Tamil Nadu Timeline

GovernanceEast India Company rule

Thanjavur annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse

· Thanjavur

Thanjavur annexed under the Doctrine of Lapse
Unknown author, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

After Raja Shivaji died without a male heir, the Company annexed the titular Maratha principality of Thanjavur.

Shivaji, son of Serfoji II, ruled the fort of Thanjavur and its surroundings as a titular Raja from 1832. He died on 29 October 1855 without a legitimate male heir. Governor-General Lord Dalhousie refused to recognise an adopted successor, and the principality was annexed to the Madras Presidency under the Doctrine of Lapse. This ended the Maratha Bhonsle dynasty that had ruled the Kaveri delta since 1675.

Related events

  1. 1801

    1. 31 Jul 1801ChennaiGovernance

      Carnatic Treaty transfers the Carnatic to the Company

      Nawab Azim-ud-Daula signed the Carnatic Treaty, handing the civil and military administration of the Carnatic to the East India Company.

  2. 1805

    1. 1805ThanjavurCulture

      Serfoji II sets up a Devanagari press at Thanjavur

      At Thanjavur, Serfoji II founded the Nava Vidya Kalasala press, the first in South India to print Devanagari.

  3. 1827

    1. 1827ThanjavurCulture

      Death of composer Syama Sastri

      Syama Sastri, the eldest of the Trinity of Carnatic music, died in 1827.

  4. 1832

    1. 17 Mar 1832ThanjavurPolitics

      Shivaji II becomes Raja of Thanjavur

      Shivaji, son of Serfoji II, was crowned at the Durbar Hall of Tanjore Fort and became the last Raja of Thanjavur.

    2. 7 Mar 1832ThanjavurCulture

      Death of Serfoji II of Thanjavur

      Serfoji II, Thanjavur's scholarly ruler who had handed its administration to the Company in 1799, passed away.

  5. 1855

    1. 7 Oct 1855Chepauk PalaceGovernance

      Carnatic Nawabship abolished under the Doctrine of Lapse

      On the death of the last Nawab, Ghulam Muhammad Ghouse Khan, the Company abolished the Carnatic Nawabship.

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