History – GK Questions

The University of Calcutta was established in 1857, along with universities in Bombay and Madras. These were modeled after the University of London and focused on affiliated colleges. [[30]]

Charles Wood's Despatch (1854) recommended establishing universities, promoting female education, and introducing a graded school system. It laid the foundation for modern education in India. [[1]]

Macaulay's Minute (1835) advocated for English education to create 'a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste and opinions'. This led to the English Education Act of 1835. [[30]]

Lord Canning served as Governor-General (1856-58) and became the first Viceroy of India (1858-62) after the Government of India Act 1858 transferred power from the Company to the Crown. [[1]]

Lord William Bentinck, with support from Raja Ram Mohan Roy, abolished Sati through Regulation XVII of 1829, prohibiting the immolation of widows on their husbands' funeral pyres. [[30]]

Lord Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha in 1793. It fixed land revenue permanently and recognized zamindars as landowners, creating a loyal landlord class. [[1]]

Lord Dalhousie (1848-56) introduced the Doctrine of Lapse, annexing princely states like Satara, Jhansi, and Nagpur that lacked a natural male heir. This policy fueled resentment leading to the 1857 Revolt. [[30]]

Warren Hastings served as the first Governor-General of Bengal (1773-85) under the Regulating Act of 1773. He established administrative foundations but was later impeached for alleged corruption. [[1]]

The Battle of Wandiwash (January 22, 1760) saw British forces under Sir Eyre Coote defeat the French under Comte de Lally. This victory effectively ended French military ambitions in India. [[30]]

Joseph François Dupleix served as French Governor-General of Pondicherry (1742-54). He pioneered the policy of intervening in local succession disputes to expand French influence, though ultimately unsuccessful. [[1]]

The Treaty of Paris (1763) ended the Seven Years' War globally and the Third Carnatic War in India. France regained its trading posts but agreed not to fortify them, effectively ending French political ambitions in India. [[30]]

The Battle of Plassey (1757) occurred after the Carnatic Wars. The Third Carnatic War (1756-63) ended with the Treaty of Paris (1763), which confirmed British supremacy over the French in India. [[1]]

The First Carnatic War (1746-48) was the Indian theatre of the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48) in Europe. It saw French forces under Dupleix capture Madras from the British. [[30]]

Queen Elizabeth I granted a royal charter to the British East India Company on December 31, 1600, giving it a monopoly on English trade with the East Indies for 15 years. [[1]]

The French East India Company was founded in 1664 during the reign of Louis XIV, under the guidance of Finance Minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Pondicherry became their main settlement in India. [[30]]

The Dutch established their first factory at Masulipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) in 1605. They later set up centers at Pulicat, Nagapattinam, and Chinsurah, focusing on spice and textile trade. [[1]]

Though Vasco da Gama first landed at Calicut (1498), the Portuguese established their first factory at Cochin (Kochi) in 1503. Calicut's Zamorin was hostile to Portuguese trade ambitions. [[30]]

Vasco da Gama reached Calicut (Kozhikode) on May 20, 1498, becoming the first European to reach India by sea via the Cape of Good Hope. This opened direct maritime trade between Europe and India. [[1]]

Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore in 1799 and established the Sikh Empire. He unified the Misls, modernized the army, and ruled with religious tolerance until his death in 1839. [[1]]

Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed by Aurangzeb in 1675 for refusing to convert to Islam and for defending the religious freedom of Kashmiri Pandits. His martyrdom is commemorated at Gurdwara Sis Ganj in Delhi. [[30]]