Lord Wellesley (1798-1805) – Modern India History Notes

Lord Wellesley served as Governor-General of Fort Williams from 1798 to 1805. During his reign, the fourth and final Anglo-Mysore war was fought, and Tipu was killed. In addition, the Second Anglo-Maratha War occurred, in which Bhonsle, Scindia, and Holkar were defeated. Wellesley followed the "subsidiary alliance" policy, which was accepted by the rulers of Mysore, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Bundi, Macheri, Bharatpur, and Oudh, Tanjore, Berar, Peshwa, and the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Censorship of the Press Act of 1799 was also passed during his tenure, and Fort William College was founded in 1800 to train civil servants. In this article, we will discuss the significance of events under Lord Wellesley which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Lord Wellesley

Lord Wellesley - Background

• Richard Colley Wellesley was an Anglo-Irish politician and colonial administrator.
• He was Viscount Wellesley until 1781 when he succeeded his father as the 2nd Earl of Mornington.
• In 1799, he was elevated to the Irish peerage as Marquess Wellesley.
• Between 1798 and 1805, he was the fifth Governor-General of India, and he later served as Foreign Secretary in the British Cabinet and as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
• In 1799, he invaded Mysore and defeated Tipu, the Sultan of Mysore, in a major battle, while portraying his adversary as a cruel tyrant who needed to be put down.
• In addition, he started the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
• Lord Wellesley (as Governor-General) arrived in India in 1798, at a time when the British were engaged in a global battle with France.
• Lord Wellesley decided that the time had come to bring as many Indian states under British control as possible.
• By 1797, the two most powerful Indian powers, Mysore and the Marathas had lost ground.
• The Third Anglo-Mysore War had reduced Mysore to a mere shadow of its former glory, and the Marathas were wasting their power in mutual intrigues and wars.
• Political conditions in India were favorable for a (British) expansionist policy: aggression was both easy and profitable.

Significant Events under Lord Wellesley

Fourth Mysore War

• The third Mysore war, fought during Lord Cornwallis' governor-generalship, severely weakened Tipu Sultan's power.
• He did not forget his defeat and humiliation and worked hard to regain his power and prestige.
• He increased his military resources and attempted to enlist foreign assistance from Arabia, Turkey, Afghanistan, and France.
• Lord Wellesley decided to end Tipu Sultan's reign as soon as he arrived in India. He began talks with the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas and was assured of their neutrality in the event of an English war against Tipu.
• Then, in 1799, he declared war on him. The English had an easy victory in the war.
• Mysore was attacked from two directions, and Tipu was forced to seek refuge in his capital, Srirangapatna, where he died fighting.
• Tipu's son surrendered to the English, and Srirangapatna was captured by the English in May 1799. That completed Hyder Ali's creation of the state of Mysore.
• Some Mysore territory was given to the Nizam, a larger portion was annexed by the English, and the remainder was returned to the minor son of the previous Hindu ruler of Mysore, who became a dependent ally of the English.

Second Maratha War

• Internal squabbles among the Marathas provided Lord Wellesley with an excellent opportunity to weaken the Marathas' power.
• Peshwa Baji Rao was inept and failed to maintain control over Maratha chiefs.
• Daulat Rao Sindhia and Jaswant Rao Holkar fought openly for supremacy.
• The Peshwa sided with the Sindhia, and a virtual war broke out between Holkar on one side and the Peshwa and the Sindhia on the other.
• In October 1802, Jaswant Rao defeated Peshwa Baji Rao in a battle near Poona, forcing him to seek refuge at Bassein and placing Vinayak Rao, Raghunath Rao's grandson, on the Peshwa's gaddi.

Mediatization

• Mediatization is another method by which Wellesley expanded the Company's territory.
• On the grounds of maladministration by their rulers, he took over the territories of Tanjore, Surat, and Karnataka, as well as Farrukhabad, whose ruler was a minor.
• The Company, on the other hand, provided pensions to the rulers of these states.

Subsidiary Alliance

• Lord Wellesley's Subsidiary Alliance was yet another highly effective tool for expanding British territory and political influence in India.
• This type of treaty was imposed on the new ruler of Mysore following Tipu's defeat, various Maratha chiefs following the second Maratha War, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Nawab of Awadh, and other Company dependent allies.
• A ruler who accepted this treaty was barred from having relations with any other native ruler, and could not employ any European without the English's permission.
• He was required to keep an English resident at his court and an English army within his territory, and in exchange had to permanently surrender a portion of his territory to the English.
• This treaty thus aided the English not only in expanding their territory but also in removing French influence from the native states' courts.
• With the signing of his treaty, the rulers became completely reliant on the English.
• In exchange for the above terms, the East India Company would promise to protect the state from external threats and internal strife.
• If the Indian ruler does not make the required payments, a portion of his territory will be taken away as a punishment.
• Nizam of Hyderabad was the first ruler to sign this treaty with Wellesley (September 1798 and 1800).

Censorship Act 1799

• James Augustus Hickey published the first newspaper in India, the "Bengal Gazette" or "Calcutta General Advertiser," in 1780.
• This was far too outspoken, and its press was quickly seized.
• The Calcutta Gazette (1784), The Bengal Journal (1785), The Oriental Magazine of Calcutta (1785), The Calcutta Chronicle (1786), The Madras Courier (1788), and The Bombay Herald were among the many newspapers that appeared (1789).
• Lord Wellesley introduced the Censorship of Press Act in 1799 to prevent the French from publishing anything that could harm the British in any way.
• This act subjected all newspapers to government scrutiny prior to publication.
• This act was later expanded in 1807 to include all types of press publications, including newspapers, magazines, books, and pamphlets.
• When Lord Hastings came to power, the rules were relaxed.

Fort William College

• Lord Wellesley made the first attempt to train Civil Servants locally.
• On July 10, 1800, he established Fort Williams College on the Fort William campus.
• The plan was to teach British rookies about Oriental culture, tradition, law, and administration so that they could better coordinate in "governance."

Legacy of Lord Wellesley

• Lord Wellesley's adventures were enjoyable, but they were costly.
• The continuous wars with Mysore and the Marathas, as well as his policy of launching educational projects in India, put financial strain on the Court of Directors, making them impatient.
• In July 1805, he was recalled, and Lord Cornwallis was dispatched to India once more.
• His peers advised him to bring peace to the British dominions, which were under threat from wounded lions like Holkars and Scindias.
• He arrived during the rainy season, and India's harsh weather claimed his life.

Conclusion

Lord Wellesley pursued an aggressive policy with native rulers and was largely successful in his goal of establishing the Company as the supreme power in India. Sir George Barlow, a close friend of John Shore and Lord Wellesley, succeeded him. His term lasted until 1807 when a mutiny broke out in Vellore in 1806.

FAQs

MCQs

Question: Which one of the following statements does not apply to the system of Subsidiary Alliance introduced by Lord Wellesley? (UPSC 2018)

(a) To maintain a large standing army at others' expense

(b) To keep India safe from Napoleonic danger

(c) To secure a fixed income for the Company

(d) To establish British paramountcy over the Indian States

Question: With reference to educational institutes during colonial rule in India, consider the following pairs of Institution vs Founder:

1. Sanskrit College at Benaras: William Jones
2. Calcutta Madarsa: Warren Hastings
3. Fort William College: Arthur Wellesley

Which of the pairs given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 3 only