1.
Princely state
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A princely state, also called native state or Indian state, was a nominally sovereign monarchy under a local or regional ruler in a subsidiary alliance with a greater power. At the time of the British withdrawal,565 princely states were recognised in the Indian subcontinent, apart from thousands of zamindaris. Rulers of salute states entitled to a gun salute of eleven guns and above received from the British the style of Highness, while the Nizam of Hyderabad had the unique style of Exalted Highness. At the other end of the scale, the principality of Lawa covered an area of 49 km2, or smaller than Bermuda. Some two hundred of the states had an area of less than 25 km2. The era of the princely states effectively ended with Indian independence in 1947, by 1950, almost all of the principalities had acceded to either India or Pakistan – thirteen to Pakistan and the rest to India. During this time, the princely states were merged into unions, each of which was headed by a former ruling prince with the title of Rajpramukh. In 1956, the position of Rajpramukh was abolished and the federations dissolved, the Indian Government formally derecognised the princely families in 1971, followed by the Government of Pakistan in 1972. The widespread expansion of Islam during this time brought many principalities into tributary relations with Islamic sultanates, notably the Delhi Sultanate, in the south, however, the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire remained dominant until the mid-17th century, among its tributaries was the future Mysore Kingdom. The Turco-Mongol Mughal Empire brought a majority of the existing Indian kingdoms and principalities under its suzerainty by the 17th century, beginning with its foundation in the early 16th century. The advent of Sikhism resulted in the creation of the Sikh Empire in the north by the early 18th century, at the same time, the Marathas carved out their own states to form the Maratha Empire. Through the 18th century, former Mughal governors formed their own independent states, India under the British Raj consisted of two types of territory, British India and the Native states or Princely states. In general the term British India had been used also to refer to the regions under the rule of the East India Company in India from 1774 to 1858, the term has also been used to refer to the British in India. More prestigious Hindu rulers often used the title Raja, Raje or a variant such as Rana, Rao, also in this class were several Thakurs or Thakores and a few particular titles, such as Sardar, Mankari, Deshmukh, Sar Desai, Raja Inamdar, Saranjamdar. The most prestigious Hindu rulers usually had the prefix maha in their titles, as in Maharaja, Maharana, Maharao, etc. The states of Travancore and Cochin had queens regnant styled Maharani, generally the female forms applied only to sisters, spouses and widows, there were also compound titles, such as rajadhiraj, Raj-i-rajgan, often relics from an elaborate system of hierarchical titles under the Mughal emperors. For example, the addition of the adjective Bahadur raised the status of the one level. Furthermore, most dynasties used a variety of titles, such as Varma in South India
2.
Chamber of Princes
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It survived until the end of the British Raj in 1947. The Chamber of Princes was established in 1920, by King-Emperor George Vs proclamation on 23 December 1919, the creation of the chamber followed the abandonment by the British of their long-established policy of isolating the Indian rulers from each other and also from the rest of the world. The Chamber first met on 8 February 1921 and initially consisted of 120 members, of those,108 from the more significant states were members in their own right, while the remaining twelve seats were for the representation of a further 127 states. That left 327 minor states, which were unrepresented, also, some of the more important rulers like the Maratha ruled states of Baroda State, Gwalior state and Holkar State declined to join it. The Chamber of Princes usually met only once a year, with the Viceroy of India presiding, the full Chamber elected from its princely ranks a permanent officer styled the Chancellor, who chaired the Standing Committee. The chamber convened at Sansad Bhavan, the hall is used as parliaments library today. Durbar List of Indian princely states Salute state S. M. Verma, Chamber of Princes, 1921-1947 at Google Books. ISBN 81-85135-44-4 Proceedings of the Meetings of the Chamber of Princes Held at New Delhi on 14 and 15 October 1943 at Google Books R. P. Bhargava, The Chamber of Princes ISBN 81-7211-005-7 Barbara N
3.
Jagir
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A Jagir, also spelled as Jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in South Asia at the foundation of its Jagirdar system. The tenants were considered to be in the servitude of the jagirdar, there were two forms of jagir, one being conditional and the other unconditional. The conditional jagir required the family to maintain troops and provide their service to the state when asked. The land grant was called iqta, usually for a lifetime. The jagirdar system was introduced by the Delhi Sultanate, and continued during the Mughal Empire, in the Mughal times, the jagirdar collected taxes which paid his salary and rest to the Mughal treasury, while the administration and military authority was given to a separate Mughal appointee. After the collapse of Mughal Empire, the system of jagirs was retained by Rajput and Sikh kingdoms, Jagir is a Persian word, and means holding land. A jagir was technically a feudal estate, as the grant reverted to the state upon the jagirdars death. However, in practice, jagirs became hereditary to the male heir of the jagirdar. The jagirdar did not act alone, but appointed administrative layers for revenue collection and these positions, according to Shakti Kak, were called patwari, tahsildar, amil, fotedar, munsif, qanungo, chaudhri, dewan and others. This feudal system of ownership is referred to as the jagirdar system. The system was introduced by the Sultans of Delhi from 13th century onwards, was adopted by the Mughal Empire. Some Hindu jagirdars were converted into Muslim vassal states under Mughal imperial sway, most princely states of India during the colonial British Raj era were jagirdars such as Morhampur Jagir. Shortly following independence from the British Crown in 1947, the system was abolished by the Indian government in 1951. Desmukh Feudalism in Pakistan Feudalism Istamuradar Kulkarni Mankari Mansabdar Saranjamdar Sardar Zamindar Zaildar Arni estate
4.
Residencies of British India
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The Residencies of British India were political offices, each managed by a Resident, which dealt with the relations between British India and a large number of princely states. Through this system, the Indian Princes of these Native States were assured of protection from internal and external aggression, in return they had to pay for the maintenance of those troops and also accept a British Resident in their court. The Resident was a senior British official posted in the capital of these Princely States, technically a diplomat and this was seen as a system of indirect rule that was carefully controlled by the British Resident. The Residents attempted to modernize these Native States through promotion of European notions of progressive government, the first Native States to enter such subsidiary alliances included Arcot, Oudh, and Hyderabad. An area over two-fifths of the Indian subcontinent was administered by native princes, the Resident was a permanent reminder of the subsidiary relationship between the indigenous ruler and the European power. The physical manifestation of this was the Residency itself, which was a complex of buildings, the Residency was a symbol of power because of its size and position within the princes capital. In many instances, the local prince even paid for the erection of these Residencies, as a gesture of his support for and allegiance to the British. The Nawab of Oudh, one of the richest native princes, paid for and erected a splendid Residency in Lucknow as a part of a wider programme of civic improvements
5.
Instrument of Accession
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565 princely states existed in India during the period of British rule. These were not parts of British India proper, having never become possessions of the British Crown, the Government of India Act 1935 introduced the concept of the Instrument of Accession, wherein a ruler of a princely state could accede his kingdom into the Federation of India. The federation concept was opposed by the Indian princes. In 1947 the British finalized their plans for quitting India, as they were not British, they could not be partitioned by the British between the new sovereign nations of India and Pakistan. The Indian Independence Act 1947 provided that the suzerainty of the British Crown over the states would simply be terminated. That would leave the princely states completely independent, even many of them had been dependent on the Government of India for defence, finance. With independence, it would then be a matter for each ruler of a state to decide whether to accede to India, to accede to Pakistan, the Instrument of Accession was the legal document designed to bring about accession, where it was decided upon. It was executed by the Government of India on the one hand and by the rulers of each of the states, individually. Among the more momentous of such accessions was that executed by Maharaja Hari Singh, ruler of the State of Jammu and Kashmir and it gave control of Jammu and Kashmir to the government of India. The accession of Jammu and Kashmir was accepted by Lord Mountbatten of Burma, Governor-General of India, on 27 October 1947
6.
Hyderabad State
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Hyderabad State, also known as Hyderabad Deccan, was an Indian princely state located in the south-central region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into Telangana state, Hyderabad-Karnataka region of Karnataka, the state was ruled from 1724 until 1948 by a hereditary Nizam who was initially a Mughal governor of the Deccan before becoming independent. Hyderabad gradually became the first princely state to come under British paramountcy signing an alliance agreement. However, with the rise of militant razakars, India found it necessary to station Indian troops, subsequently, the Nizam signed an instrument of accession, joining India. Hyderabad State was founded by Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan who was the governor of Deccan under the Mughals from 1713 to 1721, in 1724, he once again resumed rule under the title of Asaf Jah. His other title Nizam ul-Mulk, became the title of his position Nizam of Hyderabad, by the end of his rule, the Nizam had become independent from the Mughals, and had founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty. Following the decline of the Mughal power, the region of Deccan saw the rise of Maratha Empire, the Nizam himself saw many invasions by the Marathas in the 1720s, which resulted in the Nizam paying a regular tax to the Marathas. The major battles fought between the Marathas and the Nizam include Palkhed, Rakshasbhuvan, and Kharda, in all of which the Nizam lost. Following the conquest of Deccan by Bajirao I and the imposition of chauth by him, Nizam remained a tributary of the Marathas for all intent, from 1778, a British resident and soldiers were installed in his dominions. In 1795, the Nizam lost some of his own territories to the Marathas, the territorial gains of the Nizam from Mysore as an ally of the British were ceded to the British to meet the cost of maintaining the British soldiers. In 1798, Nizam ʿĀlī Khan was forced to enter into an agreement which put Hyderabad under British protection and he was the first Indian prince to do so. Hyderabad under Nizam Ali Khan was a British ally in the second and third Maratha Wars, by 1918 Nizam Mīr Us̄mān ʿĀlī was given British titles, but the Crown retained the right to intervene in case of misrule. Hyderabad was considered backward, but peaceful, during this time, hyderabad’s Muslim nizams ruled over a predominantly Hindu population. The last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, was one of the worlds richest men in the 1930s. In 1947 India gained independence and Pakistan came into existence, the British left the rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one or the other. On 11 June 1947, the Nizam issued a declaration to the effect that he had decided not to participate in the Constituent Assembly of either Pakistan or India, India insisted that the great majority of residents wanted to join India. The Nizam was in a position as his army numbered only 24,000 men. On 4 September the Prime Minister of Hyderabad Mir Laiq Ali announced to the Hyderabad Assembly that a delegation was about to leave for Lake Success, headed by Moin Nawaz Jung
7.
Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)
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Jammu and Kashmir was, from 1846 until 1952, a princely state in the British Empire in India, and was ruled by Jamwal Rajput Dogra Dynasty. The state was created in 1846 after the First Anglo-Sikh War as per the Treaty of Amritsar. At the time of the Indian independence, Maharaja Hari Singh, on 26 October 1947, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession joining the Dominion of India in return for military aid. The western and northern districts presently known as Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan passed to the control of Pakistan, the Dogra state in Jammu was established by Dhruv Dev during the declining years of the Mughal Empire. Raja Gulab Singh, his descendant, was 16 years old when, in 1808. Gulab Singh and his two brothers, Dhyan Singh and Suchet Singh, went on to enrol in the Sikh troops, Gulab Singh soon distinguished himself in battles, and was awarded a Jagir near Jammu and allowed to keep an independent force. After the conquest of Kishtwar and the subjugation of Rajouri, he was made a hereditary Raja of Jammu in 1822, Ranjit Singh personally anointed him as the Raja. His brother Dhyan Singh received Poonch and Suchet Singh Ramnagar, by 1827, Gulab Singh brought under his control all the principalities lying between Kashmir and Jammu. Dhyan Singh became the Lord Chamberlain and, later, Prime Minister for Ranjit Singh, Gulab Singh acquired fame in the Sikh court as a warrior and an able manager of the States affairs. The conquest of Kishtwar meant that Singh had gained control of two of the roads led into Ladakh, which then led to the conquest of that territory. Although there were huge difficulties due to the mountains and glaciers, a few years later, in 1840, Zorawar Singh invaded Baltistan, captured the Raja of Skardu, who had sided with the Ladakhis, and annexed his country to Gulab Singhs kingdom. In 1841 Zorawar Singh invaded Tibet, but perished with nearly his entire army in the harsh winter, whether it was policy or whether it was accident, by 1840 Gulab Singh had encircled Kashmir. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839, the Sikh court fell into anarchy, Gulab Singhs brothers Dhyan Singh and Suchet Singh as well as his nephew Hira Singh were murdered in the struggles. His eldest son, Udham Singh, also died in the process, Gulab Singh was careful to disassociate himself from the intrigues and focused on managing his Jagir and expanding his influence in the territories surrounding Kashmir. But Gulab Singh used his skills as well as diplomacy to turn the Sikh troops in his favour. He was however forced to surrender his second nephew Jawahir Singh, heir to Dhyan Singh, on the eve of the First Anglo-Sikh War, the relations between Gulab Singh and the Sikh Darbar were severely strained. He also maintained relations with the Company and had no intention of jeopardising them for the sake of the anarchic Sikh Darbar. On the other hand, The Sikh army had no trust in any of the Sikh commanders in Lahore and this, Gulab Singh refused to do
8.
Kingdom of Mysore
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The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom in southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a state of the Vijayanagara Empire. With the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, the kingdom became independent, the kingdom reached the height of its military power and dominion in the latter half of the 18th century under the de facto ruler Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan. During this time, it came into conflict with the Marathas, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Kingdom of Travancore, success in the first two Anglo-Mysore wars was followed by defeat in the third and fourth. Following Tipus death in the war of 1799, large parts of his kingdom were annexed by the British. The British restored the Wodeyars to their throne by way of a subsidiary alliance, the Wodeyars continued to rule the state until Indian independence in 1947, when Mysore acceded to the Union of India. Even as a state, Mysore came to be counted among the more developed and urbanized regions of India. This period also saw Mysore emerge as one of the important centers of art, the Mysore kings were not only accomplished exponents of the fine arts and men of letters, they were enthusiastic patrons as well, and their legacies continue to influence music and art even today. According to traditional accounts, the kingdom originated as a state based in the modern city of Mysore and was founded by two brothers, Yaduraya and Krishnaraya. Their origins are mired in legend and are still a matter of debate, while some historians posit a northern origin at Dwaraka, Yaduraya is said to have married Chikkadevarasi, the local princess and assumed the feudal title Wodeyar, which the ensuing dynasty retained. The kings who followed ruled as vassals of the Vijayanagara empire until the decline of the latter in 1565, by this time, the kingdom had expanded to thirty-three villages protected by a force of 300 soldiers. Raja Wodeyar Is reign also saw expansion with the annexation of Channapatna to the north from Jaggadeva Raya – a development which made Mysore a regional political factor to reckon with. This was in marked contrast to the chiefs of Tamil country who continued to pay off Chandragiri well into the 1630s. The invasion of the Keladi Nayakas of Malnad was also dealt with successfully and this period was followed by one of complex geo-political changes, when in the 1670s, the Marathas and the Mughals pressed into the Deccan. Chikka Devaraja, the most notable of Mysores early kings, who ruled during much of period, managed to not only survive the exigencies. He achieved this by forging alliances with the Marathas and the Mughals. The kingdom soon grew to include Salem and Bangalore to the east, Hassan to the west, Chikkamagaluru and Tumkur to the north, the conflict brought mixed results with Mysore annexing Periyapatna but suffering a reversal at Palupare. According to historians Sanjay Subrahmanyam and Sethu Madhava Rao, Mysore was now formally a tributary of the Mughal empire, mughul records claim a regular tribute was paid by Mysore
9.
British Residency
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The British Residency, also known as the Government Guest House or Residency Bungalow, is a two-storeyed palace situated at Asramam in the city of Kollam in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies close to the site of the old Kollam Airport situated at Asramam in the city and was built by Colonel John Munro between 1811–19 and it is a noted Kollam landmark like the Chinnakada Clock Tower. The British residency exhibits unique symmetry and harmonious blending of variegated artistic features, during the British Raj, the building served as the British Residency. It was built during the Travancore era by Gowri Parvati Bayi when Colonel John Munro was the British Resident, a blend of European, Indian and Tuscan architecture, the central portion of the building has a rounded front, with a large gable decoration. Atop the building there is a crown with a lion seated on it, the 10 feet entrance doors are made up of glass panes. The conference hall in the palace has an antechamber with an adjustable partition-like door while a large fanlight arching over divides the two rooms, the building has rich wooden flooring on the upper storey. The walls of the hall having cornices and dentils bordering the four sides with embossed designs of festoons, urns. A motif of an arch with an ornamental keystone, resting on pillars is embossed over the main doorway. The Edward Rose garden is another attraction of the mansion. Antique prints in polished wooden frames adorn the walls including one that depicts the battle of Seringapatnam, prof. Pandala has described the Residency as one of the most elegant buildings in India. Raj Bhavan Cheena Kottaram Chinnakada Clock Tower Architecture of Kerala
10.
Kingdom of Sikkim
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The Kingdom of Sikkim was a hereditary monarchy from 1642 to 16 May 1975 in the Eastern Himalayas. It was ruled by Chogyal Kings, in the mid-18th century, Sikkim was invaded by Nepal and was under the Gorkha rule for more than 25 years. Between 1785 and 1815, almost 100,000 ethnic Nepalis from Eastern and Central Nepal migrated to Sikkim and settled down after pledging allegiance to the Tibetan immigrant ruler, Chogyal. However, after the creation of India by the British, Sikkim allied itself with them as they had a common enemy – Nepal, the infuriated Nepalese attacked Sikkim with vengeance, overrunning most of the region including the Terai. This prompted the British East India Company to attack Nepal in 1814, the Sugauli Treaty between Britain and Nepal and the Treaty of Titalia between Sikkim and British India resulted in Partition of Nepal with Nepal losing Sikkim in 1817. Under the 1861 Treaty of Tumlong Sikkim became a British protectorate, in 1975, allegations of discrimination against Nepali Hindus in Sikkim lead to resentment against the Chogyal. Their instigation led to Indian Army personnel moving in to Gangtok, according to Sunanda K. Datta-Ray of The Statesman the army killed the palace guards and surrounded the palace in April 1975. After the annexation a referendum on the monarchy and Sikkim became a state of India, in culture and religion, Sikkim was linked closely with Tibet, from which its first king migrated, and Bhutan, with which it shares borders. The presence of a large ethnic Nepali population, mainly eastern and central Nepal. Sikkim History of Sikkim Buddhist Monasteries of Sikkim, Kingdom of Sikkim at DMOZ Climbing the clouds to Sikkim Kings Of Sikkim The Sikkim saga, through an American lens Sikkim kingdom 1962 -1967. The last flag of independent Sikkim - Youtube
11.
Bagelkhand Agency
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The Agency was established in March 1871 and was named after the Bagelkhand region. The total area was 14,323 square miles, and the population in 1901 was 1,555,024, the rainfall was very deficient in 1895-1897, causing a famine in 1897, and in 1899-1900 there was another drought in some states. In 1931, the smaller states were transferred to the Bundelkhand Agency, and in 1933 the agency was dissolved. The Bagelkhand Agency, the easternmost charge of the Central India Agency, was established in March 1871, when it was separated from Bundelkhand Agency
12.
Baluchistan Agency
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The Baluchistan Agency was one of the colonial agencies of British India. It was located in the present-day Pakistani Balochistan province, the territories of the agency covered an area of 208,262 km2 and included areas which had been acquired by lease or otherwise brought under direct British control, as well as the princely states. Colonel Sir Robert Groves Sandeman introduced a system of tribal pacification in Balochistan that was in effect from 1877 to 1947. However the Government of India generally opposed his Methods and refused to allow it to operate in Indias North West Frontier, historians have long debated its scope and effectiveness in the peaceful spread of Imperial influence. The Government of India maintained its relations with the states through its agent in Kalat. The first agent in Balochistan was Robert Groves Sandeman, Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, who was appointed by Lord Lytton, history of Balochistan List of Indian Princely States Treaty of Kalat
13.
Baroda and Gujarat States Agency
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Baroda and Gujarat States Agency was a political agency of British India, managing the relations of the British government of the Bombay Presidency with a collection of princely states. The political agent, who was also Collector of the British District of the Panchmahal, on November 5,1944 the Baroda and Gujarat States Agency was merged with the Western India States Agency to form a larger Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency. At Indian Independence, this would merge into Bombay State, ending up at its split in present Gujarat, the process of the attachment scheme began from 1940 onwards in order to integrate the smallest princely states, estates and thanas. Baroda State was one of the beneficiaries of this measure by being able to add about 15,000 km². These were followed on 10 July 1943 by the states of Ambliara, Ghorasar, Ilol, Katosan, Khadal, Patdi, Punadra, Ranasan, Wasoda, on 24 July 1943 Sachodar State and a few small places that had no own jurisdiction were annexed. Finally, by December the small states of Bajana, Bhilka, Malpur, Mansa, the number of separate states was above 80, but most were minor or petty states. Many of them were under British influence, by far the largest one was Baroda State, jafrabad State had formerly been part of the Baroda Agency and was transferred later to the Kathiawar Agency. The total area of the states the agency dealt with was 42,267 km2, in 1931 their combined population was 3,760,800. Many of the inhabitants were Bhils and Kolis
14.
Bhopawar Agency
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Bhopawar Agency was a sub-agency of the Central India Agency in British India with the headquarters at the town of Bhopawar, so the name. The agency was named after Bhopawar, a village in Sardarpur tehsil, manpur remained a strictly British territory. The other chief towns of this region were, Badnawar, Kukshi, Manawar, the mighty Vindhya and Satpura ranges crossed the territory of the agency roughly from east to west, with the fertile valley of the Narmada River lying between them. The agency also included the Bhil Country, inhabited by the Bhil people, at the time of its 1882 establishment, the agency had a total area of 7,684 square miles, and its population was 547,546 according to the 1901 census. In 1904 certain districts were transferred from this agency to the Indore Residency, created in 1899, in 1925 Bhopawar Agency was merged into Malwa Agency, and in 1927 the agency was renamed the Malwa-Bhopawar States Agency, which was renamed again as the Malwa Agency in 1934. After Indian Independence in 1947, the rulers of the states within Malwa-Bhopawar Agency acceded to the Union of India. Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956, alirajpur, title Raja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns including the extinct State of Phulmaal, which was incorporated into it earlier as well as Fiefs Ondhwa Sondhwa. The captured territories of Amjhera State were transferred as gift to Gwalior Durbar as a measure of goodwill for his steadfast support to British Government during the revolution thereafter, hence, the entire State of Amjhera became Gwalior States Territory. Jobat, title Raja Kathiwara, title Thakur Mathwar, title Rana Ratanmal, title Thakur, in Indore State Territorys few enclaves like - Petlawad Tehsil, Dahi Jagir etc. also including around about seventeen Feudal lords who paid direct tribute to Indore Durbar
15.
Bundelkhand Agency
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The Bundelkhand Agency was a political agency of the British Raj, managing the relations of the British government with the protected princely states of the Bundelkhand region. The Marathas ceded parts of Bundelkhand, which were called later British Bundelkhand. A political officer attached to the British forces in Bundelkhand supervised British relations with the sanad states, in 1806 British protection was promised to the Maratha ruler of Jhansi, and in 1817 the British recognized his hereditary rights to Jhansi state. In 1818 the Peshwa in Pune ceded all his rights over Bundelkhand to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, the sanad states were organized into the Bundelkhand Agency in 1811, when a political agent to the Governor-General of India was appointed and headquartered at Banda. In 1818 the headquarters were moved to Kalpi, in 1824 to Hamirpur, the political agent was placed under the authority of the Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces, headquartered in Agra, in 1835. In 1849 authority over the Bundelkhand Agency was placed briefly under the Commissioner for the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories, shortly thereafter, authority over Bundelkhand was placed under the Resident at Gwalior, and the headquarters of the political assistant was moved to Nowgong, which remained until 1947. In 1853 the Raja of Jhansi died childless, and his territory was annexed to British Bundelkhand, the Jhansi State and the Jalaun and Chanderi districts were then formed into a superintendency. In 1854 Bundelkhand Agency was placed under the authority of the newly created Central India Agency, headquartered at Indore. The widow of the Raja of Jhansi, Rani Lakshmi Bai, protested the annexation because she was not allowed to adopt an heir, the Revolt of 1857 found Jhansi ripe for rebellion. In June a few men of the 12th native infantry seized the fort containing the treasure and magazine, the Rani put herself at the head of the rebels, and they captured several of the neighboring British districts and princely states allied to the British. She died bravely in battle in Gwalior in 1858 and it was not till November 1858 that Jhansi was brought under British control. After the revolt, Jhansi was given to the Maharaja of Gwalior, in 1865 the political assistant was replaced with a political agent. The eastern portion of the Agency was detached to form Bagelkhand Agency in 1871, the state of Khaniadhana was transferred to the authority of the Gwalior Resident in 1888, and in 1896 Baraundha, Jaso, and the Chaube Jagirs were transferred to Bagelkhand. In 1901 there were 9 states,13 estates, and the pargana of Alampur belonging to Indore State, with an area of 9,851 sq mi. The most important of the states were Orchha, Panna, Samthar, Charkhari, Chhatarpur, Datia, Bijawar, the population of the agency decreased 13% between 1891 and 1901 due to the effects of famine. In 1931 Bagelkhand Agency, with the exception of the state of Rewa State, was merged into the Bundelkhand Agency. The Bundelkhand Agency was bounded by Bagelkand to the east, the United Provinces to the north, Lalitpur District to the west, the Bagelkhand Agency was separated from Bundelkhand in 1871. In 1900 it included 9 states,13 estates and the pargana of Alampur belonging to Indore State, in 1931, all of the Baghelkhand Agency states were transferred back to Bundelkhand, except Rewa, which was placed under the authority of the Indore Residency
16.
Central India Agency
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The Central India Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire, which covered the north-western half of present-day Madhya Pradesh state. The Central India Agency was made up entirely of princely states, Lalitpur District, part of the United Provinces, split the Central India Agency into eastern and western portions. The Central India Agency was created in 1854, by amalgamating the Western Malwa Agency with other political offices which formerly reported to the Governor-General of India. The agency was overseen by an agent who maintained British relations with the princely states. The headquarters of the agent were at Indore, British control of Bundelkhand expanded at the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1805. In 1921 Gwalior Residency was separated from the Central India Agency, the princely states in the area of the Agency,148 in all, varied in status and greatly in size. The 31 sanad states had direct relations with the British Government and these states, in Bundelkhand and Bagelkhand, were granted deeds confirming rulers in possession of their states, in return for the rulers signing a written bond of allegiance to the British. The remaining smaller states and estates were known as mediatized or guaranteed states, mediatized states were under the authority of a larger state, with the relationship between the states arranged through British mediation. The princely states were closely related to one of political officers. Upon the British withdrawal from India in 1947, the political offices consisted of Indore Residency, Bundelkhand Agency was bounded by Bagelkhand to the east, the United Provinces to the north, Lalitpur District to the west, and the Central Provinces to the south. Bagelkhand Agency was separated from Bundelkhand in 1871, in 1900 it included 9 states, the most important of which were Orchha, Panna, Samthar, Charkhari, Chhatarpur, Datia, Bijawar and Ajaigarh. The agency also included 13 estates and the pargana of Alampur, in 1931, all of the states under the Baghelkhand Agency apart from Rewa were transferred back to Bundelkhand. Gwalior Residency was placed under the Central India Agency in 1854, in 1925, the Malwa Agency was amalgamated with Bhopawar Agency. Bhopawar Agency included the states of, It also included territories of Gwalior. In 1927 the agency was renamed the Southern States Agency, later the Southern States and Malwa Agency, the eastern portion of Central India Agency, including Bagelkhand and Bundelkhand agencies, became the new state Vindhya Pradesh. The western portion, including Bhopal, Malwa, and Bhopawar agencies, Makrai was transferred to Madhya Pradesh, which had been created from the former Central Provinces and Berar in 1950. In 1956, the states of Vindhya Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, later another state, Chhattisgarh, was formed from the area that was formerly Madhya Pradesh. List of princely states of British India List of Maratha dynasties and states List of Rajput dynasties and states Maratha Empire Rajputana Hunter, William Wilson, Sir, imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 12
17.
Deccan States Agency
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The agency was created 1933 with the merger of the Kolhapur Agency, Poona Agency, Bijapur Agency, Dharwar Agency and Kolaba Agency. It was composed of a number of states and jagirs in Western India, located in the present-day Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The princely states included in the agency were under the suzerainty, after Indian Independence in 1947, the states all acceded to the Dominion of India, and were integrated into the Indian state of Bombay. In 1956 the Kannada language speaking southern portion of Bombay state, Bombay State was divided into the new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960
18.
Eastern States Agency
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The Eastern States Agency was a political office of the Bengal Presidency of the British Indian Empire. It was created by the merger of the former Chhattisgarh States Agency and the Orissa States Agency in 1933, the Bengal States Agency was added in 1936. The Eastern States Agency was created on 1 April 1933 and this agency dealt with forty-two princely states in eastern India, located in the present-day Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura. The Agent reported to the Governor General of India and two Political Agents under his supervision were posted at Sambalpur and Raipur, cooch Behar and Tripura were transferred from Bengal Province to the Eastern States Agency on 1 November 1936. On 1 December 1944, the status of this agency was raised to that of a first class residency and these states were grouped into three political agencies, under the Resident in Calcutta. The headquarters of the Orissa States Agency was at Sambalpur, the headquarters of the Chhattisgarh States Agency was at Raipur and the headquarters of the Bengal States Agency was at Calcutta. After the withdrawal of the British from India in 1947, the states acceded to the new Union of India and some of the formed the Eastern States Union. Later they were integrated into the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, the eastern portion of Madhya Pradesh and the southern portion of Bihar became the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, respectively, in November 2000
19.
Gilgit Agency
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In 1935, the Gilgit Agency leased the northern half of the Princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, for a period of sixty years, and administered it. The seat of the Agent was at Srinagar, the British lease of territory and the Gilgit Agency were abandoned by the British when Pakistan and India became independent countries in 1947. Within Pakistan, the later Gilgit Agency was supervised directly from Islamabad, separately from the state of Azad Kashmir. It also did not include the district of Kargil and the subdivision of Ladakh which had been a part of the British Gilgit Agency. The Pakistani Agency bordered the Sinkiang region of China to the northeast, the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to the south, Baltistan to east, the Treaty of Amritsar granted to Raja Gulab Singh all the Sikh territories between the Ravi and the Indus. In the north, these territories included Gilgit, Astore and Chilas, by 1860, the three areas were constituted as a Gilgit wazarat, and the princely states of Hunza and Nagar to the northeast accepted the suzerainty of the Maharaja Ranbir Singh. The Treaty of Amritsar did not constrain the Maharaja from establishing relationships with external powers, the Brisith watched these developments with concern, especially in the light of Russian expansion in the north. Ranbir Singhs successor Pratap Singh was a weak ruler, the British used the opportunity to establish an Agency in Gilgit in 1889, stationing a Political Agent who reported to the British Resident in Srinagar. The initial purpose of the Agency was to watch on the frontier and to restrain Hunza. Soon afterwards, the states of Hunza and Nagar were brought under the purview of the Gilgit Agency. The Jammu and Kashmir State Forces were stationed in a garrison at Gilgit and they were replaced by a British-officered Gilgit Scouts in 1913. Gradually, the states to the west of Gilgit, viz. Punial, Yasin, Kuh-Ghizar, Ishkoman. These areas were nominally under the suzerainty of Kashmir but were administered by the Agency. Following a rebellion 1892, Chitral was transferred to the Malakand Agency in the Frontier Areas, the remaining areas remained under the control of the Gilgit Agency, which administered them through governors. The local rulers of these continued to appear at the Jammu. The Line of Control established at the end of the war is the current de facto border of India, initially, the Gilgit Agency was not absorbed into any of the provinces of West Pakistan, but was ruled directly by political agents of the federal government of Pakistan. In 1963, Pakistan entered into a treaty with China to transfer part of the Gilgit Agency to China, the dissolution of the province of West Pakistan in 1970 was accompanied by change of the name of the Gilgit Agency to the Northern Areas. In 1974, the states of Hunza and Nagar and the independent valleys of Darel-Tangir, Pakistan and India continue to dispute the sovereignty of the territories that had comprised the Gilgit Agency
20.
Gwalior Residency
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Gwalior Residency was a political office in the British Indian Empire, which existed from 1782 until the British withdrawal from India in 1947. The Gwalior Residency was placed under the Central India Agency in 1854, the Gwalior residency dealt with a number of Princely States of Central India. The court was a camp until 1810, when Mahadjis successor Daulat Rao Sindhia permanently fixed his headquarters near the fortress of Gwalior. Daulat Rao Sindhia was forced to sign a treaty of alliance with the government of British India in 1817 at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War. The Resident at Gwalior answered directly to the Governor-General of India until 1854, the fortress of Gwalior was captured by rebels during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and recaptured by British troops in 1858, who occupied the fortress until 1886. In 1860 the smaller states were made into a separate charge, in 1921 Gwalior Residency was separated from the Central India Agency, and the resident again answered directly to the Governor-General. In 1936 the princely states of Benares and Rampur, which had previously been under the authority of the United Provinces, were placed under the authority of the Gwalior resident. The area was administered by the resident, and included three villages, the revenue from which were devoted to the upkeep of the Residency limits, in 1901 the population of the Residency was 1,391. The Great Indian Peninsula Railroad and Gwalior Light Railways and the Agra-Bombay, Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh state on November 1,1956. The population of the residency was 2,187,612 in 1901, of whom Hindus numbered 1,883,038, or 86 percent, animists 170,316, or 8 percent, Muslims 103,430, or 4 percent, and Jains 30,129, or 1 percent. In 1901 the residency had an area of 17,825 square miles,17,020 square miles of which belonged to Gwalior State, the density of population was 123 persons per square mile. By 1931 the population of the covered by the Residency had grown to over 3.5 million. The charge contained 6820 villages and sixteen towns in 1901, of which the chief were Lashkar, Morar, Gwalior, Guna, Bhind, Bhilsa, Narwar, Ujjain and Chanderi. Bhilsa, Morena, Ujjain and Guna were the centres for the sale of grain. Gwalior State List of Maratha dynasties and states
21.
Jaipur State
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Jaipur State was a princely state of India from 1128 to 1948. It was centred on Jaipur town and it existed from the 12th century until Indian Independence in 1947. According to the different periods of history it was known as Jaipur Kingdom, Amber Kingdom, Dhundhar Kingdom. Jaipur state was founded in the Dhundhar region and its predecessor state was the Dhundhar kingdom, founded in 1093 by Duleh Rai, also known as Dulha Rao. Jaipur state was known as Amber between the fourteenth century and 1727, in that year, a new capital was built and named Jayapura, then the kingdom was renamed Jaipur. The modern-day Kushwaha community, of which the Kachwaha form a part, generally claim descent from Kusha and this enables their claim to be of the Suryavansh dynasty but it is a myth of origin developed in the twentieth century. Kacchi, Koeri and Murao can be asserted as those castes who have been degraded from Kshtriya status, in 1561, the chief at Amber, Bharamail Kachwaha, sought support from Akbar, the Mughal emperor. He was formally recognised as a Raja and was invested into the Mughal nobility in return for him giving his daughter to Akbars harem. A governor was appointed to oversee Bharamails territory and a tribute arrangement saw Bharamail given a salaried rank, the ruling dynasty of Amber provided the Mughal Empire with some distinguished generals. Among them were Bhagwant Das, Man Singh I, who fought and governed from Kabul to Orissa and Assam, Jai Singh was succeeded by Ramsingh I, Bishan Singh and Jai Singh II. Jai Singh II, also known as Sawai Jai Singh, ruled the state from 1699 to 1743 was a mathematician and astronomer. Throughout the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, the armies of Jaipur were in a constant state of warfare, towards the end of the 18th century, the Jats of Bharatpur and the chief of Alwar declared themselves independent from Jaipur and each annexed the eastern portion of Jaipurs territory. This period of Jaipurs history is characterised by internal power-struggles and constant military conflicts with the Marathas, Jats, other Rajput states, as well as the British and the Pindaris. The kingdom suffered a defeat at the hands of the Maratha forces of Mahadji Scindia in the Battle of Patan in 1790. Nevertheless enough wealth remained in Jaipur for the patronage of fine temples/palaces, continuity of its courtly traditions, in 1818 the Jaipur state became a British protectorate. In 1835 there was a disturbance in the city, after which the British government intervened. The state later became well-governed and prosperous, Jaipurs last princely ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union on 7 April 1949. The Maharajas of Jaipur belonged to the Kachwaha dynasty, talchidi Bicchao Renwal Padasoli Pachar Chitora Rausi Kailai Ramgarh Kheri Jadawata - Paid no tribute but rendered service by Cavalry
22.
Madras States Agency
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The Madras States Agency was a colonial agency for the indirect rule of princely states associated with British India. The agent was based in Trivandrum, the capital of Travancore and he supervised the foreign relations of the princely states and their relationship with the Central government in New Delhi. The agency was abolished when India became independent in 1947, between 1947 and 1950, the Madras states with the exception of Travancore and Cochin were merged with the neighbouring districts of Madras Province. On 1 April 1937, the Madras States Agency was converted into a residency and on 1 January 1939 and this article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh, ed. article name needed
23.
Mahi Kantha Agency
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Mahi Kantha was a political agency or collection of princely states in British India, within the Gujarat Division of Bombay Presidency. In 1933, the states of the Mahi Kantha Agency, except for Danta, were included in the Western India States Agency, the total area of the agency was 8,094 km2, the population in 1901 was 361,545. The famine of 1899–1900 was severely felt in Mahi Kantha, many of the inhabitants were Bhils and Kolis. In 1897 a metre-gauge railway was opened from Ahmedabad through Parantij near Ambliara State to Ahmednagar, at Sadra was the Scott College for the education of the sons of rulers on the lines of a British public school. There were also English language schools at Sadra, Idar and Mansa, the states came within the British sphere of influence after the Second Anglo-Maratha War of 1803–1805. In 1811, when the Maratha power was declining, the British Government stipulated to collect, in 1933 the agencies of Mahi Kantha and Banas Kantha, known as Palanpur Agency until 1925, were merged. However Palanpur State was transferred to the Rajputana Agency and was not part of the newly created agency. After the independence of India in 1947, the rulers of the Mahi Kantha states acceded to the Government of India, in 1960, Bombay State was split along linguistic lines, and the area of Mahi Kantha became part of the new state of Gujarat. The states were classified in the manner, Idar, a 15-guns salute state. Danta, a 9-guns salute state Malpur Mansa Mohanpur
24.
Mewar Residency
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Mewar Residency was a residency of British India, during the British Raj, that was one of the three residencies of the Rajputana Agency, its headquarters were at Udaipur. It included the state of Udaipur, the Western Rajputana States Agency, which included the states of Banswara, Dungarpur and Partabgarh, was part of Mewar Residency until 1906, before it separated. Mewar Gazetteers of Mewar Residency, Published by International Documentation Centre,1906, Rajputana Gazetteers, Vol. II-A & Vol. II-B, The Mewar Residency/text and statistical tables compiled by K. D. Mewar Residency, by Rajputana, R. D. Erskine, online at Digital Library of India This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, Chisholm, Hugh, ed. article name needed
25.
Palanpur Agency
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Palanpur Agency, also spelled Pahlunpore Agency, was a political agency or collection of princely states in British India, within the Gujarat Division of Bombay Presidency. In 1933, the states of the Mahi Kantha Agency. The agency, headquartered at Palanpur, oversaw some 17 princely states and estates in the area, encompassing an area of 6393 square miles and a population, in 1901, of 467,271. Of the three Political Agencies in the Northern Division of the Bombay Presidency, the next in importance to Kathiawar was the Palanpur Agency, the designation of Palanpur Agency was changed to Banas Kantha Agency in 1925. On 11 November 1944 the WISA amalgamated with the Baroda and Gujarat States Agency, after the independence of India in 1947, the whole area became part of Bombay State, which in 1960 was divided into the States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. These were the Deodar, Varahi, Wao, Santalpur and Kankrej thana, Palanpur and Radhanpur ranked as Salute states, the other seven as Non-salute states. The area of the Agency was about 6,393 square miles, Headquarters of the Political Agency were at Palanpur town. Other principal towns were Radhanpur and Deesa, the latter containing a large British cantonment, the majority of the Agency was ruled by Muslim chiefs, principally those of Palanpur and Radhanpur, the petty chiefs in the Warahi thana, and the Tervada chiefs under Deodar thana. The remaining estates were ruled by Rajputs, Kolis and Brahmins, distributed according to religion,85 percent of the population in the Agency were Hindus, followed by Muslims and Jains. The states lay outside the scope of British Indian laws and regulations, the Political Agent acted as Sessions Judge for the whole Agency, except for the states of Palanpur and Radhanpur. The Assistant Political Agent acted as ex-officio Superintendent of the Palanpur Imperial Police, controlling the force employed in the Headquarters, situated on the left bank of the Banas river, three miles north-east of Deesa town, it had a population of 11,047. It contained barracks for European and native troops, a large bazaar, as the station was reduced to a fourth class station, in 1907 it contained only a Native Infantry regiment. On 15 November 1879 the portion of the Western Rajputana States Railway between Ahmedabad and Palanpur opened for public traffic, in 1890 the diwan of Palanpur further agreed to cede jurisdiction over certains lands for the construction of a 17-mile railway line between Palanpur and the military cantonment of Deesa. The most important state in the Agency was Palanpur State, covering an area of 1,794 square miles with a population of 222,627, the ruling Lohani dynasty was of Pashtun descent, and established its rule over Palanpur about 1370. In 1817 the diwan agreed to come under the protection of the British Government, whose suggestions he was bound to follow in all matters relating to his government. In recognition of his loyalty, diwan Muhammad Khan of Palanpur was given the title K. C. I. E. in 1893 and that of G. C. I. E. in 1899. Just before the 1911 Coronation Darbar held for King-Emperor George V, the diwan was awarded the title of nawab, a salute of 13 guns. Relations with Radhanpur State date from 6 July 1820, when an agreement was signed under the terms of which the Nawab was bound to pay a tribute to the British
26.
Punjab States Agency
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The Punjab States Agency was a political office of the British Indian Empire. After 1947, most of the states chose to accede to the Union of India, the princely states had come under British suzerainty after the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16 became the Punjab Native States and the Simla Hill States. They later came under the authority of the British province of Punjab, with the exception of Tehri Garhwal State, the agency was created under the direct authority of the Governor General of India with its headquarters in Shimla. After Indian Independence in 1947, the states acceded to the Government of India, most of the states became the new state of Himachal Pradesh, in 2000, the northern portion of Uttar Pradesh, including the former state of Tehri-Garhwal, became the new state of Uttarakhand
27.
Rajputana Agency
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The total area of the states falling within the Rajputana Agency was 127,541 square miles, with eighteen states and two estates or chiefships. Bikaner Agency, with headquarters at Bikaner, dealt with the state of Bikaner, title Maharaja. Alwar Agency, with headquarters at Alwar, dealt with the state of Alwar, title Maharaja. Eastern Rajputana States Agency, with headquarters at Bharatpur, dealt with, Bharatpur, Jat, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 17-guns Karauli, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 17-guns. Kotah-Jhalawar Agency, with headquarters at Kota, dealt with, Kota, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 17-guns Jhalawar, title Maharaj Rana, the small British province of Ajmer-Merwara was also included within the geographical area of Rajputana, but that was under direct British rule. All of the states had Hindu rulers, except Tonk. In the 1901 census,7,035,093 persons, the Rathore, Chauhan, Sisodia and Kachwahas ruled until Indian independence. These Rajput dynasties were gradually supplanted or subordinated by the Muslim invaders of the 11th century, at the beginning of the 16th century the Rajput power began to revive, only to be overthrown by the Babur, founder of the Mughal empire at Fatehpur Sikri in 1527. The clans were finally conquered, overawed or conciliated by Akbar, except for the distant Sisodia clan. From Akbars accession to Aurangzebs death in 1707, a period of 151 years, by the end of the century nearly the whole of Rajputana had been virtually subdued by the Marathas. The Second Anglo-Maratha War distracted the Marathas from 1807 to 1809, the Pindari were defeated, and the Afghan adventurer Amir Khan submitted and signed a treaty with the British, making him the ruler of Tonk. By the end of 1818 similar treaties had been executed between the other Rajput states and Britain, the Maratha Sindhia ruler of Gwalior gave up the district of Ajmer-Merwara to the British, and Maratha influence in Rajasthan came to an end. Most of the Rajput princes remained loyal to Britain in the Revolt of 1857, in the time of the British Raj, the majority of the people were occupied in agriculture. In the large banking and commerce flourished. In the north, the products for export were salt, grain, wool and cotton. The major imports included sugar, hardware and piece goods, Rajputana had relatively little industrial production. The principal manufactures were cotton and woolen goods, metalwork, ivory carving, in the desert tracts fine breeds of camels, cattle, horses and sheep were to be found wherever there is pasturage. Irrigation, mostly from wells, was almost confined to the northern portion, Rajputana was traversed throughout by the Rajputana railway, with its Malwa branch in the south, and diverging to Agra and Delhi in the north
28.
Rewa Kantha Agency
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Rewa Kantha was a political agency of British India, managing the relations of the British governments Bombay Presidency with a collection of princely states. It stretched for about 150 miles between the plain of Gujarat and the hills of Malwa, from the Tapti River to the Mahi River crossing the Rewa River, the political agent, who was also District collector of the prant of the Panchmahal, resided at Godhra. The native states came under British subsidiary alliances after the Third Anglo-Maratha War of the early 19th century. The total surface was 4,971 3/4 square miles, comprising 3,412 villages, with a population of 479,055, yielding 2,072,026 Rupeese state revenue and paying 147,826 Rupees tribute. After the Independence of British India in 1947, split into India and Pakistan, Bombay state was split along linguistic lines in 1960, and Rewa Kantha became part of Gujarat, like Saurashtra State. The number of states was 61, mostly minor or petty states except for five. Many of them were under British influence, the largest one was Rajpipla, the Agency also dealt with five second-class states named Chhota Udaipur State, Devgadh Bariya State, Santrampur, Lunawada State and Balasinor State. The total area of the states the agency related to was 12,877 km2, in 1901 their population was 479,065. Many of the inhabitants were Bhils and Kolis
29.
Western India States Agency
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The Western India States Agency was one of the agencies of British India. This agency was formed on October 10,1924 as a part of the implementation of the Montague Chelmsford report on constitutional reforms and it was formed by merging the areas under the erstwhile Kathiawar, Cutch and Palanpur agencies. C. Watson became its first political agent to the Governor General of British India and its boundary was modified twice, in 1933 and 1943. On November 5,1944 it was merged with the Baroda and Gujarat States Agency to form the larger Baroda, Western India, in 1924, Palanpur Agency was merged into the Western India States Agency and placed under the political control of the Government of India. The designation of Palanpur Agency was changed to Banas Kantha Agency in 1925, also in 1933, the states of the Mahi Kantha Agency, except for Danta were included in this agency. In 1941, the covered by this agency was 39,688 square miles. Strong 3 Apr 1929 -23 Oct 1929 Terence Humphrey Keyes 24 Oct 1929 - Aug 1931 Edward Herbert Kealy (2nd time 15 Aug 1931 - Aug 1932 A. H. E, williams 15 Mar 1941 -3 Apr 1942 M. C. Sinclair 4 Apr 1942 -14 Apr 1942 R. W. Parkes Apr 1942 - Nov 1942 Edmund Currey Gibson 2 Nov 1942 -5 Sep 1944 Philip Gaisford 6 Sep 1944 -5 Nov 1944 Cyril Percy Hancock Surat Agency
30.
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
31.
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
32.
Salute
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A salute is a gesture or other action used to display respect. Salutes are primarily associated with armed forces, but other organizations and civilians also use salutes, the French salute is almost identical to the British Armys. The customary salute in the Polish Armed Forces is the two-fingers salute, in the Russian military, the right hand, palm down, is brought to the right temple, almost, but not quite, touching, the head has to be covered. In the Swedish armed forces, the salute is identical to that of the U. S. armed forces, in the Hellenic Army salute the palm is facing down and the fingers point to the coat of arms. It should be noted that when outdoors, a cover is to be worn at all times when wearing Battle Dress Uniforms/Army Combat Uniforms, but is not required when wearing physical training gear. When the presence of enemy snipers is suspected, military salutes are generally forbidden, others also note that the raising of ones visor was a way to identify oneself saying This is who I am, and I am not afraid. Medieval visors were, to end, equipped with a protruding spike that allowed the visor to be raised using a saluting motion. As late as the American Revolution, a British Army soldier saluted by removing his hat, over time, it became conventionalized into something resembling our modern hand salute. During the Napoleonic Wars, British crews saluted officers by touching a clenched fist to the brow as though grasping a hat-brim between fingers and thumb, when carrying a sword, European military forces and their cultural descendants use a two-step gesture. The sword is first raised, in the hand, to the level of. The blade is inclined forward and up 30 degrees from the vertical, then the sword is slashed downward to a position with the point close to the ground in front of the right foot. The blade is inclined down and forward with the edge to the left. This gesture originated in the Crusades, the hilt of a sword formed a cross with the blade, so if a crucifix was not available, a Crusader could kiss the hilt of his sword when praying, before entering battle, for oaths and vows, and so on. The lowering of the point to the ground is an act of submission. In fencing, the fencers salute each other before putting their masks on to begin a bout. There are several methods of doing this, but the most common is to bring the sword in front of the face so that the blade is pointing up in front of the nose, the fencers also salute the referee and the audience. When armed with a rifle, two methods are available when saluting, the usual method is called present arms, the rifle is brought to the vertical, muzzle up, in front of center of the chest with the trigger away from the body. The hands hold the stock close to the positions they would have if the rifle were being fired, less formal salutes include the order arms salute and the shoulder arms salutes
33.
The Crown
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The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their sub-divisions, although the term is not only a metonym for the State. The Crown is a sole that represents the legal embodiment of executive, legislative. These monarchies are united by the union of their monarch. The concept of the Crown developed first in the Kingdom of England as a separation of the crown and property of the nation state from the person. The concept spread through English and later British colonisation and is now rooted in the lexicon of the other 15 independent realms. In this context it should not be confused with any physical crown, the concept of the Crown took form under the feudal system. Though not used this way in all countries that had this system, in England, all rights, land, for instance, was granted by the Crown to lords in exchange for feudal services and they, in turn, granted the land to lesser lords. One exception to this was common socage—owners of land held as socage held it only to the Crown. The Crown as ultimate owner of all property also owns any property which has become bona vacantia, the monarch is the living embodiment of the Crown and, as such, is regarded as the personification of the state. He office cannot exist without the office-holder, the Crown also represents the legal embodiment of executive, legislative, and judicial governance. While the Crowns legal personality is usually regarded as a sole, it can, at least for some purposes. Historically, the Crown was considered to be indivisible, two judgments—Ex parte Indian Association of Alberta and Ex parte Quark —challenged that view. The Crown in each of the Commonwealth realms is a similar, because both Canada and Australia are federations, there are also crowns in right of each Canadian province and each Australian state. The Succession to the Crown Law 2013 defined the Crown, for the purposes of implementing the Perth Agreement in Jersey law, as the Crown in right of the Bailiwick of Jersey. Legislation in the Isle of Man also defines the Crown in right of the Isle of Man as being separate from the Crown in right of the United Kingdom and this constitutional concept is also worded as the Crown in right of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The reserve powers of the Crown for each territory are no longer considered to be exercisable on the advice of the UK government, often cases are brought by the Crown according to the complaint of a claimant. The title of the case follows the pattern of R v Y. Thus R v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union is R v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, where Miller is Gina Miller, in Scotland, criminal prosecutions are undertaken by the Lord Advocate in the name of the Crown
34.
Royal Navy
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The Royal Navy is the United Kingdoms naval warfare force. Although warships were used by the English kings from the medieval period. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century, from the middle decades of the 17th century and through the 18th century, the Royal Navy vied with the Dutch Navy and later with the French Navy for maritime supremacy. From the mid 18th century it was the worlds most powerful navy until surpassed by the United States Navy during the Second World War. The Royal Navy played a key part in establishing the British Empire as the world power during the 19th. Due to this historical prominence, it is common, even among non-Britons, following World War I, the Royal Navy was significantly reduced in size, although at the onset of the Second World War it was still the worlds largest. By the end of the war, however, the United States Navy had emerged as the worlds largest, during the Cold War, the Royal Navy transformed into a primarily anti-submarine force, hunting for Soviet submarines, mostly active in the GIUK gap. The Royal Navy is part of Her Majestys Naval Service, which includes the Royal Marines. The professional head of the Naval Service is the First Sea Lord, the Defence Council delegates management of the Naval Service to the Admiralty Board, chaired by the Secretary of State for Defence. The strength of the fleet of the Kingdom of England was an important element in the power in the 10th century. English naval power declined as a result of the Norman conquest. Medieval fleets, in England as elsewhere, were almost entirely composed of merchant ships enlisted into service in time of war. Englands naval organisation was haphazard and the mobilisation of fleets when war broke out was slow, early in the war French plans for an invasion of England failed when Edward III of England destroyed the French fleet in the Battle of Sluys in 1340. Major fighting was confined to French soil and Englands naval capabilities sufficed to transport armies and supplies safely to their continental destinations. Such raids halted finally only with the occupation of northern France by Henry V. Henry VII deserves a large share of credit in the establishment of a standing navy and he embarked on a program of building ships larger than heretofore. He also invested in dockyards, and commissioned the oldest surviving dry dock in 1495 at Portsmouth, a standing Navy Royal, with its own secretariat, dockyards and a permanent core of purpose-built warships, emerged during the reign of Henry VIII. Under Elizabeth I England became involved in a war with Spain, the new regimes introduction of Navigation Acts, providing that all merchant shipping to and from England or her colonies should be carried out by English ships, led to war with the Dutch Republic. In the early stages of this First Anglo-Dutch War, the superiority of the large, heavily armed English ships was offset by superior Dutch tactical organisation and the fighting was inconclusive
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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
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Great Britain
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Great Britain, also known as Britain, is a large island in the north Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of 209,331 km2, Great Britain is the largest European island, in 2011 the island had a population of about 61 million people, making it the worlds third-most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan. The island of Ireland is situated to the west of it, the island is dominated by a maritime climate with quite narrow temperature differences between seasons. Politically, the island is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, most of England, Scotland, and Wales are on the island. The term Great Britain often extends to surrounding islands that form part of England, Scotland, and Wales. A single Kingdom of Great Britain resulted from the union of the Kingdom of England, the archipelago has been referred to by a single name for over 2000 years, the term British Isles derives from terms used by classical geographers to describe this island group. By 50 BC Greek geographers were using equivalents of Prettanikē as a name for the British Isles. However, with the Roman conquest of Britain the Latin term Britannia was used for the island of Great Britain, the oldest mention of terms related to Great Britain was by Aristotle, or possibly by Pseudo-Aristotle, in his text On the Universe, Vol. III. To quote his works, There are two large islands in it, called the British Isles, Albion and Ierne. The name Britain descends from the Latin name for Britain, Britannia or Brittānia, Old French Bretaigne and Middle English Bretayne, Breteyne. The French form replaced the Old English Breoton, Breoten, Bryten, Breten, Britannia was used by the Romans from the 1st century BC for the British Isles taken together. It is derived from the writings of the Pytheas around 320 BC. Marcian of Heraclea, in his Periplus maris exteri, described the group as αἱ Πρεττανικαὶ νῆσοι. The peoples of these islands of Prettanike were called the Πρεττανοί, Priteni is the source of the Welsh language term Prydain, Britain, which has the same source as the Goidelic term Cruithne used to refer to the early Brythonic-speaking inhabitants of Ireland. The latter were later called Picts or Caledonians by the Romans, the Greco-Egyptian scientist Ptolemy referred to the larger island as great Britain and to Ireland as little Britain in his work Almagest. The name Albion appears to have out of use sometime after the Roman conquest of Britain. After the Anglo-Saxon period, Britain was used as a term only. It was used again in 1604, when King James VI and I styled himself King of Great Brittaine, France, Great Britain refers geographically to the island of Great Britain, politically to England, Scotland and Wales in combination
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Romania
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Romania is a sovereign state located in Southeastern Europe. It borders the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia and it has an area of 238,391 square kilometres and a temperate-continental climate. With over 19 million inhabitants, the country is the member state of the European Union. Its capital and largest city, Bucharest, is the sixth-largest city in the EU, the River Danube, Europes second-longest river, rises in Germany and flows in a general southeast direction for 2,857 km, coursing through ten countries before emptying into Romanias Danube Delta. The Carpathian Mountains, which cross Romania from the north to the southwest are marked by one of their tallest peaks, Moldoveanu, modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. The new state, officially named Romania since 1866, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877, at the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the sovereign Kingdom of Romania. Romania lost several territories, of which Northern Transylvania was regained after the war, following the war, Romania became a socialist republic and member of the Warsaw Pact. After the 1989 Revolution, Romania began a transition back towards democracy and it has been a member of NATO since 2004, and part of the European Union since 2007. A strong majority of the population identify themselves as Eastern Orthodox Christians and are speakers of Romanian. The cultural history of Romania is often referred to when dealing with artists, musicians, inventors. For similar reasons, Romania has been the subject of notable tourist attractions, Romania derives from the Latin romanus, meaning citizen of Rome. The first known use of the appellation was attested in the 16th century by Italian humanists travelling in Transylvania, Moldavia, after the abolition of serfdom in 1746, the word rumân gradually fell out of use and the spelling stabilised to the form român. Tudor Vladimirescu, a leader of the early 19th century. The use of the name Romania to refer to the homeland of all Romanians—its modern-day meaning—was first documented in the early 19th century. The name has been officially in use since 11 December 1861, in English, the name of the country was formerly spelt Rumania or Roumania. Romania became the predominant spelling around 1975, Romania is also the official English-language spelling used by the Romanian government. The Neolithic-Age Cucuteni area in northeastern Romania was the region of the earliest European civilization. Evidence from this and other sites indicates that the Cucuteni-Trypillian culture extracted salt from salt-laden spring water through the process of briquetage
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Switzerland
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Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western-Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2. The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation, it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815, nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to international organisations. On the European level, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties, spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions, German, French, Italian and Romansh. Due to its diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names, Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera. On coins and stamps, Latin is used instead of the four living languages, Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product according to the IMF. Zürich and Geneva have each been ranked among the top cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with the former ranked second globally, according to Mercer. The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, a term for the Swiss. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, the Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for Confederates, Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. The data code for Switzerland, CH, is derived from Latin Confoederatio Helvetica. The toponym Schwyz itself was first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately related to swedan ‘to burn’
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Jersey
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Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is a Crown dependency of the United Kingdom, ruled by the Crown in right of Jersey, off the coast of Normandy, France. Jersey was part of the Duchy of Normandy, whose dukes went on to become kings of England from 1066. After Normandy was lost by the kings of England in the 13th century, and the ducal title surrendered to France, Jersey, Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self-determination. The Lieutenant Governor on the island is the representative of the Queen. The island of Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, although the bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey are often referred to collectively as the Channel Islands, the Channel Islands are not a constitutional or political unit. Jersey has a relationship to the Crown from the other Crown dependencies of Guernsey. It is not part of the United Kingdom, and has an identity separate from that of the UK. The definition of United Kingdom in the British Nationality Act 1981 is interpreted as including the UK, Jersey is not fully part of the European Union but has a special relationship with it, notably being treated as within the European Community for the purposes of free trade in goods. The name Caesarea has been used as the Latin name for Jersey since William Camdens Britannia, the Latin name Caesarea was also applied to the colony of New Jersey as Nova Caesarea. Andium, Agna and Augia were used in antiquity, scholars variously surmise that Jersey and Jèrri derive from jarð or jarl, or perhaps a personal name, Geirr. The ending -ey denotes an island, Jersey history is influenced by its strategic location between the northern coast of France and the southern coast of England, the islands recorded history extends over a thousand years. La Cotte de St Brelade is a Palaeolithic site inhabited before rising sea levels transformed Jersey into an island, Jersey was a centre of Neolithic activity, as demonstrated by the concentration of dolmens. Evidence of Bronze Age and early Iron Age settlements can be found in locations around the island. In June 2012 it was announced what could be Europes largest hoard of Iron Age coins had been found in Grouville by two persons using metal detectors, the hoard may be worth up to £10 M. People had been searching for treasure for 30 years. It was reported that the hoard weighed about three quarters of a tonne and could contain up to 50,000 Roman and Celtic coins, in 2012 the same two men had found 60 Iron Age coins in the same area. Jersey was part of Neustria with the same Gallo-Frankish population as the continental mainland, Jersey was invaded by Vikings in the 9th century. In 933 it was annexed to the future Duchy of Normandy, together with the other Channel Islands, Cotentin and Avranchin, by William Longsword, count of Rouen and it became one of the Norman Islands
