Question

Information about Lord Dalhousie

Answer 1

Lord Dalhousie arrived in India on January 2, 1848. As Governor-General of India, he supervised the whole administrative apparatus of the British East India Company. The Company held territories and maintained alliances and spheres of influence with Indian princes. Some princes welcomed the Company allowing them to keep their titles along with a healthy pension, but some resisted just like what the Punjabi Sikhs did.

By the time Dalhousie arrived, a brutal and difficult Sikh War just ended and he had to oversee the pacification of remaining resistance to the advance of British control. In April 1848, a local rebellion erupted in Multan. The rebellion grew quickly around the surrounding towns and villages dragging entire Punjab into conflict. In November, Dalhousie sent in the army to quell the rebellion only to face tough resistance. The British army found it difficult to mobilize in full force due to lack of adequate supplies and transport. On November, the British launched counter attacks against the rebels. By February, the British retook Multan, the center of the rebellion, and by March the 2 sides signed the Treaty of Lahore where Britain annexed Punjab.