1.
East India Company
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The company also ruled the beginnings of the British Empire in India. The company received a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I on 31 December 1600, wealthy merchants and aristocrats owned the Companys shares. Initially the government owned no shares and had only indirect control, during its first century of operation the focus of the Company was trade, not the building of an empire in India. The company eventually came to rule large areas of India with its own armies, exercising military power. Despite frequent government intervention, the company had recurring problems with its finances, the official government machinery of British India had assumed its governmental functions and absorbed its armies. Soon after the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, London merchants presented a petition to Queen Elizabeth I for permission to sail to the Indian Ocean, one of them, Edward Bonventure, then sailed around Cape Comorin to the Malay Peninsula and returned to England in 1594. In 1596, three ships sailed east, however, these were all lost at sea. Two days later, on 24 September, the Adventurers reconvened and resolved to apply to the Queen for support of the project, the Adventurers convened again a year later. For a period of fifteen years the charter awarded the newly formed company a monopoly on trade with all countries east of the Cape of Good Hope and west of the Straits of Magellan. Anybody who traded in breach of the charter without a licence from the Company was liable to forfeiture of their ships and cargo, the governance of the company was in the hands of one governor and 24 directors or committees, who made up the Court of Directors. They, in turn, reported to the Court of Proprietors, ten committees reported to the Court of Directors. According to tradition, business was transacted at the Nags Head Inn, opposite St Botolphs church in Bishopsgate. Sir James Lancaster commanded the first East India Company voyage in 1601, in March 1604 Sir Henry Middleton commanded the second voyage. Early in 1608 Alexander Sharpeigh was appointed captain of the Companys Ascension, thereafter two ships, Ascension and Union sailed from Woolwich on 14 March 1607–8. Initially, the company struggled in the trade because of the competition from the already well-established Dutch East India Company. The company opened a factory in Bantam on the first voyage, the factory in Bantam was closed in 1683. During this time belonging to the company arriving in India docked at Surat. In the next two years, the company established its first factory in south India in the town of Machilipatnam on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal
2.
British Raj
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The British Raj was the rule by the British Crown in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947. The rule is also called Crown rule in India, or direct rule in India, the resulting political union was also called the Indian Empire and after 1876 issued passports under that name. It lasted until 1947, when the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two sovereign states, the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The British Raj extended over almost all present-day India, Pakistan and this area is very diverse, containing the Himalayan mountains, fertile floodplains, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, a long coastline, tropical dry forests, arid uplands, and the Thar desert. In addition, at times, it included Aden, Lower Burma, Upper Burma, British Somaliland. Burma was separated from India and directly administered by the British Crown from 1937 until its independence in 1948, among other countries in the region, Ceylon was ceded to Britain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens. Ceylon was part of Madras Presidency between 1793 and 1798, the kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, having fought wars with the British, subsequently signed treaties with them and were recognised by the British as independent states. The Kingdom of Sikkim was established as a state after the Anglo-Sikkimese Treaty of 1861, however. The Maldive Islands were a British protectorate from 1887 to 1965, India during the British Raj was made up of two types of territory, British India and the Native States. In general, the term British India had been used to also to the regions under the rule of the British East India Company in India from 1600 to 1858. The term has also used to refer to the British in India. The terms Indian Empire and Empire of India were not used in legislation, the monarch was known as Empress or Emperor of India and the term was often used in Queen Victorias Queens Speeches and Prorogation Speeches. The passports issued by the British Indian government had the words Indian Empire on the cover, in addition, an order of knighthood, the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, was set up in 1878. At the turn of the 20th century, British India consisted of eight provinces that were administered either by a Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor, during the partition of Bengal the new provinces of Assam and East Bengal were created as a Lieutenant-Governorship. In 1911, East Bengal was reunited with Bengal, and the new provinces in the east became, Assam, Bengal, Bihar, there were 565 princely states when India and Pakistan became independent from Britain in August 1947. The princely states did not form a part of British India, the larger ones had treaties with Britain that specified which rights the princes had, in the smaller ones the princes had few rights. Within the princely states external affairs, defence and most communications were under British control, the British also exercised a general influence over the states internal politics, in part through the granting or withholding of recognition of individual rulers. Although there were nearly 600 princely states, the majority were very small
3.
British Indian Army
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The Indian Army was the principal army of India before independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of both British India and the Princely states, which could also have their own armies. The Indian Army was an important part of the British Empires forces, the term Indian Army appears to have been first used informally, as a collective description of the Presidency armies of the Presidencies of British India, particularly after the Indian Rebellion. The first army officially called the Indian Army was raised by the government of India in 1895, however, in 1903 the Indian Army absorbed these three armies. The Indian Army should not be confused with the Army of India which was the Indian Army itself plus the British Army in India, before 1858, the precursor units of the Indian Army were units controlled by the Company and were paid for by their profits. These operated alongside units of the British Army, funded by the British government in London. Many of these took part in the Indian Mutiny, with the aim of reinstating the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II at Delhi. The meaning of the term Indian Army has changed over time, The officer commanding the Army of India was the Commander-in-Chief, the title was used before the creation of a unified British Indian Army, the first holder was Major General Stringer Lawrence in 1748. By the early 1900s the Commander-in-Chief and his staff were based at GHQ India, Indian Army postings were less prestigious than British Army positions, but the pay was significantly greater so that officers could live on their salaries instead of having to have a private income. Accordingly, vacancies in the Indian Army were much sought after and generally reserved for the higher placed officer-cadets graduating from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. British officers in the Indian Army were expected to learn to speak the Indian languages of their men, prominent British Indian Army officers included Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, Claude Auchinleck and William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim. Commissioned officers, British and Indian, held identical ranks to commissioned officers of the British Army, Kings Commissioned Indian Officers, created from the 1920s, held equal powers to British officers. Viceroys Commissioned Officers were Indians holding officer ranks and they were treated in almost all respects as commissioned officers, but had authority over Indian troops only, and were subordinate to all British Kings Commissioned Officers and KCIOs. They included Subedar Major or Risaldar-Major, equivalents to a British Major, Subedar or Risaldar equivalents to Captain, recruitment was entirely voluntary, about 1.75 million men served in the First World War, many on the Western Front and 2.5 million in the Second. Soldier ranks included Sepoys or Sowars, equivalent to a British private, British Army ranks such as gunner and sapper were used by other corps. In the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. The three Presidency armies remained separate forces, each with its own Commander-in-Chief, overall operational control was exercised by the Commander-in-Chief of the Bengal Army, who was formally the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies. From 1861, most of the manpower was pooled in the three Presidential Staff Corps
4.
Military organization
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Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer military capability required by the national defense policy. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in an armed forces. Armed forces that are not a part of military or paramilitary organizations, such as insurgent forces, often mimic military organizations, the use of formalized ranks in a hierarchical structure came into widespread use with the Roman Army. These in turn manage Armed Services that themselves command combat, combat support and combat support formations. Within each departmental agency will be found administrative branches responsible for further agency business specialization work, in most countries the armed forces are divided into three or four Armed services, army, navy, and air force. Many countries have a variation on the model of three or four basic Armed Services. Some nations also organize their marines, special forces or strategic missile forces as independent armed services, a nations coast guard may also be an independent military branch of its military, although in many nations the coast guard is a law enforcement or civil agency. A number of countries have no navy, for geographical reasons, most smaller countries have a single organization that encompasses all armed forces employed by the country in question. Third-world armies tend to consist primarily of infantry, while first-world armies tend to have larger units manning expensive equipment and it is worthwhile to make mention of the term joint. In western militaries, a joint force is defined as a unit or formation comprising representation of power from two or more branches of the military. It is common, at least in the European and North American militaries, to refer to the blocks of a military as commands, formations. In a military context, a command is a collection of units and it is not uncommon for a nations services to each consist of their own command, but this does not preclude the existence of commands which are not service-based. A formation is defined by the US Department of Defense as two or more aircraft, ships, or units proceeding together under a commander. The formations only differ in their ability to achieve different scales of application of force to achieve different strategic, operational and tactical goals and it is a composite military organization that includes a mixture of integrated and operationally attached sub-units, and is usually combat-capable. Example of formations include, divisions, brigades, battalions, wings, formation may also refer to tactical formation, the physical arrangement or disposition of troops and weapons. Examples of formation in such usage include, pakfront, panzerkeil, testudo formation, any unit subordinate to another unit is considered its sub-unit or minor unit. It is not uncommon for unit and formation to be used synonymously in the United States, in Commonwealth practice, formation is not used for smaller organizations like battalions which are instead called units, and their constituent platoons or companies are referred to as sub-units. In the Commonwealth, formations are divisions, brigades, etc, different armed forces, and even different branches of service of the armed forces, may use the same name to denote different types of organizations
5.
Ooty
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Udhagamandalam and abbreviated as Udhagai and Ooty is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 80 km north of Coimbatore and is the capital of the Nilgiris district and it is a popular hill station located in the Nilgiri Hills. Originally occupied by the Toda, the area came under the rule of the East India Company at the end of the 18th century, the economy is based on tourism and agriculture, along with the manufacture of medicines and photographic film. The town is connected by the Nilgiri ghat roads and Nilgiri Mountain Railway and its natural beauty attracts tourists and it is a popular summer destination. As of 2011, the town had a population of 88,430, the origin of the name Udhagamandalam is obscure. The first known mention of the place is given as Wotokymund in a letter of March 1821 to the Madras Gazette from an unknown correspondent. In early times it was called OttakalMandu, Mund is the Anglicised form of the Toda word for a village Mandu. The first part of the name is probably a corruption of the name for the central region of the Nilgiri Plateau. The stem of the name comes from the language in which Otha-Cal literally means Single Stone. This is perhaps a reference to a sacred stone revered by the local Toda people, the name probably changed under British rule from Udhagamandalam to Ootacamund, and later was shortened to Ooty. Ooty is situated in the Nilgiri hills, because of the beautiful mountains and green valleys, Ooty became known as the Queen of Hill Stations. Udhagamandalam was originally a land occupied by the Toda along with other hill tribes who coexisted through specialisation. The major tribes of Nilgiris area are the Toda, Kota, Irula, the Toda in the Nilgiris are first referenced in a record belonging to Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana and his general Punisa, dated 1117 CE. The Toda people were known for raising water buffalo, the Tamil and Badaga people known for farming activities. Nilgiris was ruled by various dynasties like Satavahanas, Cheras, Gangas, Kadambas, Rashtrakutas, Cholas, Hoysalas, the Vijayanagara empire, Tipu Sultan captured Nilgiris in the eighteenth century and extended the border by constructing a hideout cave like structure. The Nilgiris came into possession of British East India Company as part of the lands, held by Tipu Sultan. Whish and N. W. Kindersley, assistants to John Sullivan, then Collector of Coimbatore, visited Ooty, Sullivan camped at Dimbhatti, north of Kotagiri in January 1819 and was enthralled by the beauty of the place. It resembles Switzerland, more than any country of Europe, the hills beautifully wooded and fine strong spring with running water in every valley
6.
The Nilgiris District
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The Nilgiris District is in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri is the given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka. The Nilgiri Hills are part of a mountain chain known as the Western Ghats. Their highest point is the mountain of Doddabetta, height 2,633 m, the small district is contained mainly within this mountain range, the administrative headquarters is located at Ooty. Nilgiris District ranked first in a comprehensive Economic Environment index ranking districts in Tamil Nadu prepared by the Institute for Financial Management, tea and coffee plantations have been important to its economy. As of 2011, the Nilgiris district had a population of 735,394, the history of peoples settled in the Nilgiri hills has been recorded for several centuries. The Blue Mountains were likely named for the widespread blue Strobilanthes flower or the smoky haze enveloping the area and this area was long occupied by the indigenous tribal peoples of the Toda, Kota, Kurumba and Irula. The lower Wynaad plateau in the west of the district had a different tribal population, the Todas and Kota, who are similar in culture, language and genetic ancestry, were settled across much of the Nilgiri plateau. In addition, the Badaga, though officially recognised by the British in their Gazetteer as primitive tribes are a major group. The Badagas were the agriculturists in the district, cultivating crops such as samai, batha. Under British influence they cultivated English vegetables and later moved on to tea, unlike elsewhere in the country, no historical evidence is found of a state on the Nilgiris or that it was part of any ancient kingdom or empire. It seems always to have been a tribal land, the Toda had small hamlets across most of the plateau. The Kota lived in seven dispersed villages, the Badaga had 435 villages in central and eastern parts of the plateau. They and the Toda had only a few hamlets on the lower Wynaad plateau, since the turn of the 21st century, the Badaga have numbered about 135,000, while the Toda are barely 1,500 and the Kota just over 2,000. Beginning in 1819, the British colonial administration developed the hills rapidly and peaceably, for use as coffee and tea plantations, the 40 mud-forts in the area had been abandoned. During the British raj, Ooty served as the capital of the Madras Presidency from 1870 onwards. District Gazetteers published by the government were reliable reports on the district, its economy, demography and culture. According to a 1996 bibliography of publications of this district, it is probably the most heavily studied rural area anywhere in India and it has been the subject of more than 120 doctoral and masters theses in the natural and human sciences
7.
Madras Presidency
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The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India. The city of Madras was the capital of the Presidency and Ootacamund or Ooty. The island of Ceylon was a part of Madras Presidency from 1793 to 1798 when it was created a Crown colony, the agency was upgraded to a Presidency in 1652 before once more reverting to its previous status in 1655. In 1684, it was re-elevated to a Presidency and Elihu Yale was appointed as president, in 1785, under the provisions of Pitts India Act, Madras became one of three provinces established by the East India Company. Thereafter, the head of the area was styled Governor rather than President and became subordinate to the Governor-General in Calcutta, a title that would persist until 1947. Judicial, legislative and executive powers rested with the Governor who was assisted by a Council whose constitution was modified by reforms enacted in 1861,1909,1919 and 1935, regular elections were conducted in Madras up to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Following the Montague-Chelmsford reforms of 1919, Madras was the first province of British India to implement a system of dyarchy, in the early decades of the 20th century, many significant contributors to the Indian independence movement came from Madras. With the advent of Indian independence on 15 August 1947, the Presidency became the Madras Province. Madras was later admitted as Madras State, a state of the Indian Union at the inauguration of the Republic of India on 26 January 1950, the discovery of dolmens from this portion of the subcontinent shows inhabitation as early as the Stone Age. The first prominent rulers of the part of the future Presidency were the Tamil pandya dynasty. Following the decline of the pandyas of Tamil Nadu and the Cholas in Tamil Nadu, the country recovered under the subsequent Pallava dynasty and its civilisation attained a peak under the later where the telugu period when telugu kings started accquiring vast places in Tamil Nadu. Following the conquest of Madurai by Malik Kafur in 1311, there was a brief lull when both culture and civilisation began to deteriorate, the Tamil and Telugu territories recovered under the Vijayanagar Empire, founded in 1336. Following the empires demise, the country was split amongst numerous sultans, polygars, between 1685 and 1947, a number of kings ruled the areas that became part of the Madras Presidency. On 31 December 1600, Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a group of English merchants a charter to establish a company which became known as the East India Company. The first of these were built at Surat on the west coast, Masulipatam is thus the oldest English trading post on Indias east coast, dating back to 1611. In 1625, another factory was established at Armagon, a few miles to the south, the English authorities decided to relocate these factories farther south, due to a shortage of cotton cloth, the main trade item of the east coast at the time. The problem was compounded when the Sultan of Golconda started harassing the local officers, an agency was created to govern the new settlement, and the factor Andrew Cogan of Masulipatnam was appointed as its first Agent. All the agencies along Indias east coast were subordinated to the East India Company presidency of Bantam in Java, by 1641, Fort St George became the Companys headquarters on the Coromandel Coast
8.
Presidencies and provinces of British India
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Provinces of India, earlier Presidencies of British India and still earlier, Presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in the subcontinent. Collectively, they were called British India, in one form or other they existed between 1612 and 1947, conventionally divided into three historical periods. During 1612–1757, the East India Company set up factories in several locations, mostly in coastal India and its rivals were the merchant trading companies of Holland and France. By the mid-18th century, three Presidency towns, Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta had grown in size, during the period of Company rule in India, 1757–1858, the Company gradually acquired sovereignty over large parts of India, now called Presidencies. However, it increasingly came under British government oversight, in effect sharing sovereignty with the Crown. At the same time it gradually lost its mercantile privileges, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Companys remaining powers were transferred to the Crown. In the new British Raj, sovereignty extended to a few new regions, increasingly, however, unwieldy presidencies were broken up into Provinces. In 1608, the English East India Company established a settlement at Surat, and it was followed in 1611 by a permanent factory at Machilipatnam on the Coromandel Coast, and in 1612 the company joined other already established European trading companies in Bengal. Company rule in Bengal, however, ended with the Government of India Act 1858 following the events of the Bengal Rebellion of 1857 and these rulers were allowed a measure of internal autonomy in exchange for British suzerainty. British India constituted a significant portion of India both in area and population, in 1910, for example, it covered approximately 54% of the area, in addition, there were Portuguese and French exclaves in India. Independence from British rule was achieved in 1947 with the formation of two nations, the Dominions of India and Pakistan, the latter also including East Bengal, present-day Bangladesh. The term British India also applied to Burma for a time period, starting in 1824, a small part of Burma. This arrangement lasted until 1937, when Burma commenced being administered as a separate British colony, British India did not apply to other countries in the region, such as Sri Lanka, which was a British Crown colony, or the Maldive Islands, which were a British protectorate. It also included the Colony of Aden in the Arabian Peninsula, the original seat of government was at Allahabad, then at Agra from 1834 to 1868. Bombay Presidency, East India Companys headquarters moved from Surat to Bombay in 1687, the East India Company, which was incorporated on 31 December 1600, established trade relations with Indian rulers in Masulipatam on the east coast in 1611 and Surat on the west coast in 1612. The company rented a trading outpost in Madras in 1639, meanwhile, in eastern India, after obtaining permission from the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to trade with Bengal, the Company established its first factory at Hoogly in 1640. Almost a half-century later, after Emperor Aurengzeb forced the Company out of Hooghly, by the mid-18th century the three principal trading settlements, now called the Madras Presidency, the Bombay Presidency, and the Bengal Presidency were each administered by a Governor. After Robert Clives victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, in 1772, the Company also obtained the Nizāmat of Bengal and thereby full sovereignty of the expanded Bengal Presidency
9.
British Empire
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The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It originated with the possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height, it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power. By 1913, the British Empire held sway over 412 million people, 23% of the population at the time. As a result, its political, legal, linguistic and cultural legacy is widespread, during the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, the independence of the Thirteen Colonies in North America in 1783 after the American War of Independence caused Britain to lose some of its oldest and most populous colonies. British attention soon turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific, after the defeat of France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century. In the early 19th century, the Industrial Revolution began to transform Britain, the British Empire expanded to include India, large parts of Africa and many other territories throughout the world. In Britain, political attitudes favoured free trade and laissez-faire policies, during the 19th Century, Britains population increased at a dramatic rate, accompanied by rapid urbanisation, which caused significant social and economic stresses. To seek new markets and sources of raw materials, the Conservative Party under Benjamin Disraeli launched a period of imperialist expansion in Egypt, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand became self-governing dominions. By the start of the 20th century, Germany and the United States had begun to challenge Britains economic lead, subsequent military and economic tensions between Britain and Germany were major causes of the First World War, during which Britain relied heavily upon its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on the military, financial and manpower resources of Britain, although the British Empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after World War I, Britain was no longer the worlds pre-eminent industrial or military power. In the Second World War, Britains colonies in Southeast Asia were occupied by Imperial Japan, despite the final victory of Britain and its allies, the damage to British prestige helped to accelerate the decline of the empire. India, Britains most valuable and populous possession, achieved independence as part of a larger movement in which Britain granted independence to most territories of the empire. The transfer of Hong Kong to China in 1997 marked for many the end of the British Empire, fourteen overseas territories remain under British sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies joined the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Kingdom is now one of 16 Commonwealth nations, a grouping known informally as the Commonwealth realms, that share a monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The foundations of the British Empire were laid when England and Scotland were separate kingdoms. In 1496, King Henry VII of England, following the successes of Spain and Portugal in overseas exploration, Cabot led another voyage to the Americas the following year but nothing was ever heard of his ships again
10.
Government of India Act 1858
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The Government of India Act 1858 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on August 2,1858. Its provisions called for the liquidation of the British East India Company, however, before this bill was to be passed, Palmerstone was forced to resign on another issue. Later Edward Henry Stanley, 15th Earl of Derby introduced another bill which was titled as “An Act for the Better Government of India”. This act provided that India was to be governed directly and in the name of the Crown, the Indian Rebellion of 1857 forced the British Government to pass the Act. The Companys territories in India were to be vested in the Queen, India was to be governed in the Queens name. The Queens Principal Secretary of State received the powers and duties of the Companys Court of Directors, a council of fifteen members was appointed to assist the Secretary of State for India. The council became a body in India affairs. For all the communications between Britain and India, the Secretary of State became the real channel, the Secretary of State for India was empowered to send some secret despatches to India directly without consulting the Council. He was also authorised to constitute special committees of his Council, the Crown was empowered to appoint a Governor-General and the Governors of the Presidencies. An Indian Civil Service was to be created under the control of the Secretary of State, hereto all the property and other assets of the East India Company were transferred to the Crown. The Crown also assumed the responsibilities of the Company as they related to treaties, contracts, the Act ushered in a new period of Indian history, bringing about the end of Company rule in India
11.
Indian Rebellion of 1857
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The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major, but ultimately unsuccessful, uprising in India in 1857–58 against British rule. For nearly 100 years, that rule had been presided over by the British East India Company, the rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form of a mutiny of sepoys of the Companys army in the garrison town of Meerut,40 miles northeast of Delhi. It then erupted into other mutinies and civilian rebellions chiefly in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, though incidents of revolt also occurred farther north and east. The rebellion posed a threat to British power in that region. On 1 November 1858, the British granted amnesty to all rebels not involved in murder, though they did not declare the hostilities formally to have ended until 8 July 1859. The rebellion is known by names, including the Sepoy Mutiny, the Indian Mutiny, the Great Rebellion, the Revolt of 1857, the Indian Insurrection. Many Indians did rise against the British, however, very many also fought for the British, after the outbreak of the mutiny in Meerut, the rebels very quickly reached Delhi, whose 81-year-old Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar, they declared the Emperor of Hindustan. Soon, the rebels had captured large tracts of the North-Western Provinces. The East India Companys response came rapidly as well, with help from reinforcements, Kanpur was retaken by mid-July 1857, and Delhi by the end of September. However, it took the remainder of 1857 and the better part of 1858 for the rebellion to be suppressed in Jhansi, Lucknow. Other regions of Company controlled India—Bengal province, the Bombay Presidency, in the Punjab, the Sikh princes crucially helped the British by providing both soldiers and support. In some regions, most notably in Awadh, the took on the attributes of a patriotic revolt against European presence. However, the rebel leaders proclaimed no articles of faith that presaged a new political system, even so, the rebellion proved to be an important watershed in Indian- and British Empire history. India was thereafter administered directly by the British government in the new British Raj, on 1 November 1858, Queen Victoria issued a proclamation to Indians, which while lacking the authority of a constitutional provision, promised rights similar to those of other British subjects. In the following decades, when admission to these rights was not always forthcoming, the victory was consolidated in 1764 at the Battle of Buxar, when the East India Company army defeated Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II. After his defeat, the granted the Company the right to the collection of Revenue in the provinces of Bengal, Bihar. The Company soon expanded its territories around its bases in Bombay and Madras, later, the Anglo-Mysore Wars, in 1806, the Vellore Mutiny was sparked by new uniform regulations that created resentment amongst both Hindu and Muslim sepoys. After the turn of the 19th century, Governor-General Wellesley began what became two decades of accelerated expansion of Company territories and this was achieved either by subsidiary alliances between the Company and local rulers or by direct military annexation
12.
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
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The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom, its dependencies and its overseas territories. The monarchs title is King or Queen, the current monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, ascended the throne on the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952. The monarch and his or her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial, diplomatic, as the monarchy is constitutional, the monarch is limited to non-partisan functions such as bestowing honours and appointing the Prime Minister. The monarch is, by tradition, commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces, from 1603, when the Scottish monarch King James VI inherited the English throne as James I, both the English and Scottish kingdoms were ruled by a single sovereign. From 1649 to 1660, the tradition of monarchy was broken by the republican Commonwealth of England, the Act of Settlement 1701 excluded Roman Catholics, or those who married Catholics, from succession to the English throne. In 1707, the kingdoms of England and Scotland were merged to create the Kingdom of Great Britain, and in 1801, the British monarch became nominal head of the vast British Empire, which covered a quarter of the worlds surface at its greatest extent in 1921. After the Second World War, the vast majority of British colonies and territories became independent, George VI and his successor, Elizabeth II, adopted the title Head of the Commonwealth as a symbol of the free association of its independent member states. The United Kingdom and fifteen other Commonwealth monarchies that share the person as their monarch are called Commonwealth realms. In the uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom, the Monarch is the Head of State, oaths of allegiance are made to the Queen and her lawful successors. God Save the Queen is the British national anthem, and the monarch appears on postage stamps, coins, the Monarch takes little direct part in Government. Executive power is exercised by Her Majestys Government, which comprises Ministers, primarily the Prime Minister and the Cabinet and they have the direction of the Armed Forces of the Crown, the Civil Service and other Crown Servants such as the Diplomatic and Secret Services. Judicial power is vested in the Judiciary, who by constitution, the Church of England, of which the Monarch is the head, has its own legislative, judicial and executive structures. Powers independent of government are legally granted to public bodies by statute or Statutory Instrument such as an Order in Council. The Sovereigns role as a monarch is largely limited to non-partisan functions. This role has been recognised since the 19th century, the constitutional writer Walter Bagehot identified the monarchy in 1867 as the dignified part rather than the efficient part of government. Whenever necessary, the Monarch is responsible for appointing a new Prime Minister, the Prime Minister takes office by attending the Monarch in private audience, and after kissing hands that appointment is immediately effective without any other formality or instrument. Since 1945, there have only been two hung parliaments, the first followed the February 1974 general election when Harold Wilson was appointed Prime Minister after Edward Heath resigned following his failure to form a coalition. Although Wilsons Labour Party did not have a majority, they were the largest party, the second followed the May 2010 general election, in which the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats agreed to form the first coalition government since World War II
13.
French Army
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The French Army, officially the Land Army is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. Along with the French Air Force, the French Navy and the National Gendarmerie, the current Chief of Staff of the French Army is General Jean-Pierre Bosser, a direct subordinate of the Chief of the Defence Staff. All soldiers are considered professionals following the suspension of conscription, voted in parliament in 1997, as of 2014, the French Army employed 111,628 personnel. In addition, the element of the French Army consisted of 15,453 personnel of the Operational Reserve. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the Hundred Years War and these units of troops were raised by issuing ordonnances to govern their length of service, composition and payment. These Compagnies dordonnance formed the core of the Gendarme Cavalry into the sixteenth century, stationed throughout France and summoned into larger armies as needed. There was also made for Francs-archers units of bowmen and foot soldiers raised from the non-noble classes. The bulk of the infantry for warfare was still provided by urban or provincial militias, raised from an area or city to fight locally and named for their recruiting grounds. Gradually these units became more permanent, and in 1480s Swiss instructors were recruited and these men would be paid and contracted and receive training. Henry II further regularised the French army by forming standing Infantry regiments to replace the Militia structure, the first of these the Régiments de Picardie, Piémont, Navarre and Champagne were called the Les Vieux Corps. It was normal policy to disband regiments after a war was over as a cost saving measure with the Vieux Corps and the Kings own Household Troops the Maison du Roi being the only survivors. Regiments could be raised directly by the King and so called after the region in which they were raised, or by the nobility and so called after the noble or his appointed colonel. In 1684 there was a reorganisation of the French infantry and again in 1701 to fit in with Louis XIVs plans. This reshuffle created many of the regiments of the French Army and standardised their equipment. The army of the Sun King tended to wear coats with coloured linings. There were exceptions and the troops, recruited from outside France. In addition to these regiments of the line the Maison du Roi provided several elite units, the Swiss Guards, French Guards, the revolution split the army with the main mass losing most of its officers to aristocratic flight or guillotine and becoming demoralised and ineffective. The French Guard joined the revolt and the Swiss Guards were massacred during the storming of the Tuileries palace, under Napoleon I, the French Army conquered most of Europe during the Napoleonic Wars
14.
Battle of Wandiwash
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The Battle of Wandiwash was a decisive battle in India during the Seven Years War. The Count de Lallys army, burdened by a lack of support and funds, attempted to regain the fort at Vandavasi. He was attacked by Sir Eyre Cootes forces and decisively defeated, the French general Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau and the French were then restricted to Pondichéry, where they surrendered on 16 January 1761. Wandiwash is the Anglicised pronunciation of Vandavasi and this was the Third Carnatic War fought between the French and the British. Having made substantial gains in Bengal and Hyderabad, the British, after collecting huge amount of revenue, were equipped to face the French in Wandiwash. The Battle of Wandiwash involved capture of Chetpattu, Tirunomalai, Tindivanam, great Britain in the Seven Years War France in the Seven Years War Thomas J. Mullen, Jr. Seven Years’ War, Battle of Wandiwash February 1994 issue of Military History magazine
15.
Bengal
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Bengal is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in Asia, which is located in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Geographically, it is made up by the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta system, in 2011, the population of Bengal was estimated to be 250 million, making it the most densely populated region in South Asia. An estimated 160 million people live in Bangladesh, while 91.3 million people live in West Bengal, the predominant ethno-linguistic group are the Bengali people, who speak the Indo-Aryan Bengali language. Bengali Muslims are the majority in Bangladesh, Bengali Hindus are the majority in West Bengal. Dense woodlands, including rainforests, cover Bengals northern and eastern areas. In the littoral southwest are the Sunderbans, the worlds largest mangrove forest, in the coastal southeast lies Coxs Bazaar, the longest beach in the world at 125 km. The region has a climate, which the Bengali calendar divides into six seasons. Bengal has played a role in the history of Asia. In antiquity, its kingdoms were known as seafaring nations, at times an independent regional empire, or a bastion of larger empires, the historical region was a leading power of the Indian subcontinent and the Islamic East. Bengali culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature, music, art, architecture, sports, currency, commerce, politics and cuisine. The name of Bengal is derived from the ancient kingdom of Banga, theories on the origin of the term Banga point to the Proto-Dravidian Bong tribe that settled in the area circa 1000 BCE and the Austric word Bong. The term Bangaladesa is used to describe the region in 11th century South Indian records, the modern term Bangla is prominent from the 14th century, which saw the establishment of the Sultanate of Bengal, whose first ruler Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah was known as the Shah of Bangala. The Portuguese referred to the region as Bengala in the Age of Discovery, most of the Bengal region lies in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, but there are highlands in its north, northeast and southeast. The Ganges Delta arises from the confluence of the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra, the total area of Bengal is 232,752 km2—West Bengal is 88,752 km2 and Bangladesh 147,570 km2. The flat and fertile Bangladesh Plain dominates the geography of Bangladesh, the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet regions are home to most of the mountains in Bangladesh. Most parts of Bangladesh are within 10 metres above the sea level, because of this low elevation, much of this region is exceptionally vulnerable to seasonal flooding due to monsoons. The highest point in Bangladesh is in Mowdok range at 1,052 metres, a major part of the coastline comprises a marshy jungle, the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world and home to diverse flora and fauna, including the royal Bengal tiger. In 1997, this region was declared endangered, West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south
16.
Robert Clive
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He is credited with securing a large swath of South Asia and the wealth that followed, for the British crown. Together with Warren Hastings he was one of the key figures in the creation of British India, with all his attention focused on one prize. He also sat as a Tory Member of Parliament in London, Clive was one of the most controversial figures in all British military history. His achievements included establishing control over much of India, and laying the foundation of the entire British Raj, for that he was vilified by his contemporaries in England, and put on trial before Parliament. Of special concern was that he amassed a fortune in India. Modern historians have criticised him for atrocities, for high taxes, Robert Clive was born at Styche, the Clive family estate, near Market Drayton in Shropshire, on 29 September 1725 to Richard Clive and Rebecca Gaskell Clive. The family had held the estate since the time of Henry VII. The family had a history of public service, members of the family included an Irish chancellor of the exchequer under Henry VIII. Roberts father, who supplemented the estates modest income as a lawyer, also served in Parliament for many years, Robert was their eldest son of thirteen children, he had seven sisters and five brothers, six of whom died in infancy. Clives father was known to have a temper, which the boy apparently inherited, for reasons that have not been documented, Clive was sent to live with his mothers sister in Manchester while still a toddler. Biographer Robert Harvey suggests that this move was made because Clives father was busy in London trying to provide for the family, daniel Bayley, the sisters husband, reported that the boy was out of measure addicted to fighting. He was a troublemaker in the schools he was sent to. When he was older he and a gang of teenagers established a protection racket that vandalised the shops of merchants in Market Drayton. Clive also exhibited fearlessness at an early age and he is reputed to have climbed the tower of St Marys Parish Church in Market Drayton and perched on a gargoyle, frightening those down below. He was said to have been a pupil at Stand Grammar School in Whitefield and he climbed the tower there and threw slates at passers by. When Clive was nine his aunt died, and, after a stint in his fathers cramped London quarters. There he attended the Market Drayton Grammar School, where his unruly behaviour prompted his father to him to Merchant Taylors School in London. His bad behaviour continued, and he was sent to a trade school in Hertfordshire to complete a basic education
17.
Battle of Plassey
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The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757. The battle consolidated the Companys presence in Bengal, which expanded to cover much of India over the next hundred years. The battle took place at Palashi on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, about 150 kilometres north of Calcutta and south of Murshidabad, the belligerents were the Nawab Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company. Siraj-ud-daulah had become the Nawab of Bengal the year before, Robert Clive bribed Mir Jafar, the commander in chief of the nawabs army, and also promised him to make him Nawab of Bengal. He defeated the Nawab at Plassey in 1757 and captured Calcutta, the battle was preceded by the attack on British-controlled Calcutta by Nawab Siraj-ud-daulah and the Black Hole massacre. The British sent reinforcements under Colonel Robert Clive and Admiral Charles Watson from Madras to Bengal, Clive then seized the initiative to capture the French fort of Chandernagar. Tensions and suspicions between Siraj-ud-daulah and the British culminated in the Battle of Plassey, the battle was waged during the Seven Years War, and, in a mirror of their European rivalry, the French East India Company sent a small contingent to fight against the British. Siraj-ud-Daulah had a superior force and made his stand at Plassey. The British, worried about being outnumbered, formed a conspiracy with Siraj-ud-Daulahs demoted army chief Mir Jafar, along with such as Yar Lutuf Khan, Jagat Seths, Omichund. Mir Jafar, Rai Durlabh and Yar Lutuf Khan thus assembled their troops near the battlefield, the battle was ended in 11 hours. This is judged to be one of the battles in the control of Indian subcontinent by the colonial powers. The British now wielded enormous influence over the Nawab and consequently acquired significant concessions for previous losses and revenue from trade. The British East India Company had a presence in India with the three main stations of Fort St. George in Madras, Fort William in Calcutta and Bombay Castle in western India. These stations were independent presidencies governed by a president and a council, the British adopted a policy of allying themselves with various princes and Nawabs, promising security against usurpers and rebels. The Nawabs often gave them concessions in return for the security, by then, all rivalry had ceased between the British East India Company and the Dutch or Portuguese. The French were a late comer in India trade, but they established themselves in India and were poised to overtake Britain for control. The War of the Austrian Succession marked the beginning of the struggle between Britain and France and of European military ascendancy and political intervention in the Indian subcontinent. In September 1746, Mahé de La Bourdonnais landed off Madras with a naval squadron, the defences of Madras were weak and the garrison sustained a bombardment of three days before surrendering
18.
Vellore mutiny
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The Vellore mutiny on 10 July 1806 was the first instance of a large-scale and violent mutiny by Indian sepoys against the East India Company, predating the Indian Rebellion of 1857 by half a century. The revolt, which place in the South Indian city of Vellore, was brief, lasting only one full day. The mutiny was subdued by cavalry and artillery from Arcot, summary executions of about 100 mutineers took place during the suppression of the outbreak, followed by the formal court-martial of smaller numbers. The immediate causes of the mutiny revolved mainly around resentment felt towards changes in the dress code. Hindus were prohibited from wearing religious marks on their foreheads and Muslims were required to shave their beards, the new headdress included a leather cockade and was intended to replace the existing turban. These changes, intended to improve the appearance of the men. In May 1806 some sepoys who protested the new rules were sent to Fort Saint George, two of them – a Hindu and a Muslim – were given 90 lashes each and dismissed from the army. Nineteen sepoys were punished with 50 lashes each and forced to seek pardon from the East India Company, in addition to the military grievances listed above, the rebellion was also instigated by the sons of the defeated Tipu Sultan, confined at Vellore since 1799. Tipus wives and sons, together with numerous retainers, were pensioners of the East India Company, one of Tipu Sultans daughters was to be married on 9 July 1806, and the plotters of the uprising gathered at the fort under the pretext of attending the wedding. The objectives of the civilian conspirators remain obscure but by seizing and holding the fort they may have hoped to encourage a general rising through the territory of the former Mysore Sultanate, however, Tippus sons were reluctant to take charge after the mutiny arose. Two hours after midnight on 10 July, the sepoys killed fourteen of their own officers and 115 men of the 69th Regiment, among those killed was Colonel St. John Fancourt, the commander of the fort. The rebels seized control by dawn, and raised the flag of the Mysore Sultanate over the fort, tipus second son Fateh Hyder was declared king. However, a British officer escaped and alerted the garrison in Arcot and it was led by Sir Rollo Gillespie, who reportedly left Arcot within a quarter of an hour of the alarm being raised. Gillespie dashed ahead of the force with a single troop of about twenty men. Arriving at Vellore, Gillespie found the surviving Europeans, about sixty men of the 69th, commanded by NCOs, the 19th and the Madras Cavalry then charged and sabred any sepoy who stood in their way. About 100 sepoys who had sought refuge inside the palace were brought out, John Blakiston, the engineer who had blown in the gates, recalled, Even this appalling sight I could look upon, I may almost say, with composure. In all, nearly 350 of the rebels were killed, after formal trial six mutineers were blown away from guns, five shot by firing squad, eight hanged and five transported. The three Madras battalions involved in the mutiny were all disbanded, the senior British officers responsible for the offensive dress regulations were recalled to England and their orders were cancelled
19.
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
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His defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 put him in the top rank of Britains military heroes. Wellesley was born in Dublin, belonging to the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland and he was commissioned as an ensign in the British Army in 1787, serving in Ireland as aide-de-camp to two successive Lords Lieutenant of Ireland. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament in the Irish House of Commons and he was a colonel by 1796, and saw action in the Netherlands and in India, where he fought in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War at the Battle of Seringapatam. He was appointed governor of Seringapatam and Mysore in 1799 and, as a newly appointed major-general, following Napoleons exile in 1814, he served as the ambassador to France and was granted a dukedom. During the Hundred Days in 1815, he commanded the army which defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. Wellesleys battle record is exemplary, he participated in some 60 battles during the course of his military career. Wellington is famous for his defensive style of warfare, resulting in several victories against numerically superior forces while minimising his own losses. He is regarded as one of the greatest defensive commanders of all time, after ending his active military career, Wellington returned to politics. He was twice British prime minister as part of the Tory party, from 1828 to 1830 and he oversaw the passage of the Catholic Relief Act 1829, but opposed the Reform Act 1832. He continued as one of the figures in the House of Lords until his retirement. As such, he belonged to the Protestant Ascendancy and his biographers mostly follow the contemporary newspaper evidence in saying that he was born 1 May 1769, the day that he was baptised. He was most likely born at his parents townhouse,24 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin, but his mother Anne, Countess of Mornington, recalled in 1815 that he had been born at 6 Merrion Street, Dublin. He spent most of his childhood at his familys two homes, the first a house in Dublin and the second Dangan Castle,3 miles north of Summerhill on the Trim Road in County Meath. In 1781, Arthurs father died and his eldest brother Richard inherited his fathers earldom and he went to the diocesan school in Trim when at Dangan, Mr Whytes Academy when in Dublin, and Browns School in Chelsea when in London. He then enrolled at Eton, where he studied from 1781 to 1784, moreover, Eton had no playing fields at the time. In 1785, a lack of success at Eton, combined with a shortage of funds due to his fathers death, forced the young Wellesley. Until his early twenties, Arthur showed little sign of distinction and his mother grew concerned at his idleness, stating. A year later, Arthur enrolled in the French Royal Academy of Equitation in Angers, where he progressed significantly, becoming a good horseman and learning French, upon returning to England in late 1786, he astonished his mother with his improvement
20.
Srirangapatna
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Srirangapatna is a town in Mandya district of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located near the city of Mysore, it is of religious, cultural, although situated a mere 15 km from Mysore city, Srirangapatna lies in the neighbouring district of Mandya. The entire town is enclosed by the river Kaveri to form a river island, while the main river flows on the eastern side of the island, the Paschima Vaahini segment of the same river flows to its west. The town is accessible by train from Bangalore and Mysore and is also well-connected by road. The highway passes through town and special care was taken to minimize any impact on the monuments. The town takes its name from the celebrated Ranganathaswamy temple which dominates the town, the temple was built by the Ganga dynasty rulers of the area in the 9th century, the structure was strengthened and improved upon architecturally some three centuries later. Thus, the temple is a medley of the Hoysala and Vijayanagar styles of temple architecture, as of 2001 India census, Srirangapatna had a population of 23,448. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%, Srirangapatna has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59. 5%, male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 63%. In Srirangapatna, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age, Srirangapatna is located at 12. 41°N76. 7°E /12.41,76.7. It has an elevation of 679 metres. Srirangapatna Sangama is the confluence of the three holy streams creating the island, located 27 km upstream from the town is the spectacular Shivanasamudra Falls, the second biggest waterfall in India and the 16th largest in the world. Srirangapatna has since time immemorial been a center and place of pilgrimage. During the Vijayanagar empire, it became the seat of a major viceroyalty, from several nearby vassal states of the empire, such as Mysore. When, perceiving the decline of the Vijayanagar empire, the rulers of Mysore ventured to assert independence, raja Wodeyar vanquished Rangaraya, the then viceroy of Srirangapatna, in 1610 and celebrated the Navaratri festival in the town that year. Srirangapatna became the de facto capital of Mysore under Hyder Ali, in that heady period, the state ruled by Tipu extended its frontiers in every direction, encompassing a major portion of South India. Srirangapatna flourished as the capital of this powerful state. Various Indo-Islamic monuments that dot the town, such as Tipu Sultans palaces, the Darya Daulat and this battle was the last engagement of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The Battle of Seringapatam,1799, was truly momentous in its historic effects, at the battles climax, Tipu Sultan was killed within the fort of Seringapatam, betrayed by one of his own confidants, the spot where he ultimately fell is marked by a memorial
21.
Hyder Ali
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Hyder Ali Khan also known as Hyder Ali Sahib, Haidarālī was the Sultan and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Sayyid walSharif Hyder Ali Khan, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysores rulers, rising to the post of Dalavayi to Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, he came to dominate the titular monarch and the Mysore government. He became the de facto ruler of Mysore as Sarvadhikari by 1761, though illiterate, Hyder Ali earned an important place in the history of southern India for his administrative acumen and military skills. He concluded an alliance with the French against the British and used the services of French workmen in raising his artillery and his rule of Mysore was characterised by frequent warfare with his neighbours and rebellion within his territories. This was not unusual for the time as much of the Indian subcontinent was then in turmoil. He was a leader and left his eldest son, Tipu Sultan, an extensive kingdom bordered by the Krishna River in the north, the Eastern Ghats in the east. The exact date of Hyder Alis birth is not known with certainty, various historical sources provide dates ranging between 1717 and 1722 for his birth. There are also variations in reports of his ancestry. According to some accounts, his grandfather was descended from a line of Sayyids tracing their lineage back to Persia, while another traces his lineage instead to the area of present-day Afghanistan. His father, Fath Muhammad, was born in Kolar, Fath Muhammad eventually entered the service of the Wodeyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore, where he rose to become a powerful military commander. The Wodeyars awarded him Budikote as a jagir, where he served as Naik. Hyder Ali was born in Budikote, he was Fath Muhammads fifth child, and his early years are not well documented, he entered military service along with his brother Shahbaz after their father died in combat. After serving for a number of years under the rulers of Arcot, they came to Seringapatam and he introduced them to Devaraja, the dalwai of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, and his brother Nanjaraja, who also held important ministerial posts. Hyder and his brother were given commands in the Mysorean army, Hyder served under Shahbaz, commanding 100 cavalry and 2,000 infantry. In 1748, Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asaf Jah I, the longtime Nizam of Hyderabad, the struggle to succeed him is known as the Second Carnatic War, and pitted Asaf Jahs son Nasir Jung against a cousin, Muzaffar Jung. Both sides were supported by local leaders, and French. Devaraja had started vesting more military authority in his brother, the army went to Devanhalli, where the Mysoreans participated in the Siege of Devanahalli Fort. The fort was held by Muzaffar Jungs forces and the siege was conducted by the Marquis de Bussy, during the successful eight-month siege, the Naik brothers distinguished themselves, and were rewarded by the dalwai with enlarged commands
22.
Vellore Fort
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Vellore Fort is a large 16th-century fort situated in heart of the Vellore city, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India built by Vijayanagara kings. The fort was at one time the headquarters of the Aravidu Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire, the fort is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry. The forts ownership passed from Vijayanagara kings, to the Bijapur sultans, to the Marathas, to the Carnatic Nawabs and finally to the British, the Indian government maintains the fort with the Archaeological Department. During British rule, the Tipu Sultans family and the last king of Sri Lanka, the fort houses the Jalakanteswarar Hindu temple, the Christian St. Johns Church and a Muslim mosque, of which the Jalakanteswarar Temple is famous for its magnificent carvings. The first significant military rebellion against British rule erupted at this fort in 1806, Vellore Fort was built by Chinna Bommi Reddy and Thimma Reddy, subordinate chieftains under Sadasiva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire in the year of 1566 AD. Vellore Fort gained strategic prominence following the re-establishment of Vijayanagar rule with Chandragiri as their 4th capital after the Talikota battle. The Aravidu Dynasty that held the title of Rayas in 17th century resided in this fort and this major battle took place for the claiming of the Raya title between two factions of the Raya family. Each faction included their respective subordinates, the Nayaks of Tanjore, the Gingee, the Rayas also had long-running battles with their longtime rivals, the Bijapur Sultans, and with the Nayaks of Madurai and the Gingee over non-remittance of annual tributes. In the 1640s, during the reign of Sriranga Raya III, the fort was captured by the Bijapur army. These events led to the Battle of Toppur in 1616, one of the largest South Indian wars of the century, in the 1650s, Sriranga allied with the Mysore and Tanjore Nayaks and marched south to attack Gingee and Madurai. His first stop was the capture of Gingee Fort, but Thirumalai Nayak of Madurai responded by requesting the Sultan of Bijapur to attack Vellore from the north to divert Srirangas attention, the Bijapur sultan promptly dispatched a large army and captured Vellore Fort. Subsequently, both the Madurai-Bijapur armies converged on Gingee, defeating the Vellore-Tanjore forces, after a melee, both the forts ended up in the hands of the sultan of Bijapur. The defeat also marked the end of the last direct line of Vijayanagara emperors, within 20 years after this incident, the Marathas seized the fort from the Bijapur sultans. In 1676, the Marathas under Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj marched south to the Tanjore country, in 1688, after a prolonged fourteen-month siege, the fort passed on to the Marathas. Shivajis representative strengthened the forts fortifications and ruled the area in relative peace, in 1707, the year that Aurangazeb died, the Delhi Army under Daud Khan captured Vellore Fort after defeating the Marathas. The struggle for the Delhi throne empowered the Deccan Muslim governors to declare independence, in 1710 the recently established Nawab of Arcot under Sadat Ullah Khan followed suit. Dost Ali, the successor in 1733, gifted the fort to one of his sons-in-law. Following the decline of Madurai Nayaks, and coinciding with the emergence of the British on the Madras coast, the Nawab was supported by the British and the rival claimants by the French, resulting in the Carnatic Wars
23.
Visakhapatnam district
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Visakhapatnam district is a district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the nine districts in the state. Buddhist era Visakhapatnam history goes back to the 6th century BCE and its name can be found in Hindu and Buddhist texts that date back to ancient times. Vizag, as Visakhapatnam is often referred to, has been mentioned by Panini, the city was also a part of the Kalinga kingdom, which was later conquered by the emperor Ashoka. Visakha District is a large Buddhist remnants hub with many documented and undocumented from north to south border of the district along the coast line. After independence In 1979, part of the district was split to help form Vizianagaram district, Visakhapatnam District is currently a part of the Red Corridor. According to the 2011 census Visakhapatnam district has a population of 4,288,113 This gives it a ranking of 44th in India, the district has a population density of 384 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 11. 89%, Visakhapatnam has a sex ratio of 1003 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 67. 7%. Visakhapatnam district has a population of 4,288,113 people of which 57. 95% is urban as of 2011 census, Visakhapatnam district occupies an area of approximately 11,161 square kilometres, comparatively equivalent to Canadas Cape Breton Island. Climate Visakhapatnam district is the hub for industry and education in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Visakhapatnam district hosts the Vizag Steel Plant, household indicators In 2007–2008, the International Institute for Population Sciences interviewed 1,233 households in 30 villages across the district. They found that 82. 1% had access to electricity,73. 9% had drinking water,42. 6% toilet facilities,22. 6% of girls wed before the legal age of 18 and 73. 8% of interviewees carried a BPL card. The district has four divisions, namely Anakapalli, Paderu, Narsipatnam and Visakhapatnam. These revenue divisions are divided into 43 mandals in the district and these district consists of 3265 villages and 15 towns including,1 municipal corporation,2 municipalities and 12 census towns. Visakhapatnam city is the municipal corporation and the 3 municipalities in the district are Anakapalle. The 12 census towns are Bowluvada, Chodavaram, Chintapalle, Gudivada, Kantabamsuguda, Mulakuddu, Nakkapalle, Narsipatnam, Peda Boddepalle, Payakaraopeta, Upper Sileru Project Site Camp, There are 10 mandals in Visakhapatnam division,11 each in Narsipatnam, Anakapalle and Paderu divisions. The 43 mandals under their revenue divisions are listed below, There are three parliamentary and 15 assembly constituencies in Visakhapatnam district, the parliamentary constituencies are Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam and Araku. The total of road network of the district is 945.443 km
24.
Bengal Army
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The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. In 1895 all three armies were merged into the Indian Army. The Bengal Army originated with the establishment of a European Regiment in 1756, in 1757 the first locally recruited unit of Bengal sepoys was created in the form of the Lal Paltan battalion. It was recruited from Bhumihar, Bihari Rajputs and Pathan soldiers that had served in the Nawabs Army from Bihar, there were actually no soldiers from the modern Bengal region. Drilled and armed along British army lines this force served well at the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and 20 more Indian battalions were raised by 1764. In 1824 the Bengal Army underwent reorganisation, with the infantry being grouped into 68 single battalion regiments numbered according to their date of establishment. Nine additional infantry regiments were raised, though several existing units were disbanded between 1826 and 1843. On the eve of the First Afghan War the Bengal Army had achieved a dominant role in the forces of the HEIC, there were 74 battalions of Bengal regular infantry against only 52 from Madras,26 from Bombay and 24 British. A new feature in the Bengal Army was the creation of irregular infantry and cavalry regiments during the 1840s and these were permanently established units but with less formal drill and fewer British officers than the regular Bengal line regiments. The main source of recruitment continued to be high caste Brahmins and Rajputs from Bihar and Oudh, during the 1840s and early 1850s numbers of Nepalese Gurkhas and Sikhs from the Punjab were however accepted in the Bengal Army. Both Gurkhas and Sikhs served in separate units but some of the latter were incorporated into existing Bengal infantry regiments, two of these BNI regiments were serving in China in 1857 and so escaped any involvement in the great rebellion of that year. A total of 64 Bengal Army regular infantry and cavalry regiments rebelled during the Indian Mutiny, from 1858 onwards the actual high-caste Awadhi and Bihari Hindu presence in the Bengal Army was reduced because of their perceived primary role as mutineers in the 1857 rebellion. A largely unspoken rationale was that an army of diverse origins was unlikely to unite in rebellion, in 1895 the three separate Presidency Armies were abolished and the Army of India was divided into four commands, each commanded by a lieutenant-general. These comprised Madras, Punjab, Bengal and Bombay, the Bengal infantry units in existence at the end of the Presidency era continued as the senior regiments (1st Brahmans to 48th Pioneers of the newly unified Indian Army. Prior to 1857, and despite the name, the actual ethnic Bengali presence was minimal to non-existent, the Bengal Army of the East India Company was mainly recruited from high castes living in Bihar and the Awadh, especially Bihari Rajputs and Bhumihars who were referred to as Purbiyas. Governor Generals Bodyguard 1st to 10th Bengal Light Cavalry Regiments, eight of these regular regiments mutinied and two were disbanded during 1857–58. None were carried over into the post-Mutiny army, 1st to 4th Bengal European Light Cavalry Regiments. Recruited hastily in Britain in November 1857 to replace the eight regiments of Bengal Light Cavalry which had mutinied, the mention of European in the name indicated that it consisted of white soldiers rather than Indian sowars
25.
Madras Engineer Group
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Madras Engineer Group, informally known as the Madras Sappers, is an engineer group of the Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army. The Madras Sappers draw their origin from the erstwhile Madras Presidency army of the British Raj and this regiment has its HQ in Bengaluru. The Madras Sappers are the oldest of the three groups of the Corps of Engineers, the Madras Sappers were the only regiment of the Madras Presidency Army to survive unscathed the extensive reorganisations that took place between 1862 and 1928. The thambis, as the troops of the Madras Sappers are popularly known, the Bangalore torpedo, a mine clearing explosive device, was invented in the Centre at Bengaluru in the early years of the Twentieth Century. The newly raised army of the Madras Presidency was deficient of combat pioneers who were raised as ad hoc companies, the First Anglo-Mysore War highlighted this deficiency and led to the raising of two companies of the Madras Pioneers on 30 September 1780 at Fort St George. These men are the forefathers of the Madras Engineer Group of today, the Madras Pioneers formed an integral part of the armed forces. Hence the name, Sappers & Miners, in addition, the sappers used to lead the way to the breach for the forlorn hope and infantry to follow. They also built roads, bridges, fortifications, wells, water-supply, since this group was constituted by the Madras Presidency, and formed part of the Madras Army, they were called the Madras Sappers. Likewise in 1803 and again in 1824, the Bengal Sappers, the Madras Sappers recruited and trained small tough and wiry men from South India. These engineer troops fought in campaigns in India at Sholinghur, Seringapatam, Assaye. The Madras Sappers moved into Bengaluru in 1834, when they were involved in a part of the construction activities of the Civilian. Their association with Bengaluru, where the Centre is located, continues to this day, the motto of the Madras Sappers is that common to all three regiments of the Corps of Engineers, Sarvatra the Indian equivalent to ubique, the motto of the Royal Engineers
26.
Madras Regiment
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The Madras Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, and one of its oldest, tracing its origins to units formed in the 1750s. The Madras Regiment was initially formed as the Madras European Regiment in the 1660s by the East India Company as the company established in India. However, it was formed as a battalion in 1748 under the command of Major Stringer Lawrence, the battalion was involved in all the battles against the French forces in India. Lawrence structured the regiment to include two battalions, one European and one Sepoy, both battalions were similar in structure and included seven companies each, with each company including three officers in command and seventy privates. Also part of the companies were four sergeants and corporals and three drummers, the oldest Battalion in the Madras Regiment was the 9th Battalion, formerly known as the Nair Brigade. This militia was raised in 1704 at Padmanabhapuram as body guards for the Maharajah of Travancore, the army was made up of soldiers from Nair warrior clans, however after the 1940s, non-Nairs were permitted to join. The Nayar Army became incorporated into the Indian Army on April 1951, in 1748 Major Stringer Lawrence, a veteran of action in Spain, Flanders and the Highlands, was hired by the East India Company to take charge of the defence of Cuddalore. He laid the foundations of what was to become the Indian Army, training the levies to become a militia, the Madras Levies were formed into companies and trained to become a disciplined and fine fighting force. In 1758 Lawrence raised the Madras Regiment, forming the several Companies of Madras Levies into two battalions,2 Madras was raised in 1776 as the 15th Carnatic Infantry at Thanjavur. The regiment has been through many campaigns with both the British Indian Army and the Indian Army, many well-known British officers have commanded this regiment, among them Robert Clive. This regiment fought in the Carnatic wars, which were fought in South India, the elephant crest symbolises its gallantry in the Battle of Assaye under Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington. There after the British annexed the Indian sub-continent, largely with the help of the Madras Regiment sepoys, the coming of the British rule and merging the Presidency armies into a British Indian Army led the erstwhile regiments to be reorganised. After conquest of India, the perceived threat to British was from Russia. So recruitment was re-oriented towards north Indians of Punjab and Nepal and this resulted in the British reducing the strength of the Madras Regiment since the southern borders were relatively peaceful. After many years, this regiment was re-raised with fresh recruits, the newly reborn Madras Regiment performed very creditably during the Burma Campaign. After independence, the battalions of the Travancore Nair Pattalam, Cochin. Two battalions of the Regiment have been awarded citations by the COAS in recognition of their splendid service in combating insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir. Further two battalions served the nation, in the worlds highest battlefield in the temperatures of Siachen Glacier
27.
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
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Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, VD, PC was a British soldier who was one of the most successful commanders of the 19th century. He served in the Indian Rebellion, the Expedition to Abyssinia and he also became the last Commander-in-Chief of the Forces before the post was abolished in 1904. Born at Cawnpore, India, on 30 September 1832, Roberts was the son of General Sir Abraham Roberts, at the time Sir Abraham was commanding the 1st Bengal European Regiment. Roberts was named Sleigh in honour of the commander, Major General William Sleigh. His mother was Edinburgh-born Isabella Bunbury, daughter of Major Abraham Bunbury from Kilfeacle in County Tipperary, Roberts was educated at Eton, Sandhurst, and Addiscombe Military Seminary before entering the East India Company Army as a second lieutenant with the Bengal Artillery on 12 December 1851. He became Aide-de-Camp to his father in 1852, transferred to the Bengal Horse Artillery in 1854 and was promoted to lieutenant on 31 May 1857 and he was awarded the Victoria Cross medal for actions on 2 January 1858 at Khudaganj. The citation reads, Lieutenant Roberts gallantry has on occasion been most marked. On following the enemy on 2 January 1858, at Khodagunge. Lieutenant Roberts put spurs to his horse, and overtook them just as they were about to enter a village and he also, on the same day, cut down another Sepoy who was standing at bay, with musket and bayonet, keeping off a Sowar. Lieutenant Roberts rode to the assistance of the horseman, and, rushing at the Sepoy, with one blow of his sword cut him across the face and he was also mentioned in despatches for his service at Lucknow in March 1858. In common with other officers he transferred from the East India Company Army to the Indian Army that year. Having been promoted to lieutenant colonel on 15 August 1868 and to the substantive rank of captain on 18 November 1868. He was promoted to the rank of major on 5 July 1872, appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath on 10 September 1872. That year he became Quartermaster-General of the Bengal Army, in September 1879 he was despatched, along with Maurice Abraham Cohen an expert in the Urdu language, to Kabul to seek retribution for the death of Sir Louis Cavagnari, the British envoy there. He was also given the rank of lieutenant-general on 11 November 1879. He was commander of the Kabul Field Force and brought at least 20 field guns with his army during the conquest and this was followed by his promotion to a supernumerary general on 28 November 1890 and to the substantive rank of general on 31 December 1891. On 23 February 1892 he was created Baron Roberts of Kandahar in Afghanistan and he was promoted field marshal on 25 May 1895 and received the Order of St Patrick during 1897. While in Ireland, Roberts completed a memoir of his years in India and his appointment was a response to a string of defeats in the early weeks of the war and was accompanied by the despatch of huge reinforcements
28.
Martial race
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Martial race was a designation created by Army officials of British India after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, where they classified each caste into one of two categories, martial and non-martial. The concept already had a precedent in Indian culture as one of the four orders in the Vedic social system of Hinduism is known as the Kshatriya, in their attempts to assert control in India, the British faced fierce resistance in some regions while easily conquering others. British officials sought martial races accustomed to hunting, or from agricultural cultures from hilly or mountainous regions with a history of conflict, others were excluded due to their ease of living or branded as seditious agitators. The British recruited heavily from the races for service in the colonial army. Sensing the inequalities and fierce loyalty to ones tribe or group of the native peoples of the subcontinent. These already wide divides were a breeding ground to inculcate pride in ones identity based on race. This served the British in two ways, on the one hand it made sure that there was no repetition of the Indian rebellion of 1857 by ensuring there was no unity among the different subjects of the Raj. On the other hand, it encouraged a sense of competition among the different races, according to Jeffrey Greenhut, The Martial Race theory had an elegant symmetry. Indians who were intelligent and educated were defined as cowards, while those defined as brave were uneducated, the British regarded the martial races as valiant and strong but also intellectually inferior, lacking the initiative or leadership qualities to command large military formations. They were also regarded as politically subservient or docile to authority, for these reasons, the martial races theory did not lead to officers being recruited from them, recruitment was based on social class and loyalty to the British Raj. Winston Churchill was reportedly concerned that the theory was abandoned during the war and wrote to the Commander-in-Chief, India that he must, after Indian Independence, the Indian Army abandoned this theory and recruitment took place without discrimination. Critics of the state that the Indian rebellion of 1857 may have played a role in reinforcing the British belief in it. During this event the troops from the Bengal Native Infantry led by sepoy Mangal Pandey mutinied against the British, the Bengal troopers were recruits drawn from the martial stock of Bhumihars and Rajputs of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. However, the loyal Pashtuns, Punjabis, Gurkhas, Kumaoni/Kumaunis and Garhwalis did not join the mutiny, richard Schultz, an American author, has claimed the martial race concept as a supposedly clever British effort to divide and rule the people of India for their own political ends. Kumaonis had helped the British in their efforts against the Gurkhas in the Nepal War and it is interesting to note that the 3rd Gorkha Rifles was known as the Kumaon battalion when it was formed, and included Kumaonis and Garhwalis along with the Gorkhas. These terms were considered to be synonymous when the compiled a list in 1925. The Nairs of Kerala were initially included in the list, however after the Nairs of Travancore rebelled against the British under Velu Thampi Dalawa, since then, the martial race theory has rarely, if ever, been used by Pakistan. Criminal Tribes Act Historical definitions of races in India Cohen, Stephen P, the Untouchable Soldier, Caste, Politics, and the Indian Army
29.
Military history of the North-West Frontier
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The North-West Frontier region of the British Indian Empire was the most difficult area to conquer in South Asia, strategically and militarily. The borderline between is known as the Durand Line and divides Pashtun inhabitants of these provinces from Pashtuns in eastern Afghanistan. The two main gateways on the North West Frontier are the Khyber and Bolan Passes, since ancient times, the Indian subcontinent has been repeatedly invaded through these northwestern routes. With the expansion of the Russian Empire into Central Asia in the century, stability of the Frontier. Much of the Frontier was occupied by Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century, between 1849 and 1947 the military history of the frontier was a succession of punitive expeditions against offending Pashtun tribes, punctuated by three wars against Afghanistan. Many British officers who went on to distinguished command in the First and Second World Wars learnt their soldiering on the North-West Frontier, which they called the Grim. In 1747 when Ahmad Khān Abdālī seized control of Kandahar, Kabul, and Peshawar and he went on to conquer Herat and Khorassan, and established an empire from the Oxus to the Indus. On his death in 1773, the Afghan domain included Baluchistan, Sindh, the Punjab, Ahmad Shah was succeeded by his son Timur Shah Durrani, whose rule of twenty years saw the Afghan tide begin to ebb. Timur left many sons but no heir, and the resultant internecine struggles for the throne lasted more than thirty years, during this period the Punjab was effectively ceded to its erstwhile governor Ranjit Singh, Iran recovered Khorassan, and Sindh broke away. In 1813 Sikh forces from the Punjab crossed the Indus and seized the old Mughal fort at Attock, in 1819 Kashmir was lost, and west of the Indus Derajat also. Four years later the capital at Peshawar came under attack. In 1826 Dost Mohammad Khan emerged as undisputed ruler in Kabul and he defeated a further attempt to oust him by his exiled rival Shuja Shah Durrani in 1833, however the Sikhs seized all of Peshawar the following year. In 1837 Dost Mohammad launched a counter-attack through the Khyber, Dost Mohammad had sought assistance from the East India Company against the resurgent Punjab, but was rebuffed. So Dost Mohammad turned to Imperial Russia for help, maharaja Ranjit Singh, also called Sher-e-Punjab was a Sikh ruler of the sovereign country of Punjab and the Sikh Empire. His Samadhi is located in Lahore, Pakistan and he then spent the following years fighting the Afghans, driving them out of western Punjab, taking opportunity of the Afghans being embroiled in civil war. The deposed Afghan king Shah Shuja rallied a significant number of tribes, the civil war in Afghanistan coupled with a British backed assault meant that the Sikhs could virtually walk into Peshawar. They managed to capture Pashtun territory including Peshawar which was under direct British supervision, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the East India Company controlled southern India, Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. Dominance was gained at the expense of its French equivalent, the Compagnie des Indes, by 1819 only Sindh and the Sikh Empire remained outside the Companys control
30.
61st Pioneers
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The 61st Pioneers were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1758, when they were raised as the 1st Battalion Coast Sepoys, the regiment took part in the Carnatic Wars in 1746–1763 and then the Third Anglo-Mysore War. In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War they took part in the Battle of Seedaseer, the Battle of Seringapatam, the Battle of Nagpore and they were next in action during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in the Central India Campaign. Their next campaigns were outside India when they part in the Second Afghan War, the Second Burmese War. During World War I they were part of the 9th Division in the 27th Banglore Brigade and this brigade served away from its parent division and served in British East Africa as part of the Indian Expeditionary Force B. After returning to India they took part in the Third Afghan War, after World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. In 1922, the 61st Pioneers now became the 1st Battalion 1st Madras Pioneers, order of Battle British Army 1914. Official History of the War, Mesopotamia Campaign, Imperial War Museum
31.
62nd Punjabis
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The 62nd Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1759 as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys and it was designated as the 62nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 1st Battalion The Punjab Regiment and it is the senior-most surviving infantry battalion of the British Indian Army. The regiment had its antecedents in the old Madras Army of the British East India Company and it was raised at Madras in September 1759, as the 3rd Battalion of Coast Sepoys from existing companies of sepoys that had been raised a year earlier. The men were enlisted from South India and consisted of Muslims. The regiment was engaged in the wars against the French, Mysore. Their first major engagement was the decisive Battle of Wandiwash in 1760 and this was followed by forty years of constant warfare against the Sultans of Mysore, and then the Marathas chieftains. In the Second Maratha War of 1803-05, the regiment fought in the Battle of Assaye under General Arthur Wellesley and its performance at Assaye was much appreciated and it was permitted to display the word Assaye with the device of an elephant on their colours and appointments. It was again engaged against the Marathas during the Third Maratha War of 1817-19, in the latter part of the 19th century, the regiment did not see much action, although it saw active service in Burma. In 1902, the regiment, now designated as the 2nd Madras Infantry, was reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Rajputs. Next year, as a result of the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener, all Madras units had 60 added to their numbers, and the regiments designation was changed to 62nd Punjabis. During the First World War, the 62nd Punjabis were sent to Egypt as part of the 10th Indian Division to protect the Suez Canal, the regiment played a major role in repulsing the Turkish offensive of 1915. After operating in the British colony of Aden later that year, here, they were engaged in fierce fighting on the Tigris Front, as the British made desperate efforts to raise the Siege of Kut al Amara, and later, during the British advance northwards. The regiment took part in the Battles of Hanna, Dujaila Redoubt, after serving on the Persian frontier for the rest of the war, the regiment returned to India in 1920. It suffered a total of 840 casualties during the war, captain Claude Auchinleck, later Field Marshal and the last Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army, served with the 62nd Punjabis in Egypt and Mesopotamia. After the First World War, the 62nd Punjabis were grouped with the 66th, 76th, 82nd and 84th Punjabis, the battalion was redesignated as 1st Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment. It then participated in the British counter-attack in October, which turned the tide of war in North Africa, in October 1943, 1/1st Punjab arrived in Burma, where it fought in the Second Arakan Campaign and took part in the Reconquest of Burma. It fought in the Battles of Kohima, Tiddim Road and numerous actions in the Irrawaddy Basin until the final Allied victory in August 1945 and it then served in the Dutch East Indies as part of the Allied occupation forces
32.
63rd Palamcottah Light Infantry
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The 63rd Palamcottah Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment could trace its origins to 1759, when it was raised as the 4th Battalion Coast Sepoys and they were then sent to China as part of the British Empire forces that took part in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion, although without seeing active service. After 1902 the basis of recruitment for most of the Madras regiments of the Indian Army shifted to the races of the Punjab. The Palamcottah Light Infantry however continued to be recruited in southern India, in 1914 four of its eight companies were Madrasi Muslims, two were Tamils and the remainder Parayans and Christian Madrasis. The regiment had about 13 British officers and 17 Indian officers, the India Army List dated October 1914 records the 63rd Light Infantry as sharing a regimental centre at Trichinopoly with the 61st Pioneers, the 64th Pioneers and the 83rd Light Infantry. Under the system of linked battalions in force at the time the 63rd shared recruits with any of the other regiments listed, during World War I the regiment initially remained in India on internal security duties as part of the 5th Division. In October 1914 the Palamcottah Light Infantry moved to British East Africa as part of the Indian Expeditionary Force B and it was part of the British landing force defeated by German colonial troops at the Battle of Tanga. At an early stage in the landing the regiment disintegrated when it came under fire from the 6th Field Company of German askaris. Of 762 officers and men present at Tanga, the 63rd Light Infantry lost 85 killed, wounded and it spent the remainder of the War on lines of communication service in East Africa before returning to India. After World War I the Indian Army was restructured with the moving from single battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. Following the allocation of individual battalions to the twenty new large regiments the nine remaining single battalion regiments were disbanded and these included the 63rd Palamcottah Light Infantry, which ceased to exist on 13 September 1922. The full dress worn in 1910 included a scarlet tunic with emerald green facings. Order of Battle British Army 1914, official History of the War, Mesopotamia Campaign, Imperial War Museum
33.
66th Punjabis
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The 66th Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1761 as the 7th Battalion of Coast Sepoys and it was designated as the 66th Punjabis in 1903 and became 2nd Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 2nd Battalion The Punjab Regiment. The regiment had its antecedents in the old Madras Army of the British East India Company and it was raised by Captain Cowper at Trichonopoly in July 1761, as the 7th Battalion of Coast Sepoys. The men were enlisted from South India and consisted of Muslims. For the next forty years, the regiment was engaged in constant warfare against the Sultans of Mysore, in 1810, it took part in the expeditions to Bourbon Island and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. In the latter part of the 19th century, the regiment did not see much action except for a stint in Burma during 1888-91, in 1902, the regiment, now designated as the 6th Madras Infantry, was reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Rajputs. Next year, as a result of the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener, all Madras units had 60 added to their numbers, during World War I the 66th Punjabis were dispatched to Mesopotamia as part of the 12th Indian Division in 1915. After taking part in the Battle of Shaiba, where the Turkish counter-attack was repulsed, in October, the 66th Punjabis joined Major General Charles Townshends 6th Indian Division in its advance towards Baghdad. It fought in the Battle of Ctesiphon and then retired towards Kut al Amara, the 66th Punjabis became prisoners of war and suffered terrible privations during their long captivity. Out of the 538 officers and men present in the regiment on 14 March, the 66th Punjabis were re-formed at Jhelum on 31 December 1916. They served on the North West Frontier of India and took part in the Third Afghan War of 1919, on 5 October 1918, the regiment raised a second battalion at Sitapur, which was disbanded in 1921. After the First World War, the 66th Punjabis were grouped with the 62nd, 76th, 82nd and 84th Punjabis, the battalion was redesignated as 2nd Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment. During the Second World War, 2/1st Punjab served in Burma, fighting with great gallantry in the First and Second Arakan Campaigns, the battalion received more gallantry awards than any other Indian Army unit. These included a posthumous Victoria Cross to Subedar Ram Sarup Singh for gallantry in action on Kennedy Peak in 1944, after the war, 2/1st Punjab served in the Dutch East Indies as part of the Allied occupation forces. In 1947, the battalion was allocated to Pakistan Army, during the 1948 war with India in Kashmir, the battalion again distinguished itself and Captain Muhammad Sarwar became the first recipient of Nishan-i-Haider, Pakistans highest gallantry award. In 1956, the 1st Punjab Regiment was merged with the 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments to form one large Punjab Regiment, the battalions remarkable record of service was maintained in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, where it fought with great gallantry in the Battle of Chawinda. In the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, it served in Kasur Sector, the First Punjabis, History of the First Punjab Regiment, 1759-1956
34.
91st Punjabis (Light Infantry)
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The 91st Punjabis was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry and it was designated as the 91st Punjabis in 1903 and became 3rd Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 3rd Battalion of The Baloch Regiment. The origin of regiment can be traced back to 1759 when it was first raised as Irregular Troops of East India Company and was formed into a Battalion of Coast Sepoys and it was composed mostly of Muslims, Tamils and Telugus of South India. In 1817-19, the regiment took part in Third Anglo-Maratha War, in 1824, it was redesignated as the 31st Regiment of Madras Native Infantry. On 3 October 1903 the battalion was renamed as 91st PUNJABIS, on 6 February 1906 the Unit was presented Regimental and Royal Colors at Bhamo, Burma. After 31 years of service in Burma, the Unit proceeded overseas in 1916 for World War 1 where it saw actions at Mesopotamia and Palestine. Subsequent to the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener in 1903, consequently, the regiments designation was changed to 91st Punjabis. In 1912, Major General Henry DUrban Keary was appointed Colonel of the Regiment, on the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment was still stationed in Burma. It moved to Mesopotamia in 1916 and participated in operations on both the Tigris and the Euphrates Fronts, including the First Battle of Ramadi. In 1918, the regiment moved to Palestine and took part in the Battle of Megiddo, during the war, the 91st Punjabis suffered 443 casualties including 185 killed. In 1918, they raised a battalion which served in Egypt after the war. After the First World War, the returned to India and in March 1921 became part of 8th Infantry Group, however. It was awarded numerous awards including the Victoria Cross. It was on 12 May 1944 that Sepoy Kamal Ram was awarded Victoria Cross at Gustav Lines and he was the youngest VC of his time at the age of 19 years. Later he retired as Subedar Major from the Indian Army, at the time of partition, in 1947, the 8th Punjab Regiment was stationed at Allahabad and was allocated to Pakistan Army. In September 1947 Unit moved to Peshawar Under LT Colonel Raja Muhammad Sarwar. Unit served at Quetta and Kakul till 1963, the Battalion was presented new Regimental and National Colors at Quetta on 28 February 1960, thus getting rid of Royal Colors. Battalion moved to Lahore in 1963 and on 6 September 1965 was first to blunt Indian attack at BATAPUR Bridge on BRBL Canal on Main Wagha- Lahore GT Road, in this battle 38 soldiers embraced Shahdat and 60 were injured
35.
92nd Punjabis
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The 92nd Punjabis were an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry and it was designated as the 92nd Punjabis in 1903 and became 4th Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 4th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment. The regiment was raised on 1 January 1800 at Madura as the 2nd Battalion 16th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Dyce and was known as Dyce ki Paltan and it was composed mostly of Muslims, Tamils and Telugus. In 1801, it took part in suppressing a rebellion of the Poligars of Madura, in 1809, it took part in the Travancore War and in 1824, it participated in the First Anglo-Burmese War. The same year, it was redesignated as the 32nd Regiment of Madras Native Infantry, during the Great Indian Rebellion of 1857, it operated in Central India. In 1890, the 32nd Madras Infantry was reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims and Sikhs and its designation was changed to 4th Regiment of Burma Infantry, and in 1891, to 32nd Regiment of Madras Infantry. In 1901, its title was changed to 32nd Burma Infantry, the Burma Battalions were special units raised to police the new territories acquired in the Third Anglo-Burmese War and pacify the rebellious hill tribes inhabiting the frontier regions of Burma. In 1890 and 1894, the regiment operated in the Shan States, in 1891, it operated in the Chin Hills against recalcitrant hill tribes. Subsequent to the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener in 1903, consequently, the regiments designation was changed to 92nd Punjabis. In 1910, Major General ES Hastings, CB, DSO, in 1910, the Burma Battalions were delocalized from Burma and in 1913, the 92nd Punjabis moved to Benares in India. On the outbreak of the First World War, the 92nd Punjabis sailed for Egypt in November 1914, where they defended the Suez Canal against the Turkish attack in February 1915. The regiment took part in the Battles of Sheikh Saad, the Wadi, Hanna and it fought with great gallantry and suffered grievous losses in the long and bloody campaign. In 1918, the 92nd Punjabis proceeded to Palestine and took part in the Battle of Megiddo, during the war, the 92nd Punjabis suffered 1591 casualties including 271 killed. After the First World War, the 92nd Punjabis were grouped with the 90th Punjabis, 91st Punjabis, 93rd Burma Infantry, the battalion was redesignated as the 4th Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment. During the Second World War, 4/8th Punjab served in Iran, in 1947, the 8th Punjab Regiment was allocated to Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was merged with the Baluch Regiment and 4/8th Punjab was redesignated as 4 Baluch, during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the battalion again distinguished itself on the Sialkot Front. Unfaded Glory, The 8th Punjab Regiment 1798-1956, Battle Honours of the Baloch Regiment
36.
93rd Burma Infantry
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The 93rd Burma Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. The regiment was raised in 1800 as a battalion of Madras Native Infantry and it was designated as the 93rd Burma Infantry in 1903 and became the 5th Battalion 8th Punjab Regiment in 1922. In 1947, it was allocated to the Pakistan Army, where it continues to exist as 5th Battalion of The Baloch Regiment. The regiment was raised on 1 January 1800 at Guntur, in South India as the 1st Battalion 17th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry by Colonel George Wahab and it was composed mostly of Muslims, Tamils and Telugus. In 1803, it took part in the Second Anglo-Maratha War, while in 1809, at Cochin, in 1817, the battalion operated against the Pindaris during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. In 1824, it was redesignated as the 33rd Regiment of Madras Native Infantry, during the Great Indian Rebellion of 1857, it again operated against the Marathas in Central India. In 1890, the 33rd Madras Infantry was reconstituted with Punjabi Muslims, Pathans and Sikhs and its designation was changed to the 3rd Regiment of Burma Infantry, and in 1891, to the 33rd Regiment of Madras Infantry. In 1901, its title was changed to the 33rd Burma Infantry, the Burma Battalions were units raised to police the new territories acquired in the Third Anglo-Burmese War and pacify the rebellious hill tribes inhabiting the frontier regions of Burma. From 1891 to 1893, the regiment operated in the Kachin State in northern Burma, as part of the reforms brought about in the Indian Army by Lord Kitchener in 1903, all former Madras units had 60 added to their numbers. Consequently, the designation was changed to 93rd Burma Infantry. In 1910, the Burma Battalions were delocalised from Burma and in 1913, on the outbreak of the First World War, the regiment sailed for Egypt in November 1914, where it was deployed to defend the Suez Canal against the Turks. In September 1915, they left for France and over the three months, served in the trenches of the Western Front. Early in 1916, the regiment arrived in Mesopotamia, where they were engaged in fighting on the Tigris Front during British efforts to relieve the besieged garrison of Kut al Amara. The regiment took part in the Battles of Dujaila Redoubt, Beit Aissa and it fought with great gallantry and suffered heavy losses in this long and bloody campaign. In 1918, the 93rd Burma Infantry proceeded to Palestine and took part in the Battle of Megiddo, during the war, the 93rd Burma Infantry suffered 1157 casualties including 235 killed. They received a number of gallantry awards for their outstanding performance in the war. During the Second World War, 5/8th Punjab fought in the Burma Campaign, in 1947, the 8th Punjab Regiment was allocated to the Pakistan Army. In 1956, it was merged with the Baluch Regiment and 5/8th Punjab was designated as 5 Baluch, unfaded Glory, The 8th Punjab Regiment 1798-1956
37.
Madras Rifle Corps
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The Madras Rifle Corps was a light infantry battalion in the service of the Honourable East India Company. The battalion was established in the Madras Presidency of the HEIC on 10 February 1810 as the Madras Volunteer Battalion, captain W. Munro, formerly of the 15th Regiment of Madras Native Infantry, was appointed to command of the battalion. The battalion was renamed the Madras Rifle Corps in March 1814, the battalion was highly distinguished in the Mahratta War of 1817–18. In 1830, the battalion was broken up and individual companies were attached to 1st. The separate rifle companies survived until 1869 when there were abolished
38.
8th Light Cavalry
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The 8th King Georges Own Light Cavalry was formed in 1922 by the amalgamation of the 26th King Georges Own Light Cavalry and the 30th Lancers following a re-organisation of the Indian Cavalry Corps. Both regiments were regular cavalry units that had had long and distinguished records in the British Indian Army prior to their amalgamation, during World War II the regiment was converted into an armoured car unit and served during the Burma campaign. After India gained Independence the regiment was named 8th Light Cavalry, the 26th King Georges Own Light Cavalry was originally raised as the 5th Regiment Madras Native Cavalry on 23 October 1787 as part of the Madras Presidency Army. In 1788, it was re-designated as the 1st Madras Native Cavalry, the Regiment was yet again renamed as the 1st Regiment of Madras Lancers in 1886, and was known by that title till the turn of the century, when it was changed to 1st Madras Lancers. In 1903 it was renamed as the 26th Light Cavalry and three years later it became the Prince of Wales Own Light Cavalry and then in 1910, during this time it participated in the Third Mysore War, 1789–1792, the Fourth Mysore War, 1793-1798. Campaigns against Dhoondia Wagh and the Polygars, 1799-1830, campaigns in Afghanistan and Burma, between, 1880-1914. It later re-christened as the 30th Lancers and also came to be known as Gordon’s Horse after Sir John Gordon and this regiment participated in the Indian Mutiny, 1857–1859 and the Second Burmese War, 1860-1889. From the Second Burmese War to World War I, 1889-1914, chap V - World War I to the Amalgamation, 1914-1922. Givenchy 1914, France and Flanders 1914-1916, Afghanistan 1919, Iraq 1920, the high number of officer casualties suffered early on had an effect on its later performance. British officers that understood the language, customs, and psychology of their men could not be replaced. The Regiment stayed in France as part of the 1st Indian Cavalry Division until March 1918 when the division was broken up and reformed in Egypt. In 1922, the two regiments were amalgamated to form the 8th King George’s Own Light Cavalry, inheriting in the process, after India attained independence, the regiment was renamed as the 8th Light Cavalry. During this war, 30th Lancers saw action in France where, though being a cavalry regiment and it then went on to extinguish the embers of an Arab rebellion in Iraq, before going into action in Persia. By this time, the regiment had earned 12 Battle Honours, with a meritorious history of over a century, it became befitting for King George – V, Colonel of one of the regiments to become the Colonel-in-Chief of the amalgamated regiment. Field Marshal, Lord Chetwode became the first Colonel of the Regiment in 1936 and it is Lord Chetwode’s immortal shibboleth – “The safety, honour and welfare of your country come first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command come next, World War II 1939-1945, Waziristan 1939-1943, Vizagapatam 1944, Burma 1945, 19th Indian Division,1946. In 1940, the Regiment bid farewell to the horses and began the long and it was fully mechanised by 1943 on armoured cars. The operations in Hyderabad had just been over, when the regiment was moved to Jammu, during the Liberation of Goa in 1961, the regiment spearheaded the attack which led the Portuguese to surrender
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16th Light Cavalry
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The 16th Light Cavalry is a regiment of the Armoured Corps, a primary combat arm of the Indian Army. Prior to India gaining independence from the British in 1947, it was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army. It was formed in 1776 and is the oldest armoured regiment raised in India, the 16th Light Cavalry saw service in a number of conflicts ranging from the Second Anglo-Mysore War in 1781 to World War II. It has a number of honours including Punjab 1965 earned during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. The Regiment was raised prior to 1776 as the 3rd Regiment of Native Cavalry in the service of the Nawab of Arcot, after the Anglo-Mysore Wars the Regiment was next in action during the Third Anglo-Burmese War and were awarded the Battle Honour of Burma 1885-87. During World War I the regiment remained in India for the defence of the North West Frontier but they did send drafts to other Indian cavalry regiments serving in France and the Middle East. In 1919 the regiment was involved in the brief Third Afghan War, during World War II the regiment was employed in the defence of India having converted from horses to armour at Quetta in 1941. In 1945 they were selected to undertake operations in Burma, within three weeks the Regiment covered a distance of 3,500 miles from Quetta to the banks of Irrawady River and was personally complimented by General Slim, the Fourteenth Army commander. In Burma the regiment were 14th Army troops and were attached to the 255th Indian Tank Brigade. 7th Light Cavalry - Stuart 16th Light Cavalry - Humber and Daimler armoured cars, indo Pak Conflict 1965 Punjab 1965 Kempton, C. A Register of Titles of the Units of the H. E. I. C, bristol, British Empire & Commonwealth Museum. Gaylor, J. Sons of John Company, The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903–1991, uniforms of the late 19th Century http, //16cavroa. com/ http, //www. wolftree. freeserve. co. uk/Burma/Burma. html
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7th Light Cavalry
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The 7th Light Cavalry previously the 28th Light Cavalry, was a regular army cavalry regiment in the British Indian Army. It was raised in 1784 under the East India Company, the regiment later saw service on the North West Frontier and in World War I and World War II. These regiments subsequently mutinied over pay issues, the regiments involved were disbanded and from their remnants, volunteers formed the 2nd Madras Cavalry. This new regiment would become the 7th Light Cavalry. The title was first changed to that of 3rd Madras Native Cavalry, under this designation the regiment first saw action during the Third Mysore War in 1790, against Tipu Sultan. The regiment was next in action during the Fourth Mysore War in 1799 and it subsequently fought with distinction at the Battle of Seringapatam and at the Battle of Mahidpur in the Pindari War of 1817, after which it was renamed the 3rd Madras Light Cavalry. For these actions the regiment was awarded the battle honors Mysore, Seringapatam, the regiment was subsequently involved in several minor operations against the southern Mahrattas from 1844 to 1855. A detachment of the 3rd Madras Light Cavalry was then sent to join the Deccan Horse during the Mutiny of 1857, during the remainder of the 19th century the regiment did not see any action. In 1891 the regiment was converted to lancers, becoming the 3rd Regiment of Madras Lancers, in the reorganisation of the Indian Army of 1903, their title was changed to the 28th Light Cavalry. During this time the composition of the regiment was 33% Tamils from Madras Presidency, 33% Rajputs from Rajasthan. At the start of World War I, the regiment was stationed in Quetta as part of the 4th Division, in July 1915 two squadrons were sent to Persia where they were mounted on camels. In this role they were tasked with stopping German agents from traveling across Persia to Afghanistan. The remainder of the regiment was posted to Persia in November 1915. Following the Russian Revolution the regiment was sent to Trans-Caspasia in May 1918 to assist the White Russian Menshevik forces to fight the Bolsheviks, in April 1919 the regiment returned to Meshed in Persia, where it stayed for seven months employed in escorting convoys. In November 1919 the regiment started back for India and reached Lucknow in February 1920, the regiment received the battle honors Merv and Persia 1915 for their services in the Great War. In 1921 the 28th Light Cavalry left Lucknow for Dera Ismail Khan on the North West Frontier, in 1922 another reorganization saw the regiment renamed as the 7th Light Cavalry and the class composition was altered. The proportion of Tamils was reduced to 25% while that of the Rajputs from Rajasthan was increased to 42%, from 1924 to 1929 it was stationed at Bolarum, followed by Sialkot, then Jullunder until October 1933. The regiment then moved to Loralai in Baluchistan and it stayed there until October 1935 before moving back to Bolarum where it was stations at the start of World War 2. The same year the ‘Indianization’ of the Indian Army officer corps began in selected regiments, initially in the cavalry the two units selected were the 7th Light Cavalry and the 16th Light Cavalry
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Royal Artillery
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The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery, is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name Royal Regiment of Artillery it actually consists of 13 Regular Regiments and 5 Reserve Regiments, the introduction of artillery into the English army came as early as the Battle of Crécy in 1346. Henry VIII made the armys artillery semi-permanent in the sixteenth century, before the 18th century, artillery traynes were raised by royal warrant for specific campaigns and disbanded again when they were over. On 26 May 1716, however, by warrant of George I two regular companies of field artillery, each 100 men strong, were raised at Woolwich. The title Royal Artillery was first used in 1720, in 1741 the Royal Military Academy was formed in the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich to provide training for RA and Royal Engineers officers. The regiment expanded rapidly and, by 1757, had 24 companies divided into two battalions, as well as a company formed in 1741. During 1748, the presidential artilleries of Bengal, Madras and Bombay were formed,1756 saw the creation of the Royal Irish Regiment of Artillery. In 1762 the Royal Artillery Band was formed at Minden, by 1771 there were 32 companies in four battalions, as well as two invalid companies comprising older and unfit men employed in garrison duties. During 1782, the regiment moved to the Royal Artillery Barracks on Woolwich Common, in January 1793, two troops of Royal Horse Artillery were raised to provide fire support for the cavalry, augmented by two more in November 1793. The Royal Irish Artillery was absorbed into the RA in 1801, during 1805, the Royal Military Academy moved to Woolwich Common. In 1819, the Rotunda was given to the regiment by the Prince Regent to celebrate end of the Napoleonic Wars, in 1832, the regimental motto, Ubique Quo Fas Et Gloria Ducunt, was granted. The motto signified that the regiment had seen action in all the conflicts of the British Army. The regiment was under the control of the Board of Ordnance until the board was abolished in 1855, thereafter the regiment came under the War Office along with the rest of the army. The School of Gunnery established at Shoeburyness, Essex in 1859, the third group continued to be titled simply Royal Artillery, and was responsible for ammunition storage and supply. Which branch a gunner belonged to was indicated by metal shoulder titles, the RFA and RHA also dressed as mounted men, whereas the RGA dressed like foot soldiers. In 1920 the rank of Bombardier was instituted in the Royal Artillery, the three sections effectively functioned as separate corps. This arrangement lasted until 1924, when the three amalgamated once more to one regiment. In 1938, RA Brigades were renamed Regiments, during the World War II there were over 1 million men serving in 960 gunner regiments
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British Indian Army
