Introduction #
As Lord Lytton, Edward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, served as Viceroy of India from 1876 to 1880. He was an English politician. He is well known as a brutal viceroy due to the way he handled the Second Anglo-Afghan War and the Great Indian Famine of 1876–1878. When he was sent to Florence in 1852, his diplomatic career really got going. Before being named British Consul General in Belgrade in 1860, he worked in a number of other European capitals, such as St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Paris.
Significant Events During His Tenure #
Royal Titles Act 1876 #
One of Prime Minister Disraeli’s infamously imperialist policies was the Royal Titles Act of 1876.
- The British imperial title was agreed to be used only in India. It was first used by the Queen in 1878 and on British coins in 1893.
- At the Delhi Durbar in 1877, she was given the formal title Kaisar-i-Hind, which means “Empress of India.”
Delhi Darbar Of 1877 #
A Grand Darbar was held in Delhi on January 1, 1877, a few months after Queen Victoria was sworn in as the country’s viceroy and declared the empress of India.
- The “Kaisar-i-Hind” title was bestowed upon Queen Victoria during this Darbar.
Great Famine Of 1876 #
The monsoon season in 1877 wasn’t much better because the ones in 1876 had failed to produce the proper amount of rain.
- This prolonged drought, which spanned from the Deccan to Cape Comorin and then moved to northern India, resulted in a famine that was more widespread than any other known in Indian history.
- Some historians have claimed that the Poet Viceroy Lord Lytton was directly responsible for the murder of 10 million people during the Famine of 1876–1877 because of his unwavering implantation of British trading policies.
Vernacular Press Act 1878 #
The country’s vernacular press experienced a notable expansion in the second half of the 19th century, and newspapers helped to spark the emergence of a new sociopolitical consciousness.
- Newspapers used to only be published in Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, and Allahabad, but later began to appear in other, smaller cities as well.
- Since the majority of newspapers were produced in smaller cities, they were all written in regional tongues. There were 20 English newspapers when this statute was passed in 1878, but there are now 200.
- The people were aware of political issues thanks to these local media, and they gradually began to inquire about their rights. Therefore, Lord Lytton passed the Vernacular Press Act in the interests of the Government.
Second Anglo-Afghan War 1878-80 #
The events of Afghanistan once more compelled attention in the winter of 1878. The British were humiliated at the end of the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1842, and this defeat followed them for a long time.
- Treaty of Peshawar(1855): In 1855, Dost Mohammad and the British signed the Treaty of Peshawar, which reestablished diplomatic ties. After a string of occurrences, Russia drew a firm line between Afghanistan and its lands in 1873.
- Treaty of Gandamak(1879): During the second Anglo-Afghan war, the British took control of a sizable portion of Afghanistan. After losing, Sher Ali fled in the direction of Turkistan. Mohammad Yaqub Khan, Sher Ali’s son, signed the Gandamak Treaty in May 1879 to stop a British invasion of the rest of the nation.
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Conclusion #
Without question, Lytton was a thinker, yet he failed miserably to dominate India. According to experts, Lytton and Curzon were the two viceroys who had the greatest negative impact on India and England’s standing there. The general populace became dissatisfied with Lytton’s unpopular and oppressive policies. Now that the discontent had spread, it was dangerous. His initiatives prepared the way for India’s nationalism to take hold.
