humiliating peace pact with Hyder Ali
1772 Death of Madhava Rao Peshwa; Warren Hastings appointed as Governor of Bengal
1773 The Regulating Act passed by the British Parliament
1774 Warren Hastings appointed as Governor-General
1775-1782 The First Anglo-Maratha war
1780-1784 Second Mysore War : The British defeat Hyder Ali
1784 Pitt's India Act
1790-1792 Third Mysore War between the British and Tipu
1793 Permanent Settlement of Bengal
1794 Death of Mahadaji Sindhia
1799 Fourth Mysore War: The British defeat Tipu; Death of Tipu; Partition of Mysore
1802 Treaty of Bassein
1803-1805 The Second Anglo-Maratha war: The British defeat the Marathas at Assaye: Treaty of Amritsar
1814-1816 The Anglo-Gurkha war
1817-1818 The Pindari war
1817-1819 The last Anglo-Maratha war: Marathas finally crushed by the British
1824-1826 The First Burmese war
1829 Prohibition of Sati
1829-1837 Suppression of Thuggee
1831 Raja of Mysore deposed and its administration taken over by East India Company
1833 Renewal of Company's Charter; Abolition of company's trading rights
1835 Education Resolution
1838 Tripartite treaty between Shah Shuja, Ranjit Singh and the British
1839-1842 First Afghan war
1843 Gwalior war
1845-1846 First Anglo-Sikh war
1848 Lord Dalhousie becomes the Governor-General
1848-1849 Second Anglo-Sikh war : (Rise of Sikh Power) British annex Punjab as Sikhs are defeated
1852 Second Anglo-Burmese war
1853 Railway opened from Bombay to Thane; Telegraph line from Calcutta to Agra
1857 First War of Indian Independence: The Sepoy Mutiny
1858 British Crown takes over the Indian Government
1861 Indian Councils Act; Indian High Courts Act; Introduction of the Penal Code
1868 Punjab Tenancy Act; Railway opened from Ambala to Delhi
1874 The Bihar Famine
1877 Delhi Durbar: The Queen of England proclaimed Empress of India
1878 Vernacular Press Act
1881 Factory Act; Rendition of Mysore
1885
First meeting of the Indian National Congress; Bengal Tenancy Act
1891
Indian Factory Act
1892
Indian Councils Act to regulate Indian administration
1897
Plague in Bombay; Famine Commission
1899
Lord Curzon becomes Governor-General and Viceroy
1905
The First Partition of Bengal
1906
Formation of Muslim League; Congress declaration regarding Swaraj
1908
Newspaper Act
1911
Delhi Durbar; Partition of Bengal modified to create the Presidency of Bengal
1912
The Imperial capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi
1913
Educational Resolution of the Government of India
1915
Defence of India Act
1916
Home Rule League founded; Foundation of Women's University at Poona
1919
Rowlatt Act evokes protests; Jalianwalla Bagh massacre; The Montague-Chelmsford Reforms offer limited autonomy
1920
The Khilafat Movement started; Mahatma Gandhi leads the Congress; Non-co-operation Movement
1921
Moplah (Muslim) rebellion in Malabar; Census of India
1922
Civil Disobedience Movement; Chauri-Chaura violence leads to Gandhi suspending movement
1923
Swarajists in Indian Councils; Certification of Salt Tax; Hindu-Muslim riots
1925
Reforms Enquiry committee Report
1926
Royal Commission on Agriculture; Factories Act
1927
Indian Navy Act; Simon Commission Appointed
1928
Simon Commission comes to India: Boycott by all parties; All Parties Conference
1929
Lord Irwin promises Dominion Status for India; Trade Union split; Jawaharlal Nehru hoists the National Flag at Lahore
1930
Civil Disobedience movement continues; Salt Satyagraha: Gandhiji's Dandi March; First Round Table Conference
1931
Second Round Table Conference; Irwin-Gandhi Pact; Census of India
1932
Suppression of the Congress movement; Third Round Table Conference; The Communal Award; Poona Pact
1933
Publication of White Paper on Indian reforms
1934
Civil Disobedience Movement called off; Bihar Earthquake
1935
Government of India Act
1937
Inauguration of Provincial Autonomy; Congress ministries formed in a majority of Indian provinces
1939
Political deadlock in India as Congress ministries resign
1942
Cripps Mission to India; Congress adopts Quit India Resolution; Congress leaders arrested; Subhash Chandra Bose forms Indian National Army
1944
Gandhi-Jinnah Talks break down on Pakistan issue
1945
First trial of the Indian Army men opened
1946
Mutiny in Royal Indian Navy; Cabinet Mission's plan announced; Muslim League decides to participate in the Interim Government; Interim Government formed; Constituent Assembly's first meeting
3 June 1947
Announcement of Lord Mountbatten's plan for partition of India
15 Aug 1947
Partition of India and Independence
The Honourable East India Company (HEIC), often colloquially referred to as "John Company", was an early joint-stock company (the Dutch East India Company was the first to issue public stock). It was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intention of favouring trade privileges in India. The Royal Charter effectively gave the newly created HEIC a 21 year monopoly on all trade in the East Indies.
In 1617, the Company was given trade rights by Jahangir the Mughal Emperor. One hundred years later, it was granted a royal dictate from Emperor Farrukhsiyar exempting the Company from the payment of custom duties in Bengal, giving it a decided commercial advantage in the Indian trade. A decisive victory by Sir Robert Clive at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 established the Company as a military as well as a commercial power. By 1760, the French were driven out of India, with the exception of a few trading posts on the coast, such as Pondicherry. In South-East Asia, the company would establish the first trading posts and exert its military dominance leading to the eventual establishment of British Malaya, Hong Kong and Singapore as British Crown Colonies.
The Company also had interests along the routes to India from Great Britain. As early as 1620, the company attempted to lay claim to the Table Mountain region in South Africa; later it occupied and ruled St Helena. Piracy was a severe problem for the Company. This problem reached its peak in 1695, when pirate Henry Avery captured the Great Mughal's treasure fleet. The Company was held responsible for that raid, because according to Indian popular opinion of the time, all pirates were by definition English. Later, the Company unsuccessfully employed Captain Kidd to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean; it also cultivated the production of tea in India. Other notable events in the Company's history were that it held Napoleon captive on St Helena, and made the fortune of Elihu Yale. Its products were the basis of the Boston Tea Party in Colonial America.
Its shipyards provided the model for St Petersburg, while elements of its administration, the Honourable East India Company Civil Service (HEICS), survive in the Indian Civil Service (ICS). Its corporate structure was the most successful early example of a joint stock company. However, the demands of Company officers on the treasury of Bengal contributed tragically to the province's incapacity in the face of a famine, which killed millions of people in 1770-1773.
Chronology -- Modern India -- 1757 AD to 1947 AD
1757 Battle of Plassey: The British defeat Siraj-ud-daulah
1760 Battle of Wandiwash: The British defeat the French
1761 Third battle of Panipat: Ahmed Shah Abdali defeats the Marathas; Accession of Madhava Rao Peshwa; Rise of Hyder Ali
1764 Battle of Buxar: The British defeat Mir Kasim
1765 The British get Diwani Rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
1767-1769 First Mysore War: The British conclude a humiliating peace pact with Hyder Ali
1772 Death of Madhava Rao Peshwa; Warren Hastings appointed as Governor of Bengal
1773 The Regulating Act passed by the British Parliament
1774 Warren Hastings appointed as Governor-General
1775-1782 The First Anglo-Maratha war
1780-1784 Second Mysore War : The British defeat Hyder Ali
1784 Pitt's India Act
1790-1792 Third Mysore War between the British and Tipu
1793 Permanent Settlement of Bengal
1794 Death of Mahadaji Sindhia
1799 Fourth Mysore War: The British defeat Tipu; Death of Tipu; Partition of Mysore
1802 Treaty of Bassein
1803-1805 The Second Anglo-Maratha war: The British defeat the Marathas at Assaye: Treaty of Amritsar
1814-1816 The Anglo-Gurkha war
1817-1818 The Pindari war
1817-1819 The last Anglo-Maratha war: Marathas finally crushed by the British
1824-1826 The First Burmese war
1829 Prohibition of Sati
1829-1837 Suppression of Thuggee
1831 Raja of Mysore deposed and its administration taken over by East India Company
1833 Renewal of Company's Charter; Abolition of company's trading rights
1835 Education Resolution
1838 Tripartite treaty between Shah Shuja, Ranjit Singh and the British
1839-1842 First Afghan war
1843 Gwalior war
1845-1846 First Anglo-Sikh war
1848 Lord Dalhousie becomes the Governor-General
1848-1849 Second Anglo-Sikh war : (Rise of Sikh Power) British annex Punjab as Sikhs are defeated
1852 Second Anglo-Burmese war
1853 Railway opened from Bombay to Thane; Telegraph line from Calcutta to Agra
1857 First War of Indian Independence: The Sepoy Mutiny
1858 British Crown takes over the Indian Government
1861 Indian Councils Act; Indian High Courts Act; Introduction of the Penal Code
1868 Punjab Tenancy Act; Railway opened from Ambala to Delhi
1874 The Bihar Famine
1877 Delhi Durbar: The Queen of England proclaimed Empress of India
1878 Vernacular Press Act
1881 Factory Act; Rendition of Mysore
1885
First meeting of the Indian National Congress; Bengal Tenancy Act
1891
Indian Factory Act
1892
Indian Councils Act to regulate Indian administration
1897
Plague in Bombay; Famine Commission
1899
Lord Curzon becomes Governor-General and Viceroy
1905
The First Partition of Bengal
1906
Formation of Muslim League; Congress declaration regarding Swaraj
1908
Newspaper Act
1911
Delhi Durbar; Partition of Bengal modified to create the Presidency of Bengal
1912
The Imperial capital shifted from Calcutta to Delhi
1913
Educational Resolution of the Government of India
1915
Defence of India Act
1916
Home Rule League founded; Foundation of Women's University at Poona
1919
Rowlatt Act evokes protests; Jalianwalla Bagh massacre; The Montague-Chelmsford Reforms offer limited autonomy
1920
The Khilafat Movement started; Mahatma Gandhi leads the Congress; Non-co-operation Movement
1921
Moplah (Muslim) rebellion in Malabar; Census of India
1922
Civil Disobedience Movement; Chauri-Chaura violence leads to Gandhi suspending movement
1923
Swarajists in Indian Councils; Certification of Salt Tax; Hindu-Muslim riots
1925
Reforms Enquiry committee Report
1926
Royal Commission on Agriculture; Factories Act
1927
Indian Navy Act; Simon Commission Appointed
1928
Simon Commission comes to India: Boycott by all parties; All Parties Conference
1929
Lord Irwin promises Dominion Status for India; Trade Union split; Jawaharlal Nehru hoists the National Flag at Lahore
1930
Civil Disobedience movement continues; Salt Satyagraha: Gandhiji's Dandi March; First Round Table Conference
1931
Second Round Table Conference; Irwin-Gandhi Pact; Census of India
1932
Suppression of the Congress movement; Third Round Table Conference; The Communal Award; Poona Pact
1933
Publication of White Paper on Indian reforms
1934
Civil Disobedience Movement called off; Bihar Earthquake
1935
Government of India Act
1937
Inauguration of Provincial Autonomy; Congress ministries formed in a majority of Indian provinces
1939
Political deadlock in India as Congress ministries resign
1942
Cripps Mission to India; Congress adopts Quit India Resolution; Congress leaders arrested; Subhash Chandra Bose forms Indian National Army
1944
Gandhi-Jinnah Talks break down on Pakistan issue
1945
First trial of the Indian Army men opened
1946
Mutiny in Royal Indian Navy; Cabinet Mission's plan announced; Muslim League decides to participate in the Interim Government; Interim Government formed; Constituent Assembly's first meeting
3 June 1947
Announcement of Lord Mountbatten's plan for partition of India
15 Aug 1947
Partition of India and Independence
# posted by mediavigil @ 11:20 AM 
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