HPAS 2023 GS1 Question 2

HPAS 2023 Mains GS-1 Question 2

Give an account of three important events of Governor General Lord Ellenborough’s period.

Solution:

Lord Ellenborough’s tenure as Governor-General of India (1842-1844) was short but highly eventful, characterized by a belligerent, expansionist foreign policy and a significant social reform. Three of the most important events from his period are:

1. Conclusion of the First Anglo-Afghan War (1842)

Ellenborough inherited the disastrous First Anglo-Afghan War from his predecessor, Lord Auckland. The British had suffered a catastrophic retreat from Kabul. Ellenborough’s primary task was to end the war, but only after “avenging” the British defeat to restore prestige.

• He dispatched an “Army of Retribution” under Generals Nott and Pollock, which recaptured Kabul and Kandahar.
• The army “rescued” British prisoners and, in a final act of vengeance, destroyed the Grand Bazaar in Kabul.
• His policy culminated in the infamous “Gates of Somnath” Proclamation, where he theatrically announced the return of gates from Ghazni (falsely believed to be from the Somnath temple). This act was widely criticized in Britain and India as divisive and historically inaccurate.

2. The Annexation of Sindh (1843)

This was a clear act of British imperialism, driven by a desire to secure the Indus River for trade and create a buffer against potential threats from the northwest.

The annexation was so unjust that its commander, Sir Charles Napier, reportedly sent a one-word dispatch in Latin: “Peccavi” (I have sinned).

• Ellenborough sent Sir Charles Napier to Sindh with broad powers. Napier, exceeding his mandate, provoked the Amirs of Sindh into conflict.
• The British won decisive victories at the battles of Miani and Hyderabad.
• Sindh was formally annexed to the Bombay Presidency, a move even directors of the East India Company condemned as morally indefensible, though strategically valuable.

3. The Abolition of Slavery (Act V of 1843)

In stark contrast to his aggressive foreign policy, Ellenborough’s administration passed a landmark social reform, the Indian Slavery Act, 1843 (Act V).

• The act did not immediately abolish slavery but made it legally unenforceable.
• It stated that no court would recognize the status of “slave,” and no person could be sold as a slave in execution of a court decree.
• This effectively ended the legal basis for slavery in the territories of the East India Company, paving the way for its eventual disappearance.

Another significant event was the Gwalior War (1843), where a short, decisive campaign defeated the Maratha army and established a British residency, effectively ending Gwalior’s independence.

Concise Model Answer (150-Word Limit)

Lord Ellenborough’s brief tenure (1842-1844) was marked by three significant events that expanded and altered British India.

1. Conclusion of the First Anglo-Afghan War (1842): He inherited this disaster and “avenged” the British defeat by sending an “Army of Retribution” to sack Kabul. He ended the war and withdrew British troops, issuing the controversial “Gates of Somnath” proclamation.
2. Annexation of Sindh (1843): In a blatant act of imperialism, he provoked the Amirs of Sindh. The British army under Sir Charles Napier won the battles of Miani and Hyderabad, leading to the annexation of the strategically important region.
3. Abolition of Slavery (Act V of 1843): A landmark social reform, this act made slavery legally unenforceable in Company territories, banning the sale of slaves and recognition of “slave” status by any court.

His aggressive policies in Sindh and Gwalior (1843) were so controversial that he was eventually recalled.