Doctrine of Lapse - Indian Queens who Fought it

 Doctrine of Lapse

Indian Queens who Fought it

The East India Company

The British East India Company first came to India as a trader, to supply their home market England with spices, silks and other exotica. They were granted land by local rulers to build warehouses to store goods before trans shipment. This necessitated armed guards to keep the warehouses safe. 

Before long, short-sighted local rulers began to use the armed British to score points off their rivals, opening the door to immense opportunity for the foreign trader. The British played one ruler against the other, helping one of them to win in exchange for trading concessions. As the British influence increased so did their territorial avarice. 

The British East India Company amassed riches in India beyond their wildest dreams. The British government oversaw the company’s dealings and enacted several India Acts. In England, the company board managed its affairs, while their man in India was the Governor-General. Lord Dalhousie held this post from 1847 to 1856.

At the time, several parts of India were under the control of the East India Company, and others under individual rulers. In a series of wars, treaties and agreements Dalhousie was determined to bring more of the Indian mainland under British domination. 

What was the Doctrine of Lapse?

The Doctrine of Lapse was an ingenious policy of increasing revenue and annexation (or land grab, pure and simple) implemented by Dalhousie. Under this doctrine, the princely state would be abolished and annexed to British India if the ruler was incompetent or had died without male children to succeed him. What is more, the British would decide on the competency or otherwise of the ruler. This policy set in motion a series of annexations of princely India, much to the anguish of the rulers and their subjects. 

In all, the British annexed 30 states and added 4 million pounds sterling to their income with this policy.

The states annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse sometimes had queens as regents who did not have male children, and so were expected to acquiesce and hand over the kingdom to the British. A bit ironical considering that in approximately the same era England had Queen Victoria (reign 1837-1901) whose gender did not prevent her from ascending the throne, and retaining it! 

Events at Meerut, 1857

(commons.wikimedia.org)

Queens who fought the British for their right to rule

Here are profiles of some queens who fought the Doctrine of Lapse with all they had. This is a very small sample. The policy Doctrine of Lapse was unjust and these queens, in principle, saw no need to give up without a fight. Some won the immediate battle, some lost their lives. But all had their states annexed by the British in the end. 

Channamma of Kittur

Channamma was one of the earliest opponents of the Doctrine of Lapse. She was born near Belagavi in North Karnataka and was married to Raja Mallasarja, the Desai of Kittur. 

In 1824 Channamma lost her husband, followed soon by her son. In a bid to prevent annexation of Kittur by the British, Channamma adopted Sivalingappa and had him crowned. The British did not recognise the new ruler and asked Channamma to accept annexation.

Channamma did not give up but pleaded her case with the Lieutenant-Governor of the Bombay Presidency but was turned down. Channamma decided not to accept defeat, and war broke out. The British attacked with canons and a huge force, but were defeated. Two British officers were taken prisoner by the Kittur army.

Channamma released them after an understanding with the Collector of Dharwad that the fighting would stop. However, he went back on his word and instead returned with a greater force. The Kittur forces fought fiercely but Channamma was ultimately captured and imprisoned at Bailhongal fort. Her aides continued the fight but could not sustain. Chanamma died in prison in February 1829.  

Avantbai Lodhi of Ramgarh

Avantibai was a Rajput queen of Ramgarh in present-day Madhya Pradesh. When her husband died in 1851, she tried to be regent but was not allowed by the British. In 1857 she raised an army numbering 4000 and fought the British army in Mandla near Jabalpur, whom she defeated.

The British retaliated and Avantibai had to retreat to the hills of Devharigarh. Soon she launched guerilla attacks, but her position was quite hopeless. She killed herself with a sword rather than be taken prisoner. 

  

Draupadi of Dhar

Draupadi was the queen of Dhar, a small state in Malwa in present-day Madhya Pradesh. Draupadi’s husband adopted his younger brother Anandrao Bal Saheb a day before he died on 22nd May 1857. Draupadi took over the administration since Anandrao was still under-age. The British agreed to the adoption in the hope that they could placate Draupadi to remain loyal and not be influenced by the ideas of revolution in the area. 

They thought wrong. 

Draupadi set to work building an army with soldiers wherever she could find them. The revolutionaries also liked to meet inside the fortress of Dhar. 

Draupadi attacked the cantonment at Sardarpur and returned with much wealth.

When the British retaliated they surrounded the fort at Dhar and waited. Nobody exited the fort for four days. On the fifth day the British found a gap in the wall and entered the fort, but by then Draupadi had escapted from another part of the fort. We don’t know what happened to Draupadi after that but the minor ruler was crowned in 1860 after he attained majority. 

1857 and its aftermath

The days leading up to the events of 1857 and beyond are still being studied and debated by scholars in India. It is impossible to generalise the reasons for the revolt, notwithstanding the popular one of soldiers having to use cartridges coated with cow and pig fat. That may well have been true, but also is not the only, if simplistic, reason. 

Whatever be the reasons for the revolt, there is no denying the fact that women took active part in it. The Doctrine of Lapse was a major reason for many aristocrats joining the revolt and was considered a blot on Dalhousie’s career. The issue for the British was not that he chose to implement the Doctrine, but that he did not handle it with more finesse which resulted in the revolt and the Crown taking over the administration of British India.  

Reference:

The Sepoy Mutiny and the Revolt of 1857 - RC Majumdar

Nature of 1857 - Saurav Bhattacharya

British Raj - Stanley A. Wolpert (www.britannica.com)

#BlogchatterA2Z     https://www.theblogchatter.com/

A word about BlogchatterA2Z - This is an annual event during which I have taken up the challenge of blogging on Women in Indian History starting with A and ending in Z during the month of April, 2021. Here then is D - Doctrine of Lapse, against which many women fought. Drop in everyday to read my posts on other interesting women as I work my way down the alphabet to Z! 

Courtesans and Common Folk - They fought the British in 1857

 Courtesans and Common Folk

They fought the British in 1857

In our history books the First War of Indian Independence 1857 throws up names such as Tantia Tope, Rani Lakshmibai, Hazrat Mahal, Bahadur Shah Zafar - all leaders and some rulers from before the event.

However, the movement would not have picked up steam without the wholehearted support and participation of the common folk. Ordinary people sustained the struggle and donated funds, kept the spirit alive with songs and public performances, offered safe places for meetings and shelter, ensured that information flowed from one place to the other, and fought - sometimes to the death.

Folks who joined the ranks of the fighting force 

It comes as no surprise from extant records that the participants in the struggle include professions such as rubber stamp maker, water carrier, palki lifter, halwai, basket maker, drummer, oil maker among several others. The movement for freedom used all resources available. Puppeteers who travelled from place to place to hold performances of their puppets based on Indian stories and mythology adapted their repertoire to spread the idea of defying the British and fighting for independence. They may also have carried messages, made easy by their wandering profession. Also in the fray were the hundreds of poets, intellectuals and teachers who wrote, fought and were martyred.

British records of the time as well as songs and stories of legends passed down from generations give us a bare idea of the women involved in the struggle. Unfortunately very often we get no more information than a few lines about the person. Some profiles that make us pause are - Motibai who was a canon-feeder in the army of Lakshmibai of Jhansi. She was martyred on 4 June 1858 on the battlefield. Mundarbai was security-in-charge of the Rani. She fought alongside her in several battles with the British and their allies. 

And then there was the Courtesan who lived on the edge of society in northern India. She was an independent, self-employed and educated woman who survived and thrived by her artistry and wits, beholden to no man. She was a highly trained expert in dance, music and poetry.  Her ambience was the royal courts or her own salon, and did not fall within the constraints of the life of a married woman. She lived on the margins of society and was not bound by any of its rules. Her property and her time were her own, to use as she wished. 

Courtesans, 1800s

(Source: Wikimedia.org)

The courtesan - financially independent, in the know of things 

Records show that successful courtesans were among the highest tax payers of Kanpur and Lucknow. Their salons employed a variety of professionals -  dancing girls who had to be hired and trained, accompanying musicians, doormen, watchmen, errand boys, tailors, palanquin-carriers, specialty cooks. Several courtesans owned retail establishments and orchards, were gifted land and property from which they earned rent. Thus they were significant contributors to the local economy.

  

When the British took over Lucknow from Wajid Ali Shah, they did not take into account the culture of the place. In their highhanded manner they imposed British law, a law which did not appreciate the subtle difference between courtesans and prostitutes. The women were equated by law for regular and periodic testing for disease to protect British soldiers. This was a loss of face that many courtesans could not accept. 

Apart from this change of governance that turned their lives upside down and caused a lot of anger and disturbance, the courtesans were women who were very aware of current happenings, knew important men in town from whom they got information. They were fully aware of the struggle for independence gaining momentum by the day, and so had to take difficult decisions about the uncertain future. 

No Half-measures

Many courtesans made the choice and donated funds to the cause of the struggle of 1857. They did not stop there. Many allowed the use of their homes as safe houses for meetings and to hide people on the run as the British searched for the rebels as the movement spread. 

Aziz un Nisa went one step further. She decided to join the fight. 

The motivations for taking part were naturally different for each group. The leaders were fighting against the arrogant way in which the British were displacing the rulers. The landed gentry was fighting to protect their properties. And the women who fought were most likely not even expected to be in the group. 

Yet something propelled Aziz un Nisa and several other women to bear arms and be present. We have no record of what sentiment drove her resolve. Whatever the reason, as a woman of the world with the varied experiences that a courtesan was privy to, Aziz un Nisa’s decision would have been a calculated, measured one.

She wore men's clothes, rode among the men fearlessly with her pistols ready. She helped organise food and medical aid when necessary.

The Aftermath

After the turmoil, the British were aware of the support courtesans had extended to the revolutionaries in several ways, and penalised the women heavily. Many lost previously gifted lands which were confiscated by the British just to reduce their elite status and influence in society. The British raided the salons, carted away precious objects and physically destroyed the place. The courtesans had already lost royal patronage by this time, so this was a double punishment. 

The events of 1857 saw a sea-change in the governance of British-held territory in India. It passed from the East India Company to the British crown. Victorian morality ensured the abolition of the courtesan and her milieu. 

Ref:

Indian First War of Independence 1857: Hindu, Muslim, Sikh Unity, Mass and Women Participation, Shamsul Islam

Visibilising the Other in History - Courtesans and the Revolt, Lata Singh

#BlogchatterA2Z     https://www.theblogchatter.com/

A word about BlogchatterA2Z - This is an annual event during which I have taken up the challenge of blogging on Women in Indian History starting with A and ending in Z during the month of April, 2021. Here then is C - Courtesans and Common Folk who fought the British in 1857. Drop in everyday to read my posts on other interesting women as I work my way down the alphabet to Z!