Wellesley came to India with a determination to launch a forward policy in order to make ‘the British Empire in India’ into ‘the British Empire of India’. The system that he adopted to achieve his object is known as the ‘Subsidiary Alliance’. Marathas were a formidable power, Nizam was getting his army trained by French and Tipu was the disavowed enemy. Given his predecessor's policy affected British prestige and fear of Napoleon in larger context, led him to his two aims - preservation of British prestige and removal of French danger from India were Wellesley’s twin aims.
b. Subsidiary alliance - building on previous alliances:
i. Indian ruler who entered into the subsidiary alliance with the British had to maintain a contingent of British troops in his territory. It was commanded by a British officer. The Indian state was called ‘the protected state’ and the British hereinafter were referred to as ‘the paramount power’.
ii. Protected state to cut off its connection with European powers other than the English and with the French in particular.
iii. Ruler of the protected state to keep a British Resident at court and disband own army, no employment to any non-British European without approval, enter into agreements and engage in warfare with British permission. Led to unemployment of thousands of soldiers.
This system is regarded as masterstroke of British imperialism. Increased military strength of Company at expense of protected states. Rulers of protected states neglected administrative responsibilities leading easy going lives; misgovernment followed. Heavy payments for getting protection took toll on economy.
c. Enforcement of subsidiary system
i. Hyderabad - first state to get under the subsidiary system in 1798.
ii. Oudh - threat of invasion by Zaman Shah was pretext for Wellesley to force Nawab to enter subsidiary treaty. British could frame rules and regulations in name of maintaining law and order.
iii. Tanjore, Surat and Karnatak - in all these places British took over administration by paying pension to the rulers and letting them retain their titles.
d. Fourth Mysore War 1799 -
i. Tipu wanted to avenge his defeat and terms imposed upon him by British. He took efforts to seek the help of the France, Arabia, Kabul and Turkey. He corresponded with Napoleon, who had arrived in Egypt promising to liberate British India. At Srirangapattinam, a Jacobian Club was started and the flag of the French Republic was hoisted. The tree of Liberty was also planted.
ii. Wellesley set out to persuade Tipu to accept a pact of subsidiary alliance and asked Tipu to dismiss the French, to receive an English envoy, and to make terms with the Company and its allies. Tipu paid no attention to Wellesley and thus the war started. Tipu fought till his capital Srirangapattinam was captured and was shot dead. The Wodeyar dynasty was restored on the throne of the Mysore and Mysore came indirectly under the British.
e. Marathas - Nana Fadnavis provided the leadership to the Marathas. He was responsible for the preservation of independence of his country from the onslaught of the British. By helping Cornwallis against Tipu he was able to acquire a large slice of territory from Mysore. His death in 1800 removed the last great Maratha leader. After that in-fighting among leaders proved self-destructive. Scindia and Peshwa battled against Holkar in some internal dispute which Holkar won. Peshwa Baji Rao II fled and signed Treaty of Bassein 1802 with British. Marathas considered the treaty as a document of surrendering their independence.
f. Second Maratha War 1803-05 -
i. Daulat Rao Scindia and Raghoji Bhonsle took the Treaty of Bassein as an insult to the national honor of the Marathas. Soon the forces of both the chieftains were united, but Wellesley defeated their combined forces. Treaty of Deogaon and Treaty of Surji-Arjungaon were signed by Marathas.
g. Wellesley was an unscrupulous annexationist and an advocate of forward policy, he was one of the greatest empire-builders that England had ever produced. Located the weak spot of Indian rulers and applied his subsidiary alliance. He turned East India Company from a trading corporation into an imperial power.
George Barlow (1805-1807) - Vellore Mutiny of 1806 (because of dress code change and apparent forced conversion to Christianity). Lord Minto (1807-13) - Treaty of Amritsar with Ranjit Singh of Punjab in 1809.
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