Company’s New Administration

The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked one of the first major victories of the British in India. After the defeat in the Battle of Plassey, Siraj-ud-Daulah was assassinated and Mir Jafar became the new Nawab of Bengal. In 1764, Mir Jafar’s successor Mir Qasim and Shuja-ud-Daulah joined forces against the British in the Battle of Buxar, which the British won.

In August 1765, the East India Company was appointed as the Diwan of Bengal. This gave the Company the right to collect revenue from the vast territory of Bengal. The Company officials used the revenue collected to increase their wealth. They also used the revenue to set up a trading system that was beneficial to them.

Company’s New Administration

Expanding control

After the Battle of Buxar in 1765, the Company took control of the state of Bengal, and Robert Clive was appointed as governor. The new British administration appointed Residents in the different states. These Residents were commercial or political agents who helped the Company do their jobs and expand their power. Through these Residents, the Company started to insert itself in the internal affairs of the various states. They used their power to influence the major decisions in these states such as the successor to the throne or appointment of major administration roles.

Subsidiary alliance

In some cases, the company pressured states into a subsidiary alliance. According to the terms of this alliance, the rulers of the states were not permitted to maintain their own armies. The states would be protected by the Company as long as they paid a regular fixed sum. If the state failed to pay the appropriate amount, they had to cede a part of their territory as a penalty. The Nawab of Awadh and the Nizam of Hyderabad were forced to cede territories and accept the subsidiary alliances.

Warren Hastings

After Robert Clive left the governance, Warren Hastings came into power in 1772. His first war was against Mysore, which he fought with aid from the Nizam. Later, he interfered in the domestic matters of the Marathas by supporting Raghunath Rao against Peshwa Madhav Rao II, who was backed by Nana Phadnis. This interference led to a prolonged war between the British and the Marathas from 1775 to 1782. Hastings had to face the armies of the Marathas, Nizam, and Mysore but even through his clever tactics and strategies, he made his way through the battle. The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Salbai. After the Anglo-Maratha war, Hastings warred against Haider Ali, the ruler of Mysore, in 1780. Hastings made deals with the Nizam and the Marathas to gain their support against Haidar Ali by giving both parties some parts of the territories. In 1781, Hastings defeated Haider Ali in battle. Haider’s son Tipu Sultan resumed the fight in 1789 but he too was defeated in 1792. Half of his territories were ceded under the Treaty of Seringapatam.

The claim to paramountcy

After the battles of Panipat and Buxar, the main agenda of the British shifted from trade to territory expansion. Under the new Governor-General, Lord Warren Hastings announced the policy of  ‘paramountcy’. According to this policy, the authority of the Company was supreme or paramount, and their power and command were greater than that of any Indian state. This policy also stated that the Company could annex or threaten to annex any Indian state or kingdom if they did not protect the Company’s interests. 

The doctrine of lapse

The last wave of annexations of the Indian states happened under the rule of Lord Dalhousie. He became the governor-general from 1848 to 1856 and conducted the annexations using the doctrine of lapse. The doctrine of lapse was a new policy that stated that if any Indian ruler died without a male heir, his kingdom would become a part of British territory. Numerous kingdoms were annexed due to the doctrine of lapse, including Satara (1848), Sambalpur  (1850), Udaipur (1852), Nagpur (1853), and Jhansi (1854). 

Setting up a new administration

After several annexations, the Company had acquired power not only in Bengal but also in Bombay and Madras. All the British territories around the country were divided into administrative units. These units were referred to as Presidencies. There were three presidencies: Bengal, Madras, and Bombay. Each of these presidencies had its own Governor and the head of all the administrations was called the Governor-General. 

New System of Justice

From 1772, a new system of justice was established by Warren Hastings. According to the new system, every district was supposed to have two courts, one criminal court (Faujdari Adalat) and one civil court (Diwani Adalat). The Hindu pandits and maulvis in the district helped interpret the Indian systems of law for the European district collectors who watched over the civil courts. While the criminal courts were still maintained under a qazi and a mufti, they were also under the supervision of the collectors. In the traditional system, there were several different interpretations of laws and the laws were not applied to all equally. The British thus brought about a codified set of laws with the traditional laws as their basis. Thus, the British tried to bring about uniformity of laws in all its courts.

New Supreme Court

In 1773, a new Regulating Act was passed, under which a new Supreme Court was established. A court of appeal was also put in place at Calcutta, known as the Sadar Nizamat Adalat. The main power in the district court was with the Collector, who collected the revenue and taxes. They also maintained the order and rules in the district, aiding the judge of the court. The office of the Collector known as the Collectorate who became the center of power in the district. 

The Company Army 

The company expanded its army by recruiting peasants and training them as professional soldiers. In the early nineteenth century, the British began to form a uniform military culture. All the soldiers had to undergo intense European-style training, discipline, and drill. These practices became a standard part of a soldier’s life. 

Conclusion

After the battle of Panipat and Buxar, the East India Company transitioned from a trading company to territorial power. By 1857, the Company ruled vast parts of the country and had command and influence over the remaining part of the country and so the Company controlled the whole nation.