Francis Rawdon Hastings (1813-1823): (Marques Of Hastings)

Introduction #

Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, served as Governor General of India from 1813-1823. He fought alongside British forces during the American Revolutionary War and the War of the First Coalition. He arrived in Kolkata in 1813 and secured a loan from the local nawab-vizier in Lucknow to defeat the Gurkhas of Nepal in 1816.

Important Events Of Hastings Tenure #

When Hastings first arrived in India, he lamented the numerous disputes that his forefathers had left behind, each of which required the “decision of arms.” Hastings was mostly involved in war throughout his time in India, but he was also active in civic activities.

• Significant wars: Two of these were the Gurkha War and the Third Anglo-Maratha War, which was the final Maratha uprising against the British.
• Forcing Maratha into Subsidiary Alliance: In order to force the Marathas to embrace the Subsidiary Alliance and complete the consolidation of British dominance over all of India east of the Sutlej and Sind, the English armies defeated the Peshwa, the ruler of Nagpur, and the Raja of Indore one after the other.
• In 1819, Hastings acquired Singapore, a key strategic location in Southeast Asia.
• In order to emphasise British dominance in India, Lord Hastings also stopped presenting the putative Mughal emperor with official presents.

Evaluation Of Hastings Tenure #

He oversaw the building of roads and bridges as well as the digging of canals as part of the public works projects.

• By founding the Hindu College in Calcutta in 1817 and pushing missionaries to construct a printing press and a college at Serampore, he fostered education among Indians.
• He advocated the appointment of Indian judges and increased the number of courthouses.

Conclusion #

Despite having strong civilian colleagues to help him, he occasionally made poor hiring decisions and became caught up in the murky business dealings of the Palmer Company. Hastings’ capable leadership, however, came to an end in disgrace due to his indulgence in a banking house. The home authorities censured him even though he was free of any suspicion of corrupt intent. In 1823, he left his position and went back to England. In 1824, he was appointed to the relatively low-level position of governor of Malta. To atone for their vote of censure, members of the India House contributed £20,000 to trustees for the benefit of Hastings’ son in 1828, two years after Hastings’s passing.

Regarding Francis Hastings FAQs #

Q1. What is the Sagauli Treaty?

Ans. Lord Hastings and Gurkhas engaged in conventional combat for two years, but they were unable to defeat the British forces and were forced to accept the Treaty of Sagauli in March 1816. 

Q2. Which conflicts took place under Lord Hastings?

Ans. The Gurkha insurrection and the Pindari menace were the two most serious. Soon after his arrival, he was obliged to engage in combat with the Gurkhas, who had started ravaging the Gangetic plains’ northernmost regions.

Q3. What was Lord Hastings’s policy?

Ans. During his tenure as Governor-General of India (1813–1833), Lord Hastings introduced a new “paramountcy” strategy. According to the Company, this approach gave it more power than Indian states because its authority was absolute or paramount.