An Imperial Crisis in British India ― The Manipur Uprising of 1891

In 1891 a major anti-British revolt erupted in the northeast Indian princely state of Manipur after a dangerously miscalculated attempt by the Government of India to assert its authority in the wake of a palace coup. Following the murder of a number of senior officers, a substantial British force descended upon the state to restore order and to bring the prime culprits to a questionable justice, generating widespread condemnation in England. The Manipur Uprising and its aftermath showed the fragility of indirect rule in India and British underestimation of native loyalty to princely rule. With fresh archival research and contemporary reports, Caroline Keen here provides a compelling account of erratic imperial policy-making at the highest level.“This is an exciting story and it is well told by a confident and engaging author. The Manipur incident, though small scale, is important, because it shows that it was impossible to work out a ‘one size fits all’ pattern for the Government of India in dealing with the Native States, that is, those not under direct Government of India rule. In its dealings with Manipur, the Government got it wrong on all counts—it was a classic British fudge of ignoring the man nearest to the situation, Frank Grimwood, and getting boxed into a corner from which there was no retreat. Grippingly told, this is a valuable addition to the story of colonial India.’”—Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, author of The Last King in India

Caroline Keen holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She is the author of Princely India and the British: Political Development and the Operation of Empire (I.B.Tauris).