The state of Awadh first came into contact with the British as early as 1764 when the English East India Company defeated the combined army of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula (Nawab of Awadh) and Shah Alam II (the fugitive Mughal emperor) in the Battle of Buxar.
Awadh then lay at the mercy of the British but Clive decided not to annex it. As a part of post-war settlement with Awadh, the state was restored to the Nawab but he had to sign the Treaty of Subsidiary Alliance and made to part with the districts of Kora and Allahabad. Hence, Awadh was created as a buffer state between the Company’s territories and the turbulent western India.
Despite the subordinate status of Awadh within the subsidiary alliance system, the Awadh Nawab asserted his independence in many ways. Despite Company’s protests, Shuja-ud-Daula raised an army of one lakh soldiers on European lines and even retained 150 French officers. In 1774, he also annexed Rohilkhand and Etawah.
Awadh after Shuja-ud-Daula
Awadh’s position significantly weakened after the death of Shuja-ud-Daula in 1775.
His son Asaf-ud-Daula tried to gain control but since Mughal practice did not allow dynastic continuity at provincial level, he faced challenge from other aspirants. Frustrated, he struck a compromise with the Company. The Company secured the Nawabi for him but at the same time seized this opportunity to consolidate its position in Awadh.
Treaty of 1801 (Subsidiary Alliance)
Until 1801, Awadh was conceived as a buffer state protecting Bengal against the Marathas, and the question of encroachment and annexation did not arise.
When Governor-General Lord Wellesley came to India, he forced the Nawab, Saadat Ali Khan, to sign a new treaty in 1801.
As per the Treaty, the Nawab had to cede half of his territory including the Lower Doab, Gorakhpur and Rohilkhand to the Company (called the Ceded Districts).
The Company took responsibility for defending the Awadh territories against all foreign and domestic enemies. The Awadh ruler had to set up a systemto protect people and property.
He was also required to act as per the advice of the Council of officers of the Company. Henceforth, the Nawab became increasingly dependent upon the Company for external and internal defence and shut his eyes to the welfare of the people, who groaned under the misrule of the state officers.
(In part, though, the British were also responsible for the bad state of affairs in Awadh since it were the British who indirectly governed Awadh since 1801).
The Awadh army was drastically reduced to less than one-tenth of its previous size.
After the treaty of 1801, Awadh ceased to function as an independent state. The Treaty of 1801 formed the primary basis for annexation of Awadh in 1856.
By mid-19th century, British opinion was ripe in favour of annexation of Awadh. In fact, the British imperialists during this time had come to believe that Britain alone had the capacity for good governance. However, Dalhousie’s greed had chiefly been aroused by the immense potential of Awadh as a market for Manchester goods (similarly, to satisfy Britain’s growing demand for raw cotton, Dalhousie annexed the cotton producing province of Berar from the Nizam in 1853).
Accordingly, in 1848, when Lord Dalhousie became Governor-General, he skilfully planned the annexation of Awadh. The same year itself, he sent Colonel Sleeman as Resident to Lucknow. Sleeman wrote lengthy reports about the prevailing misgovernance in Awadh. He, however, did not recommend annexation but favoured increasing British control over administration.
In 1854, ColonelSleeman was replaced by Outram who again reported on the ailing governance in the state causing suffering to millions.
Annexation of Awadh (1856)
The Company accused Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of misgoverning his state and advised him to introduce the reforms, which he refused. The company cited this as violating the 1801 treaty, and Lord Dalhousie annexed the Awadh on the grounds of misgovernment in 1856.
The British argued that they were “obliged by duty” to take over Awadh to free the people from the “misgovernment” of the Nawab.
The Company took over the administration of Avadh and granted Nawab Wajid Ali an annual pension of 12 lakh rupees.
Thus, in 1856, Awadh was annexed by Lord Dalhousie on the pretext of maladministration based on Outrams report.
Thus, we see that the Company kept on encroaching on the material and moral domains of Awadh rulers and the annexation of 1856 became a logical conclusion. Yet, this final move of annexation severely hurt the self-respect of the Awadh people, particularly the sepoys of the British army since most of them came from Awadh itself.
The dismissal of the court also meant unemployment for the many courtiers, the artisans and the army men. The talukdars were dispossessed of their estates and their forts demolished. The land revenue settlement introduced in Awadh after the annexation further intensified the peoples discontent with the cumulative result that nearly 3/4th of the adult population of Awadh, including landholders, peasants and sepoys, participated in the Revolt of 1857.
Justification of Annexation of Avadh
Undoubtedly, the degeneration of the Avadh administration was a painful reality for its people. Many Governors-General advised the Nawabs to improve the administration, but misrule persisted.
Like other princes of their time, the Nawabs of Avadh were selfish rulers who cared little about good administration or the welfare of their people.
Wajid Ali Shah, who became the Nawab of Awadh in 1847, showed no interest in public affairs and neglected his duties and responsibilities. Instead, he preferred to spend time with fiddlers, courtiers, and women and rarely interacted with anyone else.
British used this portrait of Nawabs and Wajid Ali Shah to justify the annexation of Avadh.
But, the British were also responsible for the state of affairs because, since 1801, they had controlled and indirectly governed Avadh.
In reality, Lord Dalhousie annexed Awadh to exploit its potential as a market for Manchester goods and to satisfy Britain’s demand for raw cotton.
