How did the treaty of Yandeboo lead to the annexation of Assam by the British?

Discuss the history of acquisition of Upper and Lower Assam by the British.

Discuss the history of annexation of Upper and Lower Assam by the British.

 Introduction

The Treaty of Yandabur of 1826 was a landmark event in the history of Assam. This treaty ended Burmese rule in Assam on the one hand and paved the way for British rule on the other. In fact, during the First Inga Brahmo War, King Gobind Chandra of Cachar, Raja Ramsingh of Jaintia, Raja Gambhir Singh of Manipur etc. signed an alliance agreement with the company and gave allegiance to the company. As a result, before the Treaty of Yandabur was signed in 1826, the entire Brahmaputra valley came under British control without a fight, and in 1828 Lower Assam was officially incorporated into Bangladesh and the British Empire.

Acquisition of Lower Assam by the British

The acquisition of Lower Assam by the British, however, is disputed among historians as to whether the British acquired legal rights to Assam through the Treaty of Yandabur. In fact the Treaty of Yandabur of 1826 was signed between Burmese and Company authorities. There was no signature or permission of the Ahom king or the subjects in that treaty. But at that moment no one in Assam opposed the British power but raised their hands and congratulated the Company officials for pulling the plug on Burmese misrule. Because while ousting the Burmese forces from Rangpur, the capital of Upper Assam in 1825, the British officer David Scott declared that “the Company's army had come to Assam not for the purpose of conquering Assam, but for the sake of defense and to take necessary measures to prevent the Burmese enemies from harassing them again. . In the wake of David Scott's declaration, there was a feeling in Assam at that time that the East India Company's military rule would be short-lived and that the Company's army would withdraw from Assam once conditions normalized. But within a few days this idea of ​​Assamese was proved to be wrong. The Treaty of Yandabur replaced the Burmese aggressive policy with British aggression and in view of this Treaty of Yandabur, the East India Company made Assam a colony and enslaved it. This subjugation began in 1828 when Lower Assam, including Guwahati, was formally annexed to the British Empire.

Acquisition of Upper Assam by the British

Acquisition of Upper Assam by the British The acquisition of Lower Assam by the British in 1828 raised doubts among many about the Company's true intentions. As a result, the Ahom elite declared a rebellion under the leadership of Dhananjaya Bargohai in November 1828 to establish Gomadhar Kuntar, a member of the royal family, on the empty throne of the Ahoms in order to protect their existence. But as a result of the repression of the British, Dhananjaya fled and took refuge in the Naga Pahar, and the first attempt at a coup against the British failed.

 A few days after the first attempt failed, in 1830 Dhananjaya made another attempt to usurp the Ahom throne. He declared Rup Chand Kuntar as the claimant to the Ahom throne and called for an anti-British campaign by rallying the disgruntled leaders of various tribes like Moamaria, Khamti, Singpho, Khasi, Garo, Naga etc. The British government also suppressed this revolt with great ruthlessness. Many rebel leaders including Rupchand, Dhananjay were publicly hanged. The remaining rebels were either exiled or sentenced to up to 14 years in prison. Later another attempt was made to usurp the Ahom throne under the leadership of Gadadhar Singh. The rebellion was nipped in the bud under the watchful eye of the British.

Although three successive revolts against the British failed, learning from these revolts, the East India Company was forced to make some changes in its policy of subjugation and expansion of the British kingdom in Assam. David Scott's proposal to Governor General William Bentinck to make Upper Assam a tributary state with a loyal claimant to the vacant Ahom throne was accepted. As a result, in October 1832, the East India Company decided to return the throne to Purandar Singh with the capital at Jorhat. In return, Purandar Singh was asked to pay a tax of Rs 50,000 per annum and to obey the British Political Agent's orders. That is, in 1833, Upper Assam became a tributary state of the British.

 The policy followed by David Scott was abandoned by the later British Commissioners Robertson (1831–34), Francis Jenkins (1834–61) and Hopkinson (1861–74). During this time, the Company's authorities planned to absorb the neighboring small autonomous states in addition to the Ahom-ruled territory. Based on this, Purandar Singh was removed in 1838 on charges of failure to deposit certain revenues in the company's treasury on time, mismanagement, deterioration of law and order etc. This resulted in the end of the Ahom dynasty established under the leadership of Sukafa in 1228 AD. The British government formally annexed Upper Assam as part of the British Empire in 1838. On this basis North and South Cachar, Khasi Pahar, Jaintia State, Mikir Hills, Moran or Matak State, Nagapahar etc. were also included in the British Empire.