Civil Uprisings Before 1857 - Civil Rebellion In Awadh (1799)

The Oudh State, also known as the Kingdom of Oudh or Awadh, was a princely state in the Awadh region of north-central India during the British Raj. It was located on the Ganges plain and to the south and west of Nepal. One of the wealthiest towns in northern India, Lucknow, served as its capital. The name "Massacre of Benares" refers to the 1799 uprising launched by Wazir Ali Khan, the deposed Nawab of Awadh, which failed and resulted in the deaths of five British East India Company employees and civilians. 

 

•    When Asaf-ud-Daula, the monarch of Oudh, passed away in September 1797, the East India Company, which had more direct control over all the Indian regions around Oudh, was the state's subservient to the British.

 

•    Under Sir John Shore's leadership as Governor-General, the British felt "compelled" to interfere in the succession, with Wazir Ali Khan, Asaf-ud-Daula's adopted son, and his uncle Saadat Ali Khan II, Asaf-ud-Daula's half-brother Daula and a lineal descendant of Shuja-ud-Daula, appearing to be the only two candidates.

 

•    After initially assuming Wazir Ali to be the heir apparent, the British appointed him as Nawab however, they quickly came to regret their decision when it became apparent that the 17-year-old Ali would not follow British demands.

 

•    Saadat Ali Khan and the East India Company agreed to a pact that he would be reared under, most likely on highly unfavorable terms because Saadat was unable to negotiate.

 

•    On January 21, 1798, the Governor-General with a British military escort arrived in Lucknow.

 

•    With British assistance, Wazir Ali Khan, the fourth Nawab of Awadh, took the throne in September 1797.

 

•    His relations with the British gradually worsened, and his uncle Saadat Ali Khan II succeeded him.

 

•    Wazir Ali Khan received a pension from Benares.

 

•    However, he killed George Frederick Cherry, a British citizen who had invited him to lunch, in January 1799.

 

•    Two additional Europeans were killed by Wazir Ali's men, who also attacked the Benares Magistrate.

 

•    The entire event was dubbed the Massacre of Benares.

 

•    The small, unsuccessful uprising staged by Wazir Ali Khan, the deposed Nawab of Awadh, in Benares, northern India, in 1799, during which five employees and residents of the British East India Company perished, was known as the Massacre of Benares.

 

•    A force of thousands of soldiers led by Wazir Ali was defeated by General Erskine. Wazir Ali went to Butwal in search of safety, and the Maharaja of Jaipur gave him protection.

 

•    Wazir Ali's extradition was requested by Arthur Wellesley from the Raja of Jaipur.

 

•    Wazir Ali was extradited under the condition that he wouldn't be put to death or locked up.

 

•    After giving up in December 1799, he was detained in Fort William, Calcutta.

 

•    Wajid Ali Shah was a capable leader, but the British wrongly claimed that he was incapable of leading the enterprise.

 

•    The conquest of Awadh was now the East India Company's Casus Belli (Latin for "cause of war").

 

•    Due to alleged internal mismanagement, Lord Dalhousie issued an order to remove Wajid Ali Shah on February 7th, 1856.

 

•    This was in line with Dalhousie's Doctrine of Lapse, which held that if a kingdom was also misruled, the British would take it over.

 

•    The Kingdom of Awadh was annexed in February 1856.

 

•    Wajid Ali Shah from February 13, 1847, to February 11, 1856, Wajid Ali Shah, the twelveth and last King of Awadh, ruled.

 

•    On February 11, 1856, two days before his coronation, the East India Company bought his realm, which had been protected by them under contract for many years.

 

•    The Nawab was exiled to Garden Reach, which was at the time a neighborhood of Kolkata, where he was given a sizable annuity for the rest of his life.

 

•    He was a dancer, poet, writer, and supporter of the arts.

 

•    He is credited with bringing Kathak back to prominence as an important subgenre of Indian classical dance.

 

•    Despite the fact that Wajid Ali Shah was a competent leader, British authorities falsely claimed he was incapable of leading.

 

•    In February 1856, the Kingdom of Awadh was annexed.

 

•    The King first relocated to Kanpur after losing the realm, then to Calcutta.

 

There were multiple uprisings in the region during the revolt. Before putting an end to the uprising, the British briefly lost control. The 18-month duration of the retaliation was. Later, Awadh's territory was combined with that of the North-Western Provinces and Awadh to create the larger province of the same name. Before becoming known as Agra Province, it was first known as the United Provinces of Agra and Awadh in 1902.