War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849 (Asian States and Empires)

This book argues that the role of the British East India Company in transforming warfare in South Asia has been overestimated. Although it agrees with conventional wisdom that, before the British, the nature of Indian society made it difficult for central authorities to establish themselves fully and develop a monopoly over armed force, the book argues that changes to warfare in South Asia were more gradual, and the result of more complicated socio-economic forces than has been hitherto acknowledged. The book covers the period from 1740, when the British first became a major power broker in south India, to 1849, when the British eliminated the last substantial indigenous kingdom in the sub-continent. Placing South Asian military history in a global, comparative context, it examines military innovations; armies and how they conducted themselves; navies and naval warfare; major Indian military powers - such as the Mysore and Khalsa kingdoms, the Maratha confederacy - and the British, explaining why they succeeded. Kaushik (history, Jadavpur U., India) contends that the part the British East India played in transforming warfare in South Asia has been overestimated. In his scholarly treatment, he agrees with the conventional belief that prior to the British the makeup of Indian society made it challenging for central authorities to set themselves up and create a monopoly over armed force. But he argues that warfare in South Asia evolved more gradually than the conventional wisdom dictates, and that they were caused by more complex socio-economic influences than has previously been acknowledged. A selection of topics includes: naval warfare in South Asia from 1500-1850, the changing pattern of later Mughal warfare, and Khalsa Kingdom against the East India Company: 1780-1849. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Figures 9 Tables 10 Preface 11 Acknowledgements 12 Abbreviations 13 Introduction 14 1 Naval warfare in South Asia: 1500–1850 24 2 The changing pattern of later Mughal warfare 38 3 Army, State and political economy of the East India Company 57 4 Armies, warfare and political economy of Mysore: 1760–99 83 5 The Maratha Confederacy: Armies, economy and warfare 108 6 Khalsa Kingdom against the East India Company: 1780–1849 144 Conclusion 178 Glossary 185 Notes 189 Bibliography 230 Index 245 This book examines military success of the British in South Asia during the eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth centuries. Placing South Asian military history in global, comparative context, it examines military innovations; armies and how they conducted themselves; navies and naval warfare; major Indian military powers, and the British, explaining why they succeeded. Naval warfare in South Asia : 1500-1850 The changing pattern of later Mughal warfare Army, state, and political economy of the East India Company Armies, warfare, and political economy of Mysore : 1760-1799 The Maratha Confederacy : armies, economy, and warfare Khalsa Kingdom against the East India Company, 1780-1849 Glossary.