200 years of Rani Chennamma’s rebellion against the British East India Company (EIC) | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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    200 years of Rani Chennamma’s rebellion against the British East India Company (EIC)

    Posted 21 Feb 2024

    Updated 21 Mar 2024

    2 min read

    • Commemorating the event, several social groups such as  National Federation of Indian Women are organizing national campaign, Naanoo Rani Chennamma (I am Rani Chennamma too) in Kittur.

     

    • About Rani Chennamma (1778-1829)
      • Born in Kakati village in Belagavi district of Karnataka.
      • Became queen of Kitturu (now in Karnataka) when she married Raja Mallasarja of Desai family.
      • Adopted a child, Shivalingappa, after death of her son and made him heir to the throne.
        • British East India Company did not accept this under the Doctrine of Lapse.
      • Values: Courage, Perseverance, Leadership, Selflessness, etc.

     

    • Kittur Revolt (1824-29)
      • Regarded as the first Indian armed rebellion against British EIC.
      • Rani Chennamma defied British order to exile adopted child and sent letter against the order to Lord Elphinstone, the then Lieutenant-Governor of Bombay, which was turned down.
        • It was the first instance of imposition Doctrine of Lapse, even before officially articulated by Lord Dalhousie.
      • Though British lost First battle in 1824, Rani Chennamma was later captured and imprisoned at Bailhongal Fort, till her death in 1829.

     

    Doctrine of Lapse

    • It was one of the three major annexation policies of British EIC.
      • Other two were – Ring Fence Policy and Subsidiary Alliance.
    • Under this, any princely state or territory under the paramountcy of British EIC would automatically be annexed if the ruler was either "manifestly incompetent or died without a male heir".
    • Made official by Lord Dalhousie in 1848.
    • Tags :
    • Rani Chennamma
    • Kittur Revolt
    • Doctrine of Lapse
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