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Unit 1: British Expansion

As against this, the Company’s spy system was perfect. The Company’s Residents in the courts of Notes
Indian princes supplied all sorts of information to the Company’s secretariat. In 1803 when the
Second Maratha War broke out the Company possessed knowledge of the potentialities of their
foe, their strength and weaknesses, their military methods or want of method and, above all, an
understanding of the dissensions in the Maratha confederacy. C.W. Malet while stationed at Surat
collected detailed information about the families of Sindhia and Holkar. Palmer wrote in December
1798, “I consider it as the duty of every British subject in this country, however situated, to contribute
to the utmost of his power, to the stock of general information”. That the Holkar did not participate
in the Second Maratha War commencing in 1803 and the Gaekwar remained aloof from all
subsequent Maratha conflicts was ^11 calculated by Wellesley and partially a success of his
diplomacy.
8. Progressive Outlook of the English: While the Europeans had been emancipated from the shackles
of the Church and Divinismand were devoting their energies to scientific inventions, extensive
ocean voyages and acquisition of colonies, the Indians were still wedded to old dogmas and
notions. If the ideal of our upper classes wars performance of rituals, the lower classes were
fascinated by the Bhakti cult preached by Nanak, Kabir, Chaitanya and others. Baji Rao II cared
more for religious merit and distributed gifts among Brahmins to earn religious merit and gave
very little attention to mundane matters of the state. J.N. Sarkar points out that growth of orthodoxy
and Brahmin-Maratha differences sapped the vitality of the state. G.W. Forrest in his Maratha
series writes that “the jealousy which from various causes ever subsists between the Maratha
chiefs and the Brahmins would prevent the union of the whole empire which must be most
formidable to the rest of India.” Thus, the entire Indian outlook was medieval and not modern.
We might say that when the English attacked the Marathas, the latter were already past the prime
of their power. The Maratha power had lost its early vigour and momentum. Thus the English
attacked a ‘divided house’ which started crumbling at the first push.
1.7 Summary

• The First Karnatic War was an extension of the Anglo-French War in Europe. The Austrian War
of Succession broke out in March 1740. Despite the wishes instructions of the home authorities,
hostilities broke out in India in 1746. The English navy under Barnett took the offensive when it
captured some French ships. Dupleix, the French Governor-General of Pondicherry since 1741,
sent an urgent appeal to La Bourdonnais, the French Governor of Mauritius (Isle of France) for
help. La Bourdonnais with a squadron consisting of over 3,000 men fought his way towards the
Coromandel coast, defeating an English fleet on the way. Madras was now besieged by the
French, both by land and sea.
• The First Karnatic War is memorable for the battle of St. Thome fought between the French and
the Indian forces of Anwar-ud-din, the Nawab of Karnatic (1744-49). Differences arose between
the French and the Nawab over the custody of Madras after its reduction in 1746.
• Dupleix was appointed governor of all the Mughal territories south of the river Krishna. The
Nizam surrendered some districts in the Northern Circars to the French. Further, at the request
of the new Subahdar, a French army under an able officer Bussy was stationed at Hyderabad.
The stationing of this army ensured the security of the French interests there. Chanda Sahib
became the Nawab of Karnatic in 1751. Dupleix was at the height of his political power.
• Rober Clive with a force of only 210 men stormed and captured Arcot in August 1751. A large
force of4,000 men diverted by Chanda Sahib from Trichinopoly to Arcot failed to retake the
town. Robert Clive’s outlay resisted the onslaughts of his enemies and successfully sustained
the famous siege for fifty-three days (September 23 to November 14) “immortalized and
somewhat exaggerated in the glowing words of Macaulay”. The capture of Arcot encouraged
the English to push their schemes with greater vigour and demoralised the French and
Chanda Sahib.

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