From Vasco da Gama (1498) to the annexation of Awadh (1856) on one page: companies, battles, treaties, policies and the colonial economy. For explanations, go back to the [chapter](/history/british-expansion/).

{{< callout type="tip" title="How to use this sheet" >}}
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. **Bold** entries are the facts examiners return to most often.
{{< /callout >}}

## European Companies

| Power | Company / year | First or key settlement | Key names |
|-------|---------------|------------------------|-----------|
| Portuguese | Estado da India | **Calicut 1498**; **Goa 1510** | Vasco da Gama, **Almeida** (Blue Water), **Albuquerque** |
| Dutch | **VOC 1602** | **Masulipatnam 1605**, Pulicat 1610 | Lost at Colachel 1741 and Bedara 1759 |
| English | **EIC, 31 Dec 1600** | **Surat 1613**, Madras 1639, Bombay 1668, Calcutta 1690 | Hawkins, Thomas Roe, Francis Day, Job Charnock |
| Danes | 1616 | **Tranquebar 1620**, Serampore 1755 | Sold out to the English 1845 |
| French | **1664** (Colbert) | **Surat 1668**, Pondicherry 1673–74 | François Caron, François Martin, **Dupleix** |

| Fact | Detail |
|------|--------|
| **Farrukhsiyar's farman (1717)** | Duty-free Bengal trade for ₹3,000 a year; "Magna Carta" of the Company |
| Carnatic I (1746–48) | St Thome (Adyar); Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle |
| Carnatic II (1749–54) | Ambur; Clive at Arcot (1751); Treaty of Pondicherry |
| **Carnatic III (1756–63)** | **Wandiwash 1760** (Eyre Coote vs Lally); **Treaty of Paris 1763** |

## Bengal: 1756–1772

| Fact | Detail |
|------|--------|
| Siraj-ud-daulah | Nawab 1756; took Calcutta June 1756 |
| Treaty of Alinagar | February 1757 |
| **Plassey** | **23 June 1757**; Clive; Mir Jafar's betrayal |
| Mir Kasim | Nawab 1760; Burdwan, Midnapore, Chittagong ceded; capital Monghyr |
| **Buxar** | **22 October 1764**; Hector Munro vs Mir Kasim + Shuja-ud-daula + Shah Alam II |
| **Treaty of Allahabad** | **August 1765**; Diwani of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa; ₹26 lakh a year to Shah Alam; ₹50 lakh from Shuja |
| Dual Government | 1765–1772; deputy diwans Muhammad Reza Khan, Shitab Rai; ended by Warren Hastings |
| Bengal famine | 1769–70 |

## Expansion Policies

| Policy | Who | Key fact |
|--------|-----|----------|
| Ring fence | Warren Hastings | Buffer states (Awadh) |
| **Subsidiary Alliance** | **Wellesley (1798)** | **Hyderabad 1798 first**; Mysore 1799; Awadh 1801; Peshwa 1802 (Bassein) |
| Paramountcy | Lord Hastings (1813–23) | Third Anglo-Maratha War |
| **Doctrine of Lapse** | **Dalhousie (1848–56)** | **Satara 1848**, Jaitpur and Sambalpur 1849, Baghat 1850, **Udaipur (CG) 1852**, **Jhansi 1853**, **Nagpur 1854** |
| Not lapse | Dalhousie | Punjab 1849 (conquest); Lower Burma 1852 (war); Berar 1853 (arrears); **Awadh 1856 (misgovernment)** |

## Wars and Treaties

| War | Ending treaty / result |
|-----|-----------------------|
| Mysore I (1767–69) | Treaty of Madras |
| Mysore II (1780–84) | Treaty of Mangalore |
| Mysore III (1790–92) | Treaty of Seringapatam (Cornwallis) |
| Mysore IV (1799) | Tipu killed; Wodeyars restored |
| Maratha I (1775–82) | **Treaty of Salbai** |
| Maratha II (1803–05) | Deogaon (Bhonsle), Surji-Arjangaon (Scindia), Rajghat (Holkar) |
| Maratha III (1817–18) | Peshwa abolished; Sitabuldi (Nov 1817) |
| Sikh I (1845–46) | Treaty of Lahore; Bhyrowal |
| Sikh II (1848–49) | Punjab annexed 1849 |

## Chhattisgarh Link

| Year | Event |
|------|-------|
| Nov 1817 | Appa Sahib defeated at Sitabuldi |
| **1818–1830** | British superintendents run Chhattisgarh; HQ to Raipur |
| 1852 | Udaipur lapses (restored 1860) |
| Dec 1853 | Raghuji III dies without heir |
| **1854** | Nagpur kingdom, including Chhattisgarh, annexed under lapse |
| Land tenure | **Malguzari** system: malguzars made proprietors |

## Colonial Economy

| Fact | Detail |
|------|--------|
| **Permanent Settlement** | **Cornwallis 1793**; zamindars; Sunset Law; about 19% of British India |
| **Ryotwari** | **Read and Munro**; Madras 1820; about 51% |
| **Mahalwari** | **Holt Mackenzie 1822**; revised 1833; about 30% |
| Charter Act 1813 | Ends trade monopoly except tea and China |
| Charter Act 1833 | Ends all commercial functions |
| **Drain theory** | **Dadabhai Naoroji**, *Poverty and Un-British Rule in India* (1901); R.C. Dutt, *Economic History of India* |
| Indigo Revolt | 1859–60; *Nil Darpan* |
| Famine Commissions | Strachey 1880, Lyall 1898, MacDonnell 1901 |
| First train | 16 April 1853, Bombay–Thane |

## Don't Confuse

| This | vs | That |
|------|----|------|
| Hector Munro: Buxar 1764 | | Thomas Munro: Ryotwari 1820 |
| Warren Hastings: ring fence, ended Dual Government | | Lord Hastings: paramountcy, Third Maratha War |
| Treaty of Salbai (1782): ends Maratha I | | Treaty of Bassein (1802): starts Maratha II |
| Treaty of Amritsar 1809: Ranjit Singh, Sutlej line | | Treaty of Amritsar 1846: Kashmir to Gulab Singh |
| Almeida: Blue Water Policy | | Albuquerque: Goa 1510 |
| Diwani: revenue + civil justice | | Nizamat: police + criminal justice |
| 1818: British supervision of Chhattisgarh | | 1854: annexation of Chhattisgarh |

{{< callout type="warning" title="Favourite MCQ trap" >}}
"Awadh was annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse" and "Clive won the Battle of Buxar" are the two most common false statements in this chapter. Awadh was annexed for **misgovernment** (1856), and Buxar was won by **Hector Munro**.
{{< /callout >}}

---
Source: https://cgpscnotes.in/history/british-expansion/quick-revision/

History Advent of Europeans and British Expansion

Advent of Europeans and British Expansion — Quick Revision

One-page CGPSC quick revision for Advent of Europeans and British Expansion: every date, treaty, battle and land system in tables.

4 min read Updated Oct 2026 #quick revision#cgpsc#british expansion

From Vasco da Gama (1498) to the annexation of Awadh (1856) on one page: companies, battles, treaties, policies and the colonial economy. For explanations, go back to the chapter.

How to use this sheet

Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often.

European Companies

Power	Company / year	First or key settlement	Key names
Portuguese	Estado da India	Calicut 1498; Goa 1510	Vasco da Gama, Almeida (Blue Water), Albuquerque
Dutch	VOC 1602	Masulipatnam 1605, Pulicat 1610	Lost at Colachel 1741 and Bedara 1759
English	EIC, 31 Dec 1600	Surat 1613, Madras 1639, Bombay 1668, Calcutta 1690	Hawkins, Thomas Roe, Francis Day, Job Charnock
Danes	1616	Tranquebar 1620, Serampore 1755	Sold out to the English 1845
French	1664 (Colbert)	Surat 1668, Pondicherry 1673–74	François Caron, François Martin, Dupleix

Fact	Detail
Farrukhsiyar’s farman (1717)	Duty-free Bengal trade for ₹3,000 a year; “Magna Carta” of the Company
Carnatic I (1746–48)	St Thome (Adyar); Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Carnatic II (1749–54)	Ambur; Clive at Arcot (1751); Treaty of Pondicherry
Carnatic III (1756–63)	Wandiwash 1760 (Eyre Coote vs Lally); Treaty of Paris 1763

Bengal: 1756–1772

Fact	Detail
Siraj-ud-daulah	Nawab 1756; took Calcutta June 1756
Treaty of Alinagar	February 1757
Plassey	23 June 1757; Clive; Mir Jafar’s betrayal
Mir Kasim	Nawab 1760; Burdwan, Midnapore, Chittagong ceded; capital Monghyr
Buxar	22 October 1764; Hector Munro vs Mir Kasim + Shuja-ud-daula + Shah Alam II
Treaty of Allahabad	August 1765; Diwani of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa; ₹26 lakh a year to Shah Alam; ₹50 lakh from Shuja
Dual Government	1765–1772; deputy diwans Muhammad Reza Khan, Shitab Rai; ended by Warren Hastings
Bengal famine	1769–70

Expansion Policies

Policy	Who	Key fact
Ring fence	Warren Hastings	Buffer states (Awadh)
Subsidiary Alliance	Wellesley (1798)	Hyderabad 1798 first; Mysore 1799; Awadh 1801; Peshwa 1802 (Bassein)
Paramountcy	Lord Hastings (1813–23)	Third Anglo-Maratha War
Doctrine of Lapse	Dalhousie (1848–56)	Satara 1848, Jaitpur and Sambalpur 1849, Baghat 1850, Udaipur (CG) 1852, Jhansi 1853, Nagpur 1854
Not lapse	Dalhousie	Punjab 1849 (conquest); Lower Burma 1852 (war); Berar 1853 (arrears); Awadh 1856 (misgovernment)

Wars and Treaties

War	Ending treaty / result
Mysore I (1767–69)	Treaty of Madras
Mysore II (1780–84)	Treaty of Mangalore
Mysore III (1790–92)	Treaty of Seringapatam (Cornwallis)
Mysore IV (1799)	Tipu killed; Wodeyars restored
Maratha I (1775–82)	Treaty of Salbai
Maratha II (1803–05)	Deogaon (Bhonsle), Surji-Arjangaon (Scindia), Rajghat (Holkar)
Maratha III (1817–18)	Peshwa abolished; Sitabuldi (Nov 1817)
Sikh I (1845–46)	Treaty of Lahore; Bhyrowal
Sikh II (1848–49)	Punjab annexed 1849

Chhattisgarh Link

Year	Event
Nov 1817	Appa Sahib defeated at Sitabuldi
1818–1830	British superintendents run Chhattisgarh; HQ to Raipur
1852	Udaipur lapses (restored 1860)
Dec 1853	Raghuji III dies without heir
1854	Nagpur kingdom, including Chhattisgarh, annexed under lapse
Land tenure	Malguzari system: malguzars made proprietors

Colonial Economy

Fact	Detail
Permanent Settlement	Cornwallis 1793; zamindars; Sunset Law; about 19% of British India
Ryotwari	Read and Munro; Madras 1820; about 51%
Mahalwari	Holt Mackenzie 1822; revised 1833; about 30%
Charter Act 1813	Ends trade monopoly except tea and China
Charter Act 1833	Ends all commercial functions
Drain theory	Dadabhai Naoroji, Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901); R.C. Dutt, Economic History of India
Indigo Revolt	1859–60; Nil Darpan
Famine Commissions	Strachey 1880, Lyall 1898, MacDonnell 1901
First train	16 April 1853, Bombay–Thane

Don’t Confuse

This	vs	That
Hector Munro: Buxar 1764		Thomas Munro: Ryotwari 1820
Warren Hastings: ring fence, ended Dual Government		Lord Hastings: paramountcy, Third Maratha War
Treaty of Salbai (1782): ends Maratha I		Treaty of Bassein (1802): starts Maratha II
Treaty of Amritsar 1809: Ranjit Singh, Sutlej line		Treaty of Amritsar 1846: Kashmir to Gulab Singh
Almeida: Blue Water Policy		Albuquerque: Goa 1510
Diwani: revenue + civil justice		Nizamat: police + criminal justice
1818: British supervision of Chhattisgarh		1854: annexation of Chhattisgarh

Favourite MCQ trap

“Awadh was annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse” and “Clive won the Battle of Buxar” are the two most common false statements in this chapter. Awadh was annexed for misgovernment (1856), and Buxar was won by Hector Munro.

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