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Question 17 of 73 · Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule
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On 26 June 1838, a treaty was signed between the British, Shah Shuja and Maharaja Ranjit Singh to place Shah Shuja on the throne of Afghanistan. It is known as the:

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Answer: Option A — Tripartite Treaty

Detailed Solution

The Tripartite Treaty, signed on 26 June 1838 between the British East India Company, Shah Shuja (the exiled former ruler of Afghanistan) and Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab, aimed to place Shah Shuja back on the throne of Afghanistan.

Background:

  • In the 1830s, the British feared that Russia was expanding towards Central Asia and might threaten India; this rivalry is called the "Great Game".
  • The ruler of Afghanistan, Dost Muhammad Khan, was suspected of being friendly towards Russia and Persia.
  • Dost Muhammad wanted British help to recover Peshawar from Ranjit Singh, which the British would not give.
  • The British decided to replace him with Shah Shuja, who was expected to be friendly to them.

Terms of the treaty:

  • Shah Shuja would be restored to the throne of Kabul with the help of the British and the Sikhs.
  • Shah Shuja recognised Ranjit Singh's control over the territories he had taken, including Peshawar and the lands on both banks of the Indus.
  • Shah Shuja agreed not to have relations with foreign powers without the consent of the British and the Sikhs.

Results - the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842):

  • A British army (the "Army of the Indus") invaded Afghanistan in 1839, captured Kandahar and Kabul, and placed Shah Shuja on the throne.
  • Ranjit Singh had died in June 1839, and the Sikhs played a limited role.
  • The Afghans rebelled against Shah Shuja and the British occupation.
  • In 1842, the British army retreating from Kabul was almost completely destroyed; only one British survivor, Dr William Brydon, reached Jalalabad.
  • Shah Shuja was killed in 1842.
  • The British sent a punitive force, but then withdrew, and Dost Muhammad returned to power.
  • The war was a disaster for the British.

Other treaties:

  • Treaty of Amritsar (1809): between Ranjit Singh and the British, fixing the Sutlej as the boundary.
  • Treaty of Lahore (1846): after the First Anglo-Sikh War.
  • Treaty of Gandamak (1879): after the Second Anglo-Afghan War.
  • Good to know
  • These were treaties of other years.

Quick tip

Remember: Tripartite Treaty (26 June 1838) = British + Shah Shuja + Ranjit Singh (to restore Shah Shuja); led to the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-42); only Dr Brydon reached Jalalabad.

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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