POPULAR UPRISING & REVOLTS UP TO 1857 - HISTORY

POPULAR RISINGS & REVOLTS UP TO 1857

The establishment of British Rule was not a sudden event but a slow & gradual process comprising many wars & conquests, resulting in forceful subjugation of the Indian people. 

Naturally, it was a process resented & resisted at every stage. 

The British introduced rapid changes, which had an adverse impact on various aspects of Indian life. Consequently, people reacted to this new rule in two broadway.

These uprisings were directed against the common experience of oppression, brought about by the colonialists & their indigenous supporters.

Though these uprisings were localized in varying degrees, they emerged as the first expression of protest against the oppressive foreign rule & formed a significant prelude to the Revolt of 1857, also referred to as the- "First War of Independence".

Civil Rebellions: 

• Civil Rebellions generally led by the rulers or their descendants, officials & retainers of the conquered Indian States as well as by improvised landlords & poligars (landed military magnets South India).
• The mass base of these rebellions was provided by ruined peasants, artisans, & soldiers.

Peasants:

• Group of small farmers or a farm laborer.
• They were the sons of the soil, i.e. all those who were directly engaged in agricultural production.

Tribals/Adivasi:

• The earliest inhabitants of a region.
• They were lived in deep forests or hilly areas & shared a close bond with their land, forest & forest resources.
• The tribal peasants combined agriculture with hunting & food gathering and even manufacturing from forest-based products.
• Their relative isolation & closer ethnic bonds differentiated them from peasants.

Causes of the Pre-1857 Uprising:

The establishment of British rule had a far more devastating impact on the lives of various sections of Indian people, forcing them to rise in revolt against the colonial rule. Following are the reason for the uprising of Revolts:

The devastating impact on rulers & zamindars:

• Several Rajas & Nawabs lost their principalities owing to the Company's policy of expansion.
• Thousands of zamindars & poligars were uprooted; their rights were taken over by the colonial state.
• They were forced to sell their rights due to their inability to pay higher revenues.

The devastating impact on Peasants:

• The Company introduced rapid changes in administration & land revenue system, disrupting agrarian society.
• The new land settlements (Permanent, Ryotwari & Mahalwari) created new ownership.
• The colonial rulers insisted payment of revenue in cash, encouraging money lending practices which often resulted in heavy peasant indebtedness & landlessness.
• The new land settlements also did away with certain customary rights like forest & pasturage rights.
• Caste/Communal differences got strained.
• Peasants were forced to grow cash crops like indigo, cotton instead of food grains, even in years of food grain scarcity, resulting in increased peasant exploitation & even famines.
• The new judicial & administrative systems further encouraged the rich to oppress the poor. Cultivators were flogged, tortured & jailed for non-payment of rent, taxes & interests.
• Corruption in lower levels of judiciary & administration made the life of the common man miserable.

The devastating impact on Artisans:

• Colonialism also spelled doom for Indian artisans. As per the colonial policy, India was to be a market for British goods. These machine-made British goods were cheaper & finer than those made by Indian artisans. Without the demand for their handmade goods, the Indian artisans were thrown into unemployment.
• While India was flooded with British manufactures, discriminatory tariffs were levied against Indian goods in Britain, ruining the Indian handloom & handicraft industry both ways.
• Destruction of the indigenous industry led to large scale migrations from industry to agriculture (called peasantisation) with no simultaneous improvement in agriculture. This further increased pressure on land.

The devastating impact on Tribals:

• The colonial administration ended the relative isolation of tribals & brought them within the ambit of the colonial economy & exploitation.
• It intruded into the tribal polity, encroached upon tribal lands & transformed tribal relationships with land & forests.
• It recognized the tribals as zamindars & introduced new land revenue system, taxed tribal products.
• The colonial administration introduced a large number of outsiders among the tribals. These included middlemen such as the traders, revenue farmers & money landers who pulled the tribals into the very center of colonial exploitation.

Popular Uprisings up to 1857:

Bengal & Eastern India:

Revolts	Period
Sanyasi-Fakir Rebellion	1763 - 1800
Chuar Rebellion (Midnapur)	1766 – 1772 1795 - 1816
Peasant Uprising of Rangpur & Dinajpur	1820 - 37
Ho & Munda Rising	1820 - 37
Kol Uprising (Chota Nagpur Plateau)	1825
Pagal Panthis Revolt	1825
Ahoma’s Revolt (Assam)	1828
Khasi Revolt (Khasi Hill)	1829
Faraizi Disturbances	1838 - 51
Khond Uprising (Orissa)	1837 - 56
Savara Rebellion	1856 - 57
Santhal Rebellion (Rajmahal Hills)	1855 - 56

Western India:

Revolts	Period
Bhil Uprising (Khandesh, Western Ghats)	1818, 1825, 1831 & 1846
Waghera Rising (Okha Mandal)	1818 -19
The Kutch Rebellion (Kutch & Kathiawar)	1819 & 1831
Ramosi Rising (Western Ghats)	1822 & 1839
Koli Rising (Gujarat)	1824 -29, 1839 & 1844 -48
Surat Salt Agitation	1844 - 48
Kolhapur & Savanvadi Revolts	1844

Southern India:

Revolts	Period
The Revolt of the Raja of Vizianagaram	1794
The Revolt of Diwan Velu Thampi (Travancore)	1805
The Rebellion at Mysore	1830 - 1831
Mapilla Uprisings (Malabar)	1836 - 54

Northern India:

Revolts	Period
Kuka or Namdhari Movement (Western Punjab)	1840

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THE ENGLISH (1600 - 1717) - HISTORY

ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY (1600-1717)

English too had become impatient to participate in the profitable Asian Trade. 

1599: A company to trade with the East was formed under the auspices of a group of merchants known as - the Merchant Adventurers. The company popularly came to be known as the East India Company (or EIC, nickname- John Company).

Fig: Flag of EIC. 

 A Glance of English East India Company:

1600: The English Company:

• The company was granted a royal charter by Queen Elizabeth giving it to the exclusive privilege of trading east of the Cape of Good Hopes for a period of 15 years.
• In the beginning, the English company concentrated on the spice trade.
• The initial voyages of the Company were made to the Spice Islands in Indonesia.
• Soon the English discovered the importance of Indian goods especially textiles as a barter (trading) commodity for the spice trade.
• Surat (Gujarat) was established as the trade transit point & the company ships were docked there.
• The company now planned to open a factory at Surat & Captain Hawkins was sent.

1608: Captain Hawkins-

• He was sent as a representative of the English Company to the Court of Jahangir to obtain permission to open a factory - at Surat (Gujarat).
• He was the first Englishman to set foot on Indian soil.
• He could speak the Turkish language & he came in a ship named - 'Hector'.
• 1609: He arrived at Surat & from there went to the Court of Jahangir at Agra.
• He obtained permission to open factories on the west coast but the Company not satisfied as to wanted permission for the whole of the country.  

1611:  Musaliptnam- The English opened their first factory in the south. 

1612: 'Battle of Swally Hole' The English defeated the Portuguese, near Surat.

1613: The English were allowed to set up a permanent factory at Surat (Gujarat)

1615: Sir Thomas Roe-

• He was sent by King James I as an ambassador to the court of Jahangir.
• Roe was successful in obtaining royal Farman permitting the British to trade and establish factories in all parts of the Mughal Empire.

1625:

•  Soon the English began to feel insecure in absence of fortified settlements & made an attempt to fortify Surat but the Mughal frustrated the attempt & imprisoned the English. 
• The English then decided to shift their focus to South India to avoid direct confrontation with the Mughals.
• Conditions in South India were more favorable to English as they did not have to face a strong Indian government there.

Madras:

1632: 

• Sultan of Golconda issues a golden Farman in favor of the English, permitting them to trade freely from the ports of Golconda on an annual payment of 500 pagodas.

1639: Francis Day-

• He was able to join obtain Madras on lease from the Raja of Chandragiri & shifted the center of their activity to Madras.
• The Raja allowed the English to fortify Madras, to administer it & to coin the money on the condition that the English will pay him half the customs revenue of the port.
• The English set up a factory & built a small fort around it called 'Fort St. George'.

1690: The British bought the Fort Devanampatnam, near Madras, and renamed it as- Fort St. David.

Bengal:

1651: 

• At Hugli, the first English factory in Bengal was set up upon receiving permission from Sultan Shuja (second son of Emperor Shah Jahan), the Subahdar of Bengal.

1658:

•  All establishment of the Company in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, & Coromandel Coast were brought under the control of Fort St. George.

1690: Job Charnock-

• He established a factory at Sutanuti which was fortified in 1696 and is called Fort William.

1698:

• The English Company obtained from Subahdar of Bengal Azim-us-Shan, the zamindari (right to collect revenue) of the villages of Sutanuti, Kalikata, and Gobindpur on payment of Rs.1,200. to the previous proprietors. 

1700:

• The Bengal factories were placed under Fort William.
• Soon the Kalikata village grew into a city known as- Calcutta.

Bombay:

1662:

• King Charles II received Bombay as dowry on marrying a Portuguese princess.

1668:

• The Crown transferred it to the Company on an annual rent of 10 pounds and it was soon fortified in the wake of threats from the raising Maratha Power.
• Bombay quickly replaced Surat as the principal depot of the Company on the West coast. 

1717: Magna Carta by Farrukhsiyar-

• Farrukhsiyar granted the English Company valuable trading privileges under the Farman of 1717 described as the Magna Carta of the Company.
• The Farman was granted because earlier in 1714, William Hamilton, a surgeon in the British East India Company had successfully cured Farrukhsiyar of a disease (swelling in the groin).
• After successful treatment, Farrukhsiyar finally arranged his marriage to the daughter of Raja Ajit Singh of Jodhpur, which had been delayed by the illness. 
• The Farman was instrumental in increasing the Company's stronghold in Bengal which later colonized Bengal followed by the rest of India.

Provisions of Farman:

• The British were allowed duty-free trade in Bengal in lieu of an annual payment of Rs.30,000.
• Exemption from payment of all dues at Surat in lieu of a one-time settlement of Rs.10,000.
• The Campany retained its old privilege of exemption from payment of all dues at Hyderabad & for Madras was required to pay only the existing rent.
• The Company was allowed to rent more territory around Calcutta.
• The Company was allowed to use its own currency (minted at Bombay) throughout India.
• The Company was also granted the right to issue passes or dastaks for the movement of such goods.
• The Company's' servants were also permitted to trade but were not covered under this Farman. 

Farman as Source of Conflict:

• This Farman became a perpetual source of conflict between the Company & the Nawab of Bengal.
• The strong Nawab of Bengal Murshid Quli Khan & Alivardi Khan- objected to the English interpretation of the Farman of 1717.
• They exercised strict control over the English traders & prevented them from misusing the Dastaks.
• Despite strong political control by native rulers, the commercial affairs of the Company flourished.
• Madra, Bombay, Calcutta - became the nuclei of commercial activities.

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THE DUTCH (NETHERLAND/HOLLAND) - HISTORY

THE DUTCH: (NETHERLAND/HOLLAND) 

As the Portuguese power wavered in the aftermath of the Spanish union, the Dutch took over from them. 

• The Dutch came to India for trade. 
• They were innovative people in business as well as in shipping techniques.
• They had designed the fluitship (the Fluyt) which was much lighter and required a smaller crew, thus reducing its operating costs.
• These ships proved to be superior to the bulkier and slower Portuguese ships eventually.

The Dutch (Netherland/ Holland):

(A.) Cornelius de Houtman (1596):

• He was the first Dutch traveler to reach India. 

(B.) Dutch East India Company (1602):

• 1606: First Dutch factory was established at Muslipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
• The second factory was set up at Pettopoli (Nizampatam)

• 1610: The Dutch signed a treaty with the kings of Chandragiri & established their headquarters at Pulicat. Here they minted their gold coins called - 'pagoda'.

• 1623: Amboyna massacre took place in Indonesia where the Dutch killed 10 Englishmen & 9 Japanese.

• 1690: The Dutch headquarters were transferred from Pulicat to Nagapattinam.

• 1759: 'Battle of Bedara (Bengal)'- The Dutch were defeated by the English & ending the Dutch power in India.

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THE PORTUGUESE - HISTORY

THE PORTUGUESE 

 The Portuguese were the first ones to arrive on the Indian scene. The reason for the arrival of the Portuguese in India were both economic as well as religious.

They had to come to seek spices especially pepper as well as to destroy the monopoly of the Arabs & Italians over the trade of the East.

They also wished to spread Christianity in Asia & Africa and restrict the increasing influence of Arabs & Turks.

Prior to the Portuguese, trade-in the Indian Ocean was a monopoly of Arab merchants. But within 15 years of their arrival, the Portuguese completely destroyed Arab trade & established their control over Eastern trade which lasted nearly a century.

The Portuguese:

  

(1.) Prince Henry the Navigator:

• He was a key figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire & in the 15th century European maritime discoveries & expansion.
• He is remembered more like a great patron & sponsor of voyages than as a sailor.

(2.) Bartholomew Diaz (1487)

• He reached the southernmost tip of Africa (which he named Cape of Storms) and became the first known European to reach the Indian Ocean from the Atlantic.
• The Portuguese later renamed the cape as - 'Cape of Good Hope'.

(3.) Vasco da Gama (1498)

• He headed the First Portuguese India Armada.
• He sailed from the Cape of Good Hope & continued to India, reaching Calicut (Kozhikode).
• He thus discovered a new sea route from Europe to India & became the first European to reach India by sea.
• He was piloted by a Gujarati named Abdul Majid.
• He led two Portuguese India Armadas, the first & the fourth.
• He was sent under the patronage of King Manuel I of Portugal.
• He returned with a cargo that sold for 60 times the cost of his voyage.

(4.) Pedro Alvarez Cabral (1500)

• Cabral ran into a conflict with the local Arab Merchants.

(5.) Vasco da Gama (1502)

• 1503: First Portuguese factory was set up at Cochin (Kochi).
• 1505: The second factory was set up at Cannanore (or Kannur).

Portuguese State of India (1503 - 04)

(6.) Francisco De Almeida (1505 - 09)

• First Portuguese Viceroy of India.
• He adopted the 'Bluewater Policy' aimed at establishing naval supremacy of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean.
• He is credited with the construction of Fort Anjediva.
• 1508:Battle of Diu- Almeida defeated the joint Muslim naval force (Gujarat Sultanate & Mameluk Egyptian fleet).

(7.) Alfonzo-De-Albuquerque (1509 - 15)

• Known as 'real founder of Portuguese power' in India.
• he set up his headquarter at Cochin.
• 1509: Conquered Cochin.
• 1510: Conquered Diu.
• 1510: Conquered Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur.
• he encouraged his countrymen to marry Indian women & propagate Christianity.
• He abolished Sati in the region under his control.

(8.) Nino de Cunha (1529 - 38)

• 1530: He transferred the government head office from Cochin to Goa.

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