CDS History · Modern India
The Company Takes India
How the European trading companies did business in India, how the English Company won Bengal at Plassey and Buxar, how it bound the Marathas and other rulers by treaty, and why it fought on the Nepal and Afghan frontiers.
Why this matters
Fourteen CDS questions, five of them HARD, all from 2019 onwards. Two topics came back twice: the battle of Colachel (2022 and 2023) and the First Anglo-Maratha War (2021 and 2023). The rest ask for one term, treaty or reason each, so learning the tables in time order covers the page.
Concept 1 of 3: From traders to rulers in Bengal and the south
The Europeans came to buy cloth and spices. To get cloth cheaply they paid weavers in advance, and to move goods without paying tax the English carried a special pass. Quarrels over that pass led to war in Bengal, and two victories made the Company the real power there. In the far south, Travancore showed that a European company could be beaten.
Definition
The terms and the turning points:
- Dadni: a cash advance paid to weavers for cloth they would deliver later. It tied the weaver to the buyer before the cloth was made.
- Dastak: a trade permit that let the Company's goods move without paying inland duties. Company servants misused it for their own private trade, which angered the Nawabs of Bengal.
- Colachel (1741): Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch East India Company.
- Plassey (1757): Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal.
- Buxar (1764): the Company defeated the combined army of Mir Qasim and Shuja-ud-Daulah of Awadh.
- Allahabad (1765): the Company got the Diwani, the right to collect the revenue, of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, in return for an annual tribute to the Mughal emperor.
| Term or event | When | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dadni | 17th and 18th centuries | Advance paid to weavers for cloth delivered laterQ |
| Dastak | 18th century | Duty-free trade permit of the English CompanyQ |
| Battle of Colachel | 1741 | Travancore under Marthanda Varma defeated the DutchQ CDS 2022 (II) and CDS 2023 (I) both asked it. |
| Battle of Plassey | 1757 | Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah |
| Battle of Buxar | 1764 | Company defeated Mir Qasim and the Nawab of Awadh |
| Treaty of Allahabad | 1765 | Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa for an annual tribute |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (I) 2023 — General Knowledge · Q80Moderate
Example 1 · Modern India · The Company Takes India
Name the battle in which the Travancore King defeated the Dutch in 1741.
A dastak is a pass, not a tax
Options offer 'tax on textiles' or 'land document'. A dastak was a permit that freed goods from duty. The cloth advance to weavers is a different word: dadni.
Colachel, not Wandiwash
At Colachel (1741) Travancore beat the Dutch. Wandiwash (1760) was an English victory over the French, in the Carnatic.
Concept 2 of 3: The Maratha treaties and the Subsidiary Alliance
The English first meddled in a Maratha family quarrel and lost. A treaty at Salbai brought twenty years of peace. Then Lord Wellesley offered rulers protection in return for their freedom: keep our troops, pay for them, and make no war or treaty without us. The Peshwa himself accepted it in 1802.
Definition
The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775 to 1782), treaty by treaty:
- Treaty of Surat (1775): the English backed Raghunath Rao for the Peshwa's seat. This started the war.
- Treaty of Purandar (1776): the Calcutta council replaced the Surat treaty.
- Convention of Wadgaon (1779): signed by a beaten British force; the Company rejected it.
- Treaty of Salbai (1782): ended the war and brought about twenty years of peace.
The Subsidiary Alliance of Lord Wellesley (from 1798):
- A British force was stationed in the ally's territory, and the ally paid for it.
- The British protected the ally.
- The ally could not keep its own army, make agreements with other rulers or go to war without the Company's permission.
- Treaty of Bassein (31 December 1802): Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted it.
| Treaty | Year | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Treaty of Surat | 1775 | English backed Raghunath Rao; war began |
| Treaty of Purandar | 1776 | Calcutta council replaced the Surat treaty |
| Convention of Wadgaon | 1779 | Signed after a British defeat; rejected |
| Treaty of Salbai | 1782 | Ended the First Anglo-Maratha WarQ CDS 2023 (I): Salbai concluded the war. |
| Treaty of Bassein | 1802 | Baji Rao II accepted the Subsidiary AllianceQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2021 · CDS (I) 2021 — General Knowledge · Q44Hard
Example 2 · Modern India · The Company Takes India
Chronologically arrange the following treaties/conventions signed between the Marathas and the British (starting with the earliest) :
1. Treaty of Salbai
2. Treaty of Purandar
3. Convention of Wadgaon
4. Treaty of Surat
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Wadgaon did not end the war
The Convention of Wadgaon (1779) was signed by a defeated British force and the Company refused to honour it. The war ended only with the Treaty of Salbai (1782).
The ally paid, and lost its freedom
An option saying the ally 'was free to make agreements or go to war' is the one not in the Subsidiary Alliance. Protection was bought with exactly that freedom.
Concept 3 of 3: Frontier wars and the fear of Russia
Once the Company held the plains, it worried about the mountains. It fought Nepal and gained the hills where Simla grew. Then it began to fear that Russia would come through Persia and Afghanistan, and it went to war in Afghanistan to stop that.
Definition
The frontier story:
- Anglo-Gurkha (Nepal) War, 1814 to 1816: Simla was founded during it, to station troops and guard the frontier. It later became the summer capital.
- The British feared a Russian advance through Persia and Afghanistan. Lord Auckland, Governor-General from 1836, held this fear strongly.
- Afghan policy in the first half of the 19th century: keep Russian influence out of Afghanistan, but do not let Afghanistan grow strong either.
- This led to the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839 to 1842), a disaster for the British.
- A document called the Testament of Peter the Great said that the commerce of India is the commerce of the world, and whoever commands it is the dictator of Europe.
| Event | Years | Fact to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Anglo-Gurkha War | 1814 to 1816 | Simla founded to billet troops and guard the frontier |
| Lord Auckland Governor-General | 1836 to 1842 | Feared a Russian advance on India |
| First Anglo-Afghan War | 1839 to 1842 | Aim: Russia out, Afghanistan kept weakQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2019 · CDS (I) 2019 — General Knowledge · Q107Hard
Example 3 · Modern India · The Company Takes India
Simla was founded as a hill station to use as strategic place for billeting troops, guarding frontier and launching campaign during the course of
Simla came from the Nepal war
Simla was founded during the Anglo-Gurkha War (1814 to 1816), not an Anglo-Afghan or Anglo-Burmese war. The Afghan wars came twenty years later.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
From traders to rulers in Bengal and the south6 rows
| Term or event | When | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dadni | 17th and 18th centuries | Advance paid to weavers for cloth delivered laterQ |
| Dastak | 18th century | Duty-free trade permit of the English CompanyQ |
| Battle of Colachel | 1741 | Travancore under Marthanda Varma defeated the DutchQ CDS 2022 (II) and CDS 2023 (I) both asked it. |
| Battle of Plassey | 1757 | Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah |
| Battle of Buxar | 1764 | Company defeated Mir Qasim and the Nawab of Awadh |
| Treaty of Allahabad | 1765 | Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa for an annual tribute |
The Maratha treaties and the Subsidiary Alliance5 rows
| Treaty | Year | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Treaty of Surat | 1775 | English backed Raghunath Rao; war began |
| Treaty of Purandar | 1776 | Calcutta council replaced the Surat treaty |
| Convention of Wadgaon | 1779 | Signed after a British defeat; rejected |
| Treaty of Salbai | 1782 | Ended the First Anglo-Maratha WarQ CDS 2023 (I): Salbai concluded the war. |
| Treaty of Bassein | 1802 | Baji Rao II accepted the Subsidiary AllianceQ |
Frontier wars and the fear of Russia3 rows
| Event | Years | Fact to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Anglo-Gurkha War | 1814 to 1816 | Simla founded to billet troops and guard the frontier |
| Lord Auckland Governor-General | 1836 to 1842 | Feared a Russian advance on India |
| First Anglo-Afghan War | 1839 to 1842 | Aim: Russia out, Afghanistan kept weakQ |
Watch out for (5)
- A dastak is a pass, not a tax→ From traders to rulers in Bengal and the south
- Colachel, not Wandiwash→ From traders to rulers in Bengal and the south
- Wadgaon did not end the war→ The Maratha treaties and the Subsidiary Alliance
- The ally paid, and lost its freedom→ The Maratha treaties and the Subsidiary Alliance
- Simla came from the Nepal war→ Frontier wars and the fear of Russia
Test yourself on Modern India
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.