Study Guide · Chapter 4
3. EXPANSION OF BRITISH TERRITORIAL POWER: KEY WARS & ANNEXATIONS
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3. EXPANSION OF BRITISH TERRITORIAL POWER: KEY WARS & ANNEXATIONS
3.1 Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767–1799)
Mysore under Hyder Ali and later his son Tipu Sultan was the strongest resistance to British expansion in South India.
| War | Period | Key Details | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Anglo-Mysore War | 1767–1769 | Hyder Ali vs English (allied with Nizam & Marathas initially, who switched sides) | Hyder Ali marched to Madras; Treaty of Madras (1769) — mutual restitution of territory, defensive alliance |
| Second Anglo-Mysore War | 1780–1784 | Hyder Ali (died 1782, succeeded by Tipu Sultan) vs English; part of wider conflict incl. Marathas | Treaty of Mangalore (1784) — status quo ante, mutual restoration of territories |
| Third Anglo-Mysore War | 1790–1792 | Tipu Sultan vs English (Cornwallis) + Nizam + Marathas (Triple Alliance) | Treaty of Seringapatam (1792) — Tipu ceded half his territory (Malabar, Coorg, Dindigul etc.) divided among allies; paid huge war indemnity; two sons given as hostages |
| Fourth Anglo-Mysore War | 1799 | Tipu Sultan vs English (Lord Wellesley) + Nizam + Marathas | Tipu Sultan killed defending Seringapatam (4 May 1799); Mysore kingdom restored to old Wodeyar dynasty (as subsidiary ally); large territory annexed by British |
- Tipu Sultan: known as "Tiger of Mysore"; introduced rocket artillery (Mysorean rockets), new coinage, calendar; sought French help (Jacobin Club membership, planted "Tree of Liberty"); died fighting — remembered as key anti-colonial figure.
3.2 Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775–1818)
The Maratha Confederacy (Peshwa at Pune + chiefs: Scindia/Gwalior, Holkar/Indore, Gaekwad/Baroda, Bhonsle/Nagpur) was the other major power blocking British paramountcy.
| War | Period | Key Details | Outcome/Treaty |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Anglo-Maratha War | 1775–1782 | Arose from Company's interference in Pune succession dispute (Raghunath Rao vs Peshwa Madhavrao II regime) | Treaty of Salbai (1782) — status quo; British recognized Madhavrao II as Peshwa; 20 years peace |
| Second Anglo-Maratha War | 1803–1805 | Followed Treaty of Bassein (1802) — Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted Subsidiary Alliance after being defeated by Holkar; other Maratha chiefs (Scindia, Bhonsle) opposed British intervention and fought | British (Wellesley) defeated Scindia and Bhonsle (Battles of Assaye, Delhi, Laswari, Argaon) — British gained Orissa, parts of Bundelkhand, Agra-Delhi region |
| Third Anglo-Maratha War | 1817–1818 | Peshwa Baji Rao II revolted against British control; joined by Holkar, Bhonsle | Decisive British victory (Lord Hastings) — Peshwaship abolished (1818); Baji Rao II pensioned off to Bithur; Maratha Confederacy ended; paramountcy of British firmly established over most of India |
- Treaty of Bassein (1802) is a key marker: it brought the Peshwa (nominal head of Maratha confederacy) under Subsidiary Alliance, effectively subordinating the Marathas even before the Third War.
3.3 Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845–1849)
Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh (r. 1799–1839) remained independent and powerful (unified Sikh Misls, capital Lahore) until his death; subsequent instability led to conflict.
| War | Period | Key Details | Treaty/Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Anglo-Sikh War | 1845–1846 | Post Ranjit Singh's death (1839), succession chaos in Punjab (Kharak Singh, Sher Singh, child-king Duleep Singh, regent Rani Jindan) | Treaty of Lahore (1846) — Sikhs ceded Jalandhar Doab; Kashmir sold to Gulab Singh (Dogra) for Rs 75 lakh via separate Treaty of Amritsar (1846), creating princely state of Jammu & Kashmir; British Resident placed at Lahore |
| Second Anglo-Sikh War | 1848–1849 | Revolt at Multan; Sikh Army resistance | British victory — Punjab annexed outright by Lord Dalhousie (1849); Maharaja Duleep Singh pensioned, exiled to England (later surrendered the Kohinoor diamond to Queen Victoria) |
3.4 Other Important Annexations
- Sindh: Annexed by Sir Charles Napier in 1843 on a pretext, famous (apocryphal) despatch "Peccavi" ("I have sinned" = "I have Sindh").
- Awadh (Oudh): Annexed by Lord Dalhousie in 1856 on grounds of "misgovernance" — a major grievance leading to the Revolt of 1857 (covered in Freedom Movement notes).
- Doctrine of Lapse annexations (Dalhousie, 1848–56): Satara (1848), Jaitpur & Sambalpur (1849), Udaipur, Nagpur, Jhansi (1854), etc. — detailed under Acts & Reforms/Freedom Movement notes.
Key Facts / Quick Revision Points
- 4 Anglo-Mysore Wars (1767–99); Tipu Sultan died at Seringapatam, 4 May 1799.
- Treaty of Seringapatam — 1792, after 3rd Mysore War.
- 3 Anglo-Maratha Wars (1775–1818); Peshwaship abolished 1818 after 3rd war.
- Treaty of Bassein (1802) — Peshwa Baji Rao II accepts Subsidiary Alliance.
- Battle of Assaye (1803) — part of 2nd Anglo-Maratha War; Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) won here.
- 2 Anglo-Sikh Wars (1845–49); Punjab annexed 1849 by Dalhousie.
- Treaty of Amritsar (1846) — sale of Kashmir to Gulab Singh, Rs 75 lakh.
- Sindh annexed 1843 (Charles Napier); Awadh annexed 1856 (Dalhousie).
- By 1857, virtually all of India was under direct British rule or indirect control via subsidiary alliance/paramountcy.
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