Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

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FREEDOM MOVEMENT

NEW PHASE OF BRITISH RULE IN INDIA

Queen Victoria

Proclamation by the Queen in Council,

TO THE PRINCES, CHIEFS, AND PEOPLE OF INDIA.

Victoria,

Y THE

RACE OF

OF THE

NITED

INGDOM OF

REAT

RITIAN AND

RELAND

AND OF THE

COLONIES

AND

EPENDENCIES THEREOF IN

UROPE

, A

SIA

, A

FRICA

, A

MERICA AND

USTRALASIA

Queen, Defender of the faith

Whereas for divers weighty reasons, We have resolved, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and

Temporal, and Commons, in Parliament assembled to take upon Ourselves the Government of the Territories in INDIA

heretofore administered in trust for Us by the

ONORABLE

AST

NDIA

OMPANY

Now, therefore We do by these Presents notify and declare that, by the advice and consent aforesaid, We have taken

upon Ourselves the said Government; and We hereby call upon all our subjects within the said Territories to be faithful, and

to bear the true all Allegiance to Us, Our Heirs and Successors and to submit themselves to the authority of those whom We

may hereafter, from time to iime, see fit to appoint to administer the Government of Our said Territories.

1858

Queen's

proclamation

British

Parliament by an Act ended the rule of the East

India Company on 2 August 1858 and transferred

power to the British crown. The authority of the

British Government was now exercised by the

Governor-General of India who became Viceroy.

Princely states were assured of their continued

existence and became faithful allies of the British.

1859-62 : Indigo revolt in lower Bengal -

Armed revolts, continued to take place even after

the 1857 uprising. Peasants, tribal people, certain

religious sects and sections of old ruling families

were up in aims. The first of these, the indigo revolts

in Lower Bengal (1859-62), were against the British

planters who forced peasants to cultivate indigo and

sell it to them at prices fixed by the planters.

1863-64 : Wahabi revolt was crushed by

British. In Punjab, the Namdhari or the Kuka

movement under Guru Ram Singh clashed with

British authorities. Guru Ram Singh was exiled to

Burma.

In Maharastra, Vasudeo Balwant Phadke led

an armed revolt against money lenders and foreign

rule, but was defeated in 1869 and was imprisoned

for life.

1865-1868 : Indigo revolt in North Bihar.

1872-80 : These were followed by peasant

uprisings

Pabna

and

Bogra

Bengal,

Maharashtra (1874-75, 1878-79) and Rampa in

Andhra Pradesh (1879-80), against the oppression of

landlords, moneylenders and the British authorities.

The peasants and tribals in north-eastern India took

up arms against the British oppression.

1875 : Swami Dayanand, saint and social

reformer, propagated the greatness of the Vedas.

Founded the ‘Arya Samaj’ at Bombay. He opposed

child

marriage,

untouchability,

caste

system,

polytheism, idol worship, and encouraged widow re-

marriage. He did not support Western education.

1877 : Queen Victoria was proclaimed

Empress of India.

1883 : Sir C.P. Ilbert moved the criminal

jurisdiction bill aimed at bringing European British

subjects in India within the jurisdiction of Indian

judges.

POLICY OUTLINE

I. Urged the local authorities to

“abstain

from

interference

with the religious belief or wor-

ship of any of Our subjects on

pain of Our higher displeasure.”

II.

Assurance to Indian princes

that “all treaties and engage-

ments made with them would

be scrupulously honoured.”

III.

Promised that Indians would be

given the opportunity of serving

the administration at whatever

level their “education, ability and

integrity” fitted them.

IV.

Earnest desire to stimulate the

peaceful industry of India.

Areas of Indigo Revolt 1859-62

Malda

Rajshahi

3. Pabna

4. Dacca

5. Jessore

6. Khulna

7. 24 Parganas

8. Nadia

“It was the indigo disturbances which first taught

the natives the value of combination of political

agitation. Indeed it was the first revolution in

Bengal after the advent of the English. If there be

a second revolution it will be to free the nation

from the death grips of the all-powerful police and

district Magistrate. Nothing like oppression! It

was the oppression which brought about the glori-

ous revolution in England and it was the oppres-

sion of half a century by indigo planters which at

last roused the half-dead Bengalee and infused

spark in his cold frame. ”

- Amrita Bazar Patrika,

May 1874