INDIA IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY(SPK)

1.Political and other Conditions Generally it was fluid and past deteriorating. Disintegration of Mughal Empire, Growth of Marathas and Peshwas and rise of autonomous states and foreign invasions were the salient future. Women were treated badly and were victims of Saty, Child marriage, Infanticide, Purdha (both muslims and higher caste Hindus wore it) and Devadasi system in Orissa and Tamil Nadu.

2.Disintegration of the Mughal Empire

I.It started with death of Aurangzeb in 1707. During Shah Alam II its boundary shrink from ‘Alam to Palam’ - Red Fort to Village.

II.Three sons of Aurangzeb fought a.Muhammad Muazzam was first son called Bahadur Shan I – captured power and prevented demolitions of temples. He was called Shah-I-Bekhabar b.Second son was Muhammad Azam and was killed c. Third son was Kam Bakhas who was favourites to his father and was called ‘Deen Panah’ (Saviour of the religion)

III.In 1712 Jahandar Shah came to throne with the support of Zulfikar Khan. He did away Jaziya tax. He honoured Rana Jai Singh of Amer as ‘Sawai’.

IV.He was killed by Farrukh Siyar with the help of Saiyid brothers and he rulled from 1713-1719. Saiyid brothers were Abdulla Khan and Hussain Ali Khan. Who were known as ‘king makers’.

V.After death of Siyar, two princes Rafi-ud-Darajat and Daula came to throneand finally Muhammad Shah rulled Delhi from 1719-1748. HENCE DURING 1719 THERE WERE FOUR MULSIMS RULERS.

vi.After death of Muhammad Shah his son Ahmad Shah ruled for six years from 1748-1754. During his period Ahmad Shah Abdali raided India several times.

VII.Hence Aziz-ud-din came to throne and was called Alamgir II. His successors were Shah Alam II 1759-1806, Akbar Shah II 1806-1837 and Bahadur Shah II 1837-1857.

VIII.There were many manasabs in the Mughal Court. They were Irani from Iran, Turani from Central Asia, Afgan and Hindustani. Saiyid brothers were Hindustani. If Saiyid brothers continued they would have succeeded in establishing frank and powerful Government.

3.Maratha Power

I.After Ahahuji Raja Ram came to throne. II.Shahiji was released by Bahadur Shah I. III.Civil War between Shahuji and Tara Bai widow of Rajaram. IV.Shahuji appointed Balaji Vishwanath as first Peshwa which was hereditary. Second Peshwa was Baji Rao and third was Balaji Baji Rao and last was Baji Rao II. Their seat of power was Poona. They own many baters but lost the crucial third batter of Panipat. Even though they own Hydrabad in 1760.

4.Rice of Autonomous Statesa.Awadh – Saadat Khan established. He was also called Burhan-ul-Mulk. He joint hands with Nadir Shah and later committed to suicide. Safdarjand and Shuja-ud-Daula were prominent rulers.

b.Bengal in 1700 – Murshid Quli Khan became Diwan of Bengtal.

c.Hydrabad Nisamk-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah found it in 1724 and found Asafjahi dynasty. It entered with subsidiary alliance of Britian.

d.Mysore – I.Haider Ali associated with first two An glo Mysore Wars and killed in second war. First he was appointed as Faujdar of Dindigul. First war (1767-1769) – He conquered Malabar and Coorg. Second Anglo war 1780-1784 and he died in 1782.

II.Tipu Sultan – Ruled from 1782-1799. His attempt to remove commander of Bednur was vital. During his period treaty of Mangalore find after second war and he withdrew from Carnatic. In 1787 he proclaimed himself as kPadshah. Third Anglo Mysore war 1790-1792 and jktreaty of Seringapattam and he paid three crore rupees. Fourth war 1799 and Tipu was killed. He sent Ambassador to Foreign Country

e.Kerala – Started by King Martanda Verma. In 1805 Travancore joind subsidiary alliance with Britain.

f.Rajput – Sawai Jai Singh built Jaipur. He was expert in Geometry, Trignometry and Sanskrit.

g.Sikhs – He started with Guru Nanak Dev. Guru Gobind Singh was the 10^th and last Guru and he formed Sikh Khalsa with 12 Sikh confederations (misls). Ranjit Singh was Ch8ief of Misls.

h.Assam – It was also known as Kamrup and Pragjyotishpur. They resisted all foreign invasions.

5.Foreign Invasions – a. Nadir Shah – Persian ruler whose father was Shepherd. In 1738 he conquered Kandhar. In 1739 he invaded India and fight at Karnal. He defeated Nadir Shah. He took seventy crore rupees and also peacock throne built by Shah Jahan and famous Kohinoor diamond. b.In 1747 Nadir Shah was assassinated. Ahmad Shah Abdali became ruler and invaded seven times India and looted many properties. His significant win was third battle of Panipat, which was fifth invasions in which he defeated Marathas in 1761 under Baji Rao I. Even to day there is a memorial at Panipat in honour of Marathas soldiers who were killed.

THE BRITISH ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATION OF GOVERNMENT IN INDIA (1757-1857)

-Until 1765, the East India Company was basically a trading concern.

• Lord Clive, during his second term as Governor, established Diarchy in Bengal and this system was continued for 7 years.`
• The College established by Lord Wellesley, at Fort Williams in 1800 which integrated training in history, customary laws and languages did not find the favour of the Court of Directors and it was continued only language training School till 1854.
• The Company established in 1806 its own training College in England in the name of East India College at Hailsbury.

Cornwallis first Governor General established a regular police force on the British pattern in India.

The Supreme Court held its proceedings on the basis of English laws. The Sadar Diwani and Sadar Nizamat Adalats (Criminal) operated on the basis of Indian laws.

The first Law Commission constituted to codify and improve rules and regulations was framed Indian Penal Code (IPC) which came into effect in 1860.

Warren Hastings established a Board of Revenue to improve the system of revenue administration. .

In 1854, Sir Charles Wood sent a comprehensive dispatch on education to the Government of India in which the issues regarding the establishment of departments of public instructions in five provinces of the Company, promotion of western education in English and Indian languages and the pattern of grants in aid to encourage private participation in the field of education were recommended.

Despatch recommended the establishment of one University each in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras, on the Model of the London University. In 1857 the three Universities were established on the basis of Wood’s recommendation.

In July 1856, J.P.Grant, a member of the Governor General’s Council tabled a bill supporting widow remarriage was passed on 13 July 1856 and came to be called the Widow Remarriage Act 1856.

In 1846 the minimum marriageable age for a girls was only 10 years. In 1891, through the enactment of the Age of Consent Act, this was raised to 12 years.

In 1930, through the Sharda Act, the minimum age was raised to 14 years.

After independence, the limit was raised to 15 and 18 years, respectively in 1948 and 1978.

Equal rights were given to men and women only after independence through the 1956 Right to Hindu Inheritance of Property Act to own property.

In 1917, the issue of women franchise was taken up in relation to the elections for the Provincial Councils, Municipalities and other local self-governing bodies. Prominent women leaders of this time like Sarojini Naidu, Meera Behn, Masturba Gandhi and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur played significant roles in this regard.

The Government of India Act of 1935 granted limited franchise to the Indian women.

Mahatma Gandhi brought out a paper, the Harijan, and also organized the Harijan Sevak Sangh. The Ryotwari settlement was introduced mainly in Madras, Berar, Bombay and Assam.

In 1833, the Mahalwari settlement was introduced in the Punjab, the Central Provinces and parts of north western provinces (Present UP)

. Kutch, Sind and Punjab were known for manufacturing arms; Kolhapur, Satara, Gorkhpur, Agra, Chittor and Palaghat had earned a reputation for their glass industries.Despite enjoying fame in the world, the Indian handicraft industry had begun to decline by the beginning of the 18^th century.

• In 1769, the first steam engine was invented. Comet Napoleon used the first steamer in 1812 in an expedition to Russia.
• The first railway line was developed between Bombay to Thane. Its inauguration was done on 16 April 1853. First Telegraph Line 1852 between Calcutta and Agra. Postal 1854.