British Expansion in Neighbouring Countries: Other Neighbours

Anglo – Nepal War

  • Causes
    • The expansionary attitude of Gorkhas and continued raids in the Awadh region.
    • The conflict started when Gorkhas captured Butwal and Sheoraj.
  • Result – Treaty of Sugauli in 1816
    • The Kumaun and Garhwal kingdoms were among the territories that the Nepalese kings ceded to the EIC.
    • It also required them to have a permanent British resident at their court, withdraw from Sikkim, and cede a sizable portion of their territory.

Anglo – Bhutan War

  • The occupation of Assam in 1826 brought the British into close contact with the mountain state of Bhutan. 
  • In 1865, the Bhutanese were forced to surrender the passes to Assam in return for an annual subsidy. The surrendered district became a productive area with tea gardens.

Anglo-Tibetan Relations

  • Tibet was ruled by a theocracy of Buddhist monks (lamas) under the nominal suzerainty of China. 
  • The British made efforts to establish friendly and commercial relations with Tibet. The Chinese suzerainty over Tibet was ineffective and Russian influence at Lhasa was increasing.
  • Curzon sent a small contingent under Colonel Younghusband on a special mission to Tibet and signed the Treaty of Lhasa.
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