Civil Uprisings Before 1857 - Gorakhpur Uprising (1781)
Introduction
Major Hannay was persecuted after he joined Nawab Asaf Ud Daulah of Avadh's army in 1778, which sparked the Gorakhpur revolt. Districts of Gorakhpur and Bahraich were subdued by him. The British East India Company purchased the city and its surroundings in 1801. The British army subsequently exploited Gorakhpur as a Gurkha recruitment hub.
Uprising In Gorakhpur
• Warren Hastings came up with a plan to use English officers as izaradars (revenue farmers) in Awadh in order to raise money for the war against the Marathas and Mysore.
• He hired Major Alexander Hannay, a local expert, in 1778 to serve as an izaradar.
• For the cost of 22 lakh rupees, Hannay was able to secure the izara of Gorakhpur and Bahraich for a year.
• In actuality, the Company was running a covert test to see how much more cash was actually accessible.
• However, the region, which had been thriving under the Nawab, fell into panic as a result of Hannay's persecution and outrageous income demands.
• In response to the zamindar and farmer uprising in 1781, all of Hannay's subordinates were either killed or surrounded by zamindari guerilla forces within a few of weeks.
• Even though the uprising was crushed, Hannay was fired, and his izara was forcibly confiscated.
• The beginning of the modern era was marked by the Nawab of Avadh's transfer of this land in 1801.
• The East India Company took over the nation after this transfer.
• In 1829, Gorakhpur became the section's capital, which included the districts of Azamgarh, Gorakhpur, and Ghazipur.
• The Gorakhpur region was separated into the Basti district in 1865.
Conclusion
The stationing of a Resident at the court of Lucknow in 1773 and the placement of a permanent British garrison in Awadh, to be paid for by Nawab Shuja-ud-daula through the payment of a subsidy, served to safeguard British strategic interests in Awadh. But as the Company gradually increased the amount of support it demanded, this quickly became into a difficult issue.
The nawab's relationship with the taluqdars deteriorated as a result of having to impose additional levies in order to accommodate this rising demand. This was the main cause of increased political unrest in the state, which later served as justification for direct annexation. The Gorakhpur uprising started in 1778 after Major Hannay enlisted in the service of Nawab Asaf Ud Daulah of Avadh.