The EIC's Irish Governor: Lord Mornington in India

Before he became Marquess Wellesley and defeated Napoleon's armies in Spain, Richard Colley Wellesley — Lord Mornington — served as Governor-General of Bengal from 1798 to 1805. This episode explores how a young Irish aristocrat transformed the East India Company from a cautious trading corporation into a conquering imperial power. We trace Wellesley's upbringing at Dublin Castle, his tense relationship with his more famous brother Arthur, and his ambitious policy of 'subsidiary alliances' that brought Hyderabad, Mysore, Awadh, the Maratha confederacy, and the Mughal emperor himself under Company control. We examine the controversial Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the bloody sieges of Seringapatam and Assaye, and the founding of the College of Fort William — an institution designed to train Company officials in Indian languages and customs. Wellesley's ten-year governorship set the template for British rule in India, but his arrogance and overspending also sparked bitter political battles in London. A story of ambition, empire, and one family's extraordinary rise. #EastIndiaCompany #LordMornington #RichardWellesley #ArthurWellesley #DukeOfWellington #FourthAngloMysoreWar #Seringapatam #SubsidiaryAlliance #Hyderabad #Awadh #MarathaConfederacy #Assaye #CollegeOfFortWilliam #BritishRaj #IndiaHistory #18thCentury #ImperialHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo