Historedia
Asia PacificEvent

British begin the Siege of Bharatpur

When
1825
Where
Calcutta; Bharatpore
Episodes
2

The British siege of Bharatpur began in December 1825, targeting a state that had resisted East India Company control since 1805. Lord Combermere, recommended by the Duke of Wellington, arrived in India in late 1825 to command the operation. His forces surrounded the capital, leading to the fortress's capture in January 1826, which ended Bharatpur's independence and established it as a British protectorate.

Episodes

  1. 2 October 1825 · CalcuttaArrival in India

    Lord Combermere arrived in Calcutta in October 1825 after a prolonged voyage, preparing for the campaign against Bharatpur.

  2. 10 December 1825 · BharatporeArrival at Bharatpur

    Combermere reached Agra in early December 1825 and arrived at Bharatpore on 10 December 1825, ahead of the siege operations that began that month.

Background and detail

Background. Bharatpur had remained beyond British control since a Maratha-sponsored victory in 1805, a situation that unnerved the East India Company's Court of Directors. The state, founded in 1722, had previously resisted British attacks, including those by Lord Lake. The Company sought advice on how to take the fortress, leading to the selection of Lord Combermere for the task despite doubts about his genius.

Command and Preparation. Lord Combermere was recommended by the Duke of Wellington, who insisted he was the right man for the task. Combermere sailed to Calcutta aboard the EIC ship Thalia, arriving on 2 October 1825. He was promoted to full general on 27 May 1825 and became Commander-in-Chief, India, before reaching Agra on 1 December 1825.

Outcome. The siege resulted in the storming and capture of the fortress on 18 January 1826. This victory ended Bharatpur's independence, forcing the state to sign a treaty in 1826 that made it a British protectorate. Combermere was later raised to the peerage as Viscount Combermere in February 1827 for his success.

People involved

Sources

  1. Siege of Bharatpur (1825–1826) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
  2. Bharatpur State Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-10
  3. Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-04

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.