East India Company: #3 - Wars, Internal and External

In The Anarchy, William Dalrymple writes that in the aftermath of the Parliamentary inquiry into the EIC, Warren Hastings was put in charge. He accepted that the responsibility of the ruler was to govern (not trade), with long term sustenance in mind. And so he took steps to create an administrative service, unified the currency system, codified Hindu and Muslim laws, reformed the tax laws, and put an end to the worst excesses of individuals of the Company. He created an efficient postal system, and built a series of granaries to prevent a Bengal like famine from happening again.

Like all men in positions of power, Hastings had his enemies. Philip Francis was the most powerful of them and their feud soon divided and paralyzed the EIC. They say every crisis is an opportunity, and the war within the EIC was just that opportunity for the rise of the Marathas, Tipu Sultan and the Mughal scion, Shah Alam. Shah Alam joined forces with the Marathas and was soon on the Peacock Throne of the Mughals in Delhi. But he wasn’t even remotely as powerful as his ancestors, depending entirely on the Marathas supporting him. In turn, the Marathas accepted Alam as the supreme leader only to legitimize their own actions and expansion in other parts of India.

But then the Maratha top boss, the Peshwa, died. As a succession struggle started, the Marathas lost interest in Delhi. Alam was now the “surprised sovereign of his own dominions”!  And with his very able commander, Najaf Khan, Alam began to rebuild his empire, bit by bit. But then Najaf Khan died. And Alam’s short-lived empire started falling apart.

Meanwhile, Haider and his son, Tipu, had their troops trained by a French commander, and were soon were at par with the latest European techniques of war. Unsurprisingly, the EIC was soon defeated in battles in the south.

Back in London, Parliament decided to impeach Warren Hastings. Yes, the same man who had actually tried to reduce the excesses of the EIC! Why? All the bad publicity around the EIC meant somebody’s head had to roll, and Hastings was the very visible head. He was termed the “Captain General of Iniquity – one in whom all the frauds, all the peculations, all the violence, all the tyranny in India are embodied”. And so Hastings was impeached. Of course, Hastings was no angel, just less brutal than his predecessors. And the loot of Bengal and nearby provinces continued unabated…