Study this in the app →

English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Quick recap: British expansion in India on one page

British expansion in India · Quick recap · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

All three parts of British expansion condensed for quick revision: the European companies, the Carnatic wars and the conquest of Bengal; the Anglo-Mysore and Anglo-Maratha wars; and the ring-fence, subsidiary alliance, paramountcy, frontier wars, Sindh, Punjab, the doctrine of lapse and Awadh.

The chapter traces how the East India Company, a trading body with a few coastal factories in 1600, became the paramount power in India by 1856. Part 1 covered the European rivals and the conquest of Bengal; Part 2 the wars with Mysore and the Marathas; Part 3 the policies and frontier wars by which the rest of India was absorbed. Three threads run through all of it: Indian powers rarely stood together, Bengal's revenue paid for the Company's armies, and each victory brought new treaties that turned allies into dependants.

Part 1: the Portuguese reached Calicut in 1498; the English Company was chartered on 31 December 1600, the Dutch VOC in 1602 and the French company in 1664. Farrukhsiyar's farman of 1717 gave the English duty-free trade in Bengal and the Dastak. The three Carnatic wars ended French hopes, decisively at Wandiwash (1760). In Bengal, Clive won at Plassey (23 June 1757) through Mir Jafar's betrayal of Siraj-ud-Daulah; Mir Qasim's challenge ended at Buxar (22 October 1764). By the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) Shah Alam II granted the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, and the Dual government that followed gave the Company power without responsibility until Warren Hastings ended it in 1772.

Part 2: Mysore under Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan fought four wars with the Company. The first ended with the Treaty of Madras (1769), the second with the Treaty of Mangalore (1784), and the third with the Treaty of Seringapatam (1792), which cost Tipu half his kingdom. In the fourth, Seringapatam was stormed and Tipu killed on 4 May 1799. The Marathas, divided after Panipat (1761), fought three wars. The first ended with the Treaty of Salbai (1782). The second followed the Peshwa's acceptance of the Subsidiary alliance at Bassein (1802), and the third (1817–18) abolished the office of Peshwa. Mysore stood alone and the Maratha chiefs fought one by one, so both lost.

Part 3: Warren Hastings's Ring-fence policy used Awadh as a buffer; Wellesley's Subsidiary alliance (Hyderabad first, 1798) made states pay for Company troops and give up their foreign policy; Lord Hastings claimed Paramountcy and fought Nepal (Treaty of Sagauli, 1816). Frontier wars brought the Treaty of Yandabo (1826), the failed First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42) and the annexation of Sindh (1843). Ranjit Singh's Punjab, held back by the Treaty of Amritsar (1809), fell after two Anglo-Sikh wars and was annexed in 1849. Dalhousie's Doctrine of lapse took Satara, Jhansi and Nagpur, and Awadh was annexed for misgovernment in 1856.

British expansion at a glance
ItemKey facts
Carnatic wars1746–48, 1749–54, 1756–63; Wandiwash 1760 ends French hopes
Plassey23 June 1757; Clive defeats Siraj-ud-Daulah; Mir Jafar made Nawab
Buxar22 October 1764; Munro defeats Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam II
Allahabad1765; diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa; dual government until 1772
Anglo-Mysore warsMadras 1769, Mangalore 1784, Seringapatam 1792, Tipu killed 1799
Anglo-Maratha warsSalbai 1782, Bassein 1802, peshwaship abolished 1818
PoliciesRing-fence (Warren Hastings), subsidiary alliance (Wellesley), paramountcy (Lord Hastings), lapse (Dalhousie)
Last annexationsSindh 1843, Punjab 1849, Jhansi 1853, Nagpur 1854, Awadh 1856

Taken together, the chapter shows a steady pattern: trade led to fortified settlements, rivalry with the French to war, Bengal's revenue to larger armies, and treaties to dependence and finally annexation. The annexations of the last decade, especially of states with heirs and of Awadh, left deposed rulers, pensionless nobles and anxious sepoys, which links this chapter directly to the Revolt of 1857.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Which battle ended the French challenge to the English in the Carnatic?

  1. Battle of Adyar
  2. Battle of Wandiwash
  3. Battle of Bedara
  4. Battle of Buxar
Show answer

Answer: B. Battle of Wandiwash

(b) is correct: Wandiwash (1760), in the Third Carnatic War, was followed by the fall of Pondicherry (1761). (a) Adyar belongs to the First Carnatic War; (c) Bedara (1759) ended the Dutch challenge in Bengal; (d) Buxar (1764) was fought against Mir Qasim and his allies, not the French.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. The diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa was granted to the Company by the Treaty of Allahabad (1765).
2. The dual government in Bengal was ended by Warren Hastings in 1772.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Both are correct: Shah Alam II granted the diwani in August 1765, and Warren Hastings ended the dual government in 1772. So (a), (b) and (d) are wrong.

Q3. Which treaty ended the Second Anglo-Mysore War?

  1. Treaty of Madras
  2. Treaty of Salbai
  3. Treaty of Mangalore
  4. Treaty of Seringapatam
Show answer

Answer: C. Treaty of Mangalore

(c) is correct: the Treaty of Mangalore (1784). (a) Madras (1769) ended the first war; (b) Salbai (1782) ended the First Anglo-Maratha War; (d) Seringapatam (1792) ended the third war.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the Treaty of Bassein (1802):
1. By it the Peshwa accepted a subsidiary alliance.
2. It ended the Third Anglo-Maratha War.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Only 1 is correct. Statement 2 is wrong: Bassein led to the Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–05); the Third War (1817–18) ended with the abolition of the peshwaship. So (b), (c) and (d) are wrong.

Q5. Match List I (Governor-General) with List II (policy):
List I: A. Warren Hastings B. Wellesley C. Lord Hastings D. Dalhousie
List II: 1. Doctrine of lapse 2. Ring-fence 3. Paramountcy 4. Subsidiary alliance
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
  2. A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
  3. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
  4. A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1
Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1

(a) is correct. (b) swaps the two Hastings; (c) swaps Wellesley and Dalhousie; (d) swaps Warren Hastings and Wellesley.

Q6. Which one of the following states was the first to accept Wellesley's subsidiary alliance?

  1. Mysore
  2. Awadh
  3. Hyderabad
  4. The Peshwa's state
Show answer

Answer: C. Hyderabad

(c) is correct: Hyderabad signed in 1798. (a) Mysore followed in 1799, (b) Awadh in 1801 and (d) the Peshwa in 1802.

Q7. Arrange the following in chronological order:
1. Battle of Buxar
2. Treaty of Salbai
3. Fall of Seringapatam
4. Annexation of Punjab
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. 1-2-3-4
  2. 2-1-3-4
  3. 1-3-2-4
  4. 2-3-1-4
Show answer

Answer: A. 1-2-3-4

(a) is correct: Buxar 1764, Salbai 1782, Seringapatam 1799, Punjab 1849. (b) and (d) put Salbai before Buxar; (c) puts Seringapatam before Salbai.

Q8. Consider the following statements:
1. Jhansi and Nagpur were annexed under the doctrine of lapse.
2. Awadh was annexed under the doctrine of lapse in 1856.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: A. 1 only

Only 1 is correct: Jhansi (1853) and Nagpur (1854) lapsed. Statement 2 is wrong: Awadh's rulers had heirs and it was annexed on the ground of misgovernment. So (b), (c) and (d) are wrong.

← Part 3All parts

Study this in the Upscore app to keep notes, save it for revision, track your practice scores and follow a plan to the exam date. It's free.

Study this in the app →

Sources