Expansion of British Rule in India - Military Conquests

Question 1

What were the Anglo-mysore wars?

Answer 1

1. The anglo-mysore wars are the greatest military conflicts fought in India’s history
2. They were fought between the British and the Mysore monarchs

Question 2

What caused the Anglo-Mysore wars?

Answer 2

1. The British and Mysore rulers fought over control of present-day Karnataka.
2. Hyder Ali was the commander in chief and became de-facto king in 1761
3. He transformed the kingdom with French military expertise.
   4.The British were irritated with the close relationship between the French and Mysore and wanted to curb mysore power and strength
4. Hence, they conspired with the Hyderabad Nizam against Mysore

Question 3

Give a brief overview of the Anglo-Mysore wars.

Answer 3

1. There were 4 Anglo-Mysore wars fought over 30 years
2. The first 2 were fought between the British and Hyder Ali, with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad siding with the English
3. Hyder Ali died during the second war in 1782, leaving his son, Tipu Sultan, to continue the struggle against the British.

Question 4

Who was Tipu Sultan?

Answer 4

1. Tipu Sultan, also know as the “Tiger of Mysore”, was a remarkable and gifted ruler.
2. Under him, Mysore became very popular
3. He reformed administration and modernised Mysore’s economy

Question 5

What happened in the 3rd Anglo-Mysore war?

Answer 5

1. This war was fought between the British and Tipu Sultan
2. During this war, the British attacked Tipu’s famous fortress city Seringapatnam (defensive capital of Mysore)
3. After a long siege, Tipu was defeated and forced to sign a humiliating treaty, known as “The Treaty of Seringapatnam”
4. He had to pay a fine and surrender huge tracts of land (almost half of his territory)

Question 6

What happened in the 4th Anglo-Mysore war?

Answer 6

1. Post the 3rd war, Tipu Sultan rebuilt Mysore’s strength.
2. The British tried to force Tipu to sign the subsidiary alliance.
3. However, he refused and organised the fourth Anglo-Mysore war
4. Seringapatnam was attacked and Tipu was killed defending his capital.
5. His family was exiled to calcutta and a new, young puppet king was placed on a the throne of Mysore.
6. He accepted the subsidiary alliance Mysore now came under British control

Question 7

Describe the influence of Peshwa Madhav Rao and Nana Phadnavis.

Answer 7

1. Following the Third Battle of Panipat, the Maratha Empire fragmented into a loose confederation of kingdoms.
2. While Peshwa Madhav Rao I in Poona was recognised as the overlord, internal conflicts persisted among the kingdoms. His shrewd, powerful minister, Nana Phadnavis, kept unity

Question 8

What happened during the Anglo-Maratha wars?

Answer 8

1. After the Peshwa’s death, a war os succession broek out
2. His brother, Narayan Rao became Peshwa but his uncle, Raghunath Rao wanted the throne
   a. For this, he sought the British’s help
3. British won initial victory in the 1st Anglo-Maratha War
4. Madhav Rao II (Narayana Rao’s son) was accepted as peshwa
5. There were 3 wars fought over 40 years
6. Nana phadnavis died during this period making the empire even weaker
7. Baji Rao II was the new ruler and he was weak and incompetent
8. The Marathas were decisively defeated in the end
9. The Peshwa was exiled to Bithur, near Kanpur

Question 9

Give some background to the Anglo-Sikh wars.

Answer 9

1. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had carved out a huge empire in Punjab.
   2. He was extremely professional and had a well equipped army.
2. The British had an agreement (Treaty of Amritsar 1809) with Ranjit Singh that there would be no war between them

Question 10

What happened during the Anglo-Sikh wars?

Answer 10

1. After the death of the King a war of succession broke out between his seven sons who fought for the throne
2. Taking advantage of the situation, The British interfered in the Sikh kingdom.
3. This resulted in two Anglo-Sikh wars. The outcome of the fierce battles was British victory and their complete control over the Punjab.
   a. This was due to the superior military skills
   and tactics of the British.
4. In the 2nd Anglo-Sikh war, the British defeated the Sikhs in the battle of Gujarat, a town on the river Chenab, in 1849
5. The sikh chief resigned and punjab was annexed by Lord Dalhousie
6. Maharaja Dalip Singh was pensioned off and send to English

Question 11

What was the result of the expansion of the British rule in India?

Answer 11

1. Britain became the supreme power through their military conquests and peaceful annexation
2. British takeover caused unrest among ruling classes and their subjects in India
3. The British:
   a. Ignored the interests of the people
   b. Kept on increasing land revenue and collection
4. Indian people became restless and many revolts broke out against the British