British India relation with Neighbouring Countries

Anglo-Bhutanese Relations

• Frequent raids by Bhutanese into adjoining territories in Assam and Bengal and the bad treatment meted out to Elgin’s envoy in 1863-64 and the treaty imposed on him
• British were forced to surrender the passes leading to Assam, led to British annexation of these passes and the stopping of allowance paid to the Bhutanese.
• 1865, the Bhutanese were forced to surrender the passes in return for an annual subsidy.

Anglo-Nepal Relations (Treaty of Sagauli, 1816)

• Gorkhas wrested control of Nepal from the successors of Ranjit Malla of Bhatgaon in 1760.
• 1801, the English annexed Gorakhpur which brought the Gorkhas’ boundary and the Company’s boundary together
• Conflict started due to the Gorkhas’ capture of Butwal and Sheoraj in the period of Lord Hastings (1813-23)
• Treaty of Sagauli, 1816
• Accepted a British resident & ceded the districts of Garhwal and Kumaon, claim Teri & also withdrew from Sikkim.

Anglo-Burma Relations

• Wanted to expand westward.
• British manufactures in Burma and the need to check French ambitions in Burma

First Anglo-Burma War, 1824-26 - Treaty of Yandabo

• Burmese expansion westwards and occupation of Arakan and Manipur, and the threat to Assam and the Brahmaputra Valley.
• British expeditionary forces occupied Rangoon in May 1824.
• Treaty of Yandabo
• Cede of Arakan and Tenasserim & abandon claims on Assam, Cachar and Jaintia.
• Manipur as an independent state & Accept a British resident at Ava.

Second Anglo-Burma War, 1852

• British commercial need and the imperialist policy of Lord Dalhousie.
• Timber resources of upper Burma & inroads into the Burmese market

Third Anglo-Burma War, 1885

• British merchants at Rangoon and lower Burma had been complaining about the step-motherly treatment by Thibaw.
• Negotiating commercial treaties with the rival powers of France, Germany and Italy.
• Humiliating fine had been imposed on a British timber company by Thibaw
• Burmese nationalists joined hands with the Indian National Congress.
• Further intensified under U Aung San during the Second World War, which finally led to the independence of Burma on January 4, 1948.

Anglo-Tibetan Relations

• Ruled by a theocracy of Buddhist monks (lamas) under nominal suzerainty of China.
• Friendly and commercial relations, not yielded any result.
• Chinese suzerainty over Tibet was ineffective and Russian influence at Lhasa was increasing.
• Curzon felt alarmed and sent a small Gorkha contingent under Colonel Younghusband on a special mission to Tibet to oblige the Tibetans to come to an agreement.
• Tibetans refused to negotiate and offered non-violent resistance.
• Younghusband pushed his way into Lhasa (August 1904) while the Dalai Lama fled.
• Treaty of Lhasa (1904)
• Great Britain some control over foreign affairs of Tibet.
• Only China gained in the end out of the whole affair because the Anglo-Russian convention of 1907.
• Curzon’s policy counteracted all Russian schemes in Tibet.

Anglo-Afghan Relations

• Increased Russian influence in Persia replaced British influence.
• New route by River Euphrates to India.
• After Treaty of Turkomanchai (1828), English got alarmed about possible Russian plans regarding India.

Forward Policy of Auckland

• Governor-general in 1836 & Company government in India itself had to take initiatives to protect the boundary of British India from a probable Russian attack
• Either through treaties with the neighbouring countries or by annexing them completely.
• Amir of Afghanistan, Dost Mohammed, wanted British friendship but made it conditional on the British helping him to recover Peshawar from the Sikhs. British government in India rejected.
• Dost Mohammed now turned to Russia and Persia for help.
• Tripartite Treaty (1838) - British, Sikhs and Shah Shuja (deposed from the Afghan throne in 1809).
• Shah Shuja be enthroned with the armed help of the Sikhs.
• Shah Shuja conduct foreign affairs with the advice of the Sikhs and the British.
• Give up sovereign rights over Amir of Sindh & Recognise  the Sikh ruler.

First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842)

• British decided to go ahead with their forward policy. This resulted in the First Afghan War (1839-42), British intention was to establish a permanent barrier.
• English army entered triumphantly into Kabul (August 1839) after a successful attack. Most of the tribes had already been won over by bribes. Dost Mohammed surrendered (1840) and Shah Shuja was made the Amir of Afghanistan.
• British withdrew, Afghans rose in rebellion, killing the garrison commander in Kabul, British were compelled to sign a treaty (1841) to restore Dost Mohammed.
• British re-occupied Kabul in September 1842 & settlement with Dost Mohammed.

John Lawrence’s Policy of Masterly Inactivity

• Reaction to the disasters of the First Afghan War.
• Dost Mohammed died in 1863, there was no interference in the war of succession.
• That the peace at the frontier was not disturbed.
• No candidate in civil war sought foreign help.
• Sher Ali established himself on the throne, Lawrence tried to cultivate friendship with him.

Lytton and the Policy of Proud Reserve

• Nominee of the Conservative government under Benjamin Disraeli (1874-80). became the Viceroy of India in 1876
• Foreign policy of ‘proud reserve’, Scientific frontiers and safeguarding 'spheres of influence'.
• Relations with Afghanistan could no longer be left ambiguous.

Second Anglo-Afghan War (1870-80)

• Favourable treaty to Sher Ali
• Amir wanted friendship with both his powerful neighbours, Russia and British India.
• Later, Sher Ali refused to keep a British envoy in Kabul while having earlier granted a similar concession to the Russians.
• Russians withdrew their envoy from Kabul, Lytton decided to invade Afghanistan.
• Treaty of Gandamak (May 1879), signed with Yakub Khan, the eldest son of Sher Ali.
• Foreign policy with the advice of Government of India;
• Permanent British resident be stationed at Kabul.
• Yakub had to abdicate under popular pressure, British had to recapture Kabul and Kandhar, Abdur Rehman became the new Amir & policy of keeping Afghanistan as a buffer state.
• (After the First World War and the Russian Revolution (1917), the Afghans demanded full independence.
• New ruler Amamullah declared open war on the British, Peace came in 1921 when Afghanistan recovered independence in foreign affairs.

North-West Frontier

• Durand Line between Afghan and British territories.
• Durand Agreement (1893) failed to keep peace and soon there were tribal uprisings till 1898.
• Curzon, policy of withdrawal and concentration. British troops withdrew from advanced posts which were replaced by tribal levies, trained and commanded by British officers.
• Created the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) directly under the Government of India.
• Curzon’s policies resulted in a peaceful north-west frontier.
• In January 1932, it was announced that the NWFP was to be constituted as a governor’s province. Since 1947, the province belongs to Pakistan.