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Questions and Answers
What was the primary objective of the East India Company?
What was the primary objective of the East India Company?
- To promote trade (correct)
- To assist the local rulers
- To expand its territorial ambitions
- To establish a new government
What event led to Mir Jafar becoming the nawab?
What event led to Mir Jafar becoming the nawab?
- The Battle of Calcutta
- The Death of Robert Clive
- The Battle of Plassey (correct)
- The English traders petitioning the Nawab
What was the annual income the East India Company expected to earn?
What was the annual income the East India Company expected to earn?
- Four million sterling
- Three million sterling
- Two million sterling (correct)
- One million sterling
Why did the East India Company not want to take over the responsibility of administration?
Why did the East India Company not want to take over the responsibility of administration?
What did the East India Company seek from local rulers?
What did the East India Company seek from local rulers?
What was the response of the English traders when they first came into the country?
What was the response of the English traders when they first came into the country?
What was the result of the Company's attempt to work with puppet nawabs?
What was the result of the Company's attempt to work with puppet nawabs?
What was Robert Clive's concern about the Company's territorial ambitions?
What was Robert Clive's concern about the Company's territorial ambitions?
What was the turning point in the East India Company's trade with India?
What was the turning point in the East India Company's trade with India?
Why did the East India Company have to buy most of the goods in India with gold and silver?
Why did the East India Company have to buy most of the goods in India with gold and silver?
What was the significance of the Diwani of Bengal?
What was the significance of the Diwani of Bengal?
What did the East India Company do to the king's subjects?
What did the East India Company do to the king's subjects?
What was the result of the Company's assumption of Diwani?
What was the result of the Company's assumption of Diwani?
What did the Company use the revenue from India to finance?
What did the Company use the revenue from India to finance?
What did it mean to be a nawab?
What did it mean to be a nawab?
What was the result of the outflow of gold from Britain stopping?
What was the result of the outflow of gold from Britain stopping?
What was the primary role of the Residents appointed by the Company in Indian states after the Battle of Buxar?
What was the primary role of the Residents appointed by the Company in Indian states after the Battle of Buxar?
What was the consequence of Indian rulers failing to make payments for the 'subsidiary forces'?
What was the consequence of Indian rulers failing to make payments for the 'subsidiary forces'?
What was the purpose of the 'subsidiary forces' maintained by the Company?
What was the purpose of the 'subsidiary forces' maintained by the Company?
During whose governor-generalship was the Nawab of Awadh forced to cede half of his territory to the Company?
During whose governor-generalship was the Nawab of Awadh forced to cede half of his territory to the Company?
What was the outcome of the subsidiary alliance for Indian rulers?
What was the outcome of the subsidiary alliance for Indian rulers?
Why did the Company appoint Residents in Indian states after the Battle of Buxar?
Why did the Company appoint Residents in Indian states after the Battle of Buxar?
What was the consequence of the subsidiary alliance for the Company?
What was the consequence of the subsidiary alliance for the Company?
What was the purpose of the Company's interference in the internal affairs of Indian states?
What was the purpose of the Company's interference in the internal affairs of Indian states?
What was the result of the treaties that followed the Battle of Buxar on Nawab Shujauddaulah's authority?
What was the result of the treaties that followed the Battle of Buxar on Nawab Shujauddaulah's authority?
Who painted the portrait of Nawab Shujauddaulah and the British Resident?
Who painted the portrait of Nawab Shujauddaulah and the British Resident?
What was the role of the British Resident according to James Mill?
What was the role of the British Resident according to James Mill?
What happened when the prince did not act in perfect subservience to the British Government?
What happened when the prince did not act in perfect subservience to the British Government?
What did the British Government think was wrong when the prince took a different course of action?
What did the British Government think was wrong when the prince took a different course of action?
What was the relationship between the prince and the British Resident according to James Mill?
What was the relationship between the prince and the British Resident according to James Mill?
What was the responsibility of the Resident according to James Mill?
What was the responsibility of the Resident according to James Mill?
What was the nature of the prince's decision that led to clashing and disturbance?
What was the nature of the prince's decision that led to clashing and disturbance?
What was Tipu Sultan doing when he came face to face with a tiger?
What was Tipu Sultan doing when he came face to face with a tiger?
What happened to Tipu Sultan's gun during the tiger encounter?
What happened to Tipu Sultan's gun during the tiger encounter?
What was the outcome of the battle between Tipu Sultan and the tiger?
What was the outcome of the battle between Tipu Sultan and the tiger?
What is depicted in the mechanical toy shown in Fig. 9?
What is depicted in the mechanical toy shown in Fig. 9?
Where is the mechanical toy tiger currently kept?
Where is the mechanical toy tiger currently kept?
What was the significance of the image of the tiger on Tipu Sultan's flag?
What was the significance of the image of the tiger on Tipu Sultan's flag?
When did Tipu Sultan die defending his capital?
When did Tipu Sultan die defending his capital?
What did Tipu Sultan do with the dagger after it fell to the ground?
What did Tipu Sultan do with the dagger after it fell to the ground?
Study Notes
The Territorial Ambitions of the East India Company
- The East India Company's territorial ambitions were viewed with distrust and doubt in England after the Battle of Plassey.
- Robert Clive wrote to William Pitt, Principal Secretary of State to the English monarch, about the possibility of obtaining the absolute possession of rich kingdoms in India.
The Company's Objectives
- The Company's prime objective was the expansion of trade, not conquest.
- The Company preferred to work with local rulers who were willing to grant privileges, rather than taking over territories directly.
The Diwani of Bengal
- In 1765, the Mughal emperor appointed the Company as the Diwan of the provinces of Bengal.
- The Diwani allowed the Company to use the vast revenue resources of Bengal, solving a major problem it had faced earlier.
The Company's Revenue and Expenses
- The Company had to buy most goods in India with gold and silver imported from Britain before the Diwani.
- After the Diwani, the Company could use the revenues from India to finance its expenses, purchase cotton and silk textiles, maintain Company troops, and build the Company fort and offices at Calcutta.
The Residents and the Company's Interference
- After the Battle of Buxar, the Company appointed Residents in Indian states who were political or commercial agents serving the Company's interests.
- The Residents began interfering in the internal affairs of Indian states, deciding on successors to the throne and appointing administrators.
- The Company sometimes forced Indian states into a "subsidiary alliance", where they were not allowed to have their own armed forces and had to pay for the Company's protection.
The Consequences of the Subsidiary Alliance
- If Indian rulers failed to make the payment, part of their territory was taken away as penalty.
- Examples include the Nawab of Awadh, who had to give over half of his territory to the Company in 1801, and Hyderabad, which was forced to cede territories on similar grounds.
The Power of the Resident
- The Resident had significant power, acting as the "king of the country" with the ability to manage affairs without appearing to do so.
- When the prince took a course of action that the British Government thought was wrong, the Resident would intervene, causing clashing and disturbance.
Tipu Sultan and the Tiger of Mysore
- Tipu Sultan became the ruler of Mysore in 1782 and was known for his bravery, particularly in a legendary battle with a tiger.
- The British took away a mechanical toy tiger that Tipu possessed, which is now kept in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
- Tipu Sultan had the image of the tiger on his flag, earning him the nickname "The Tiger of Mysore".
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Description
The East India Company's expansion and territorial ambitions in India during the 18th century, as reflected in Robert Clive's letter to William Pitt. The company's growth was viewed with distrust in England.
