Lawrence, Sir Henry Montgomery
- Lawrence, Sir Henry Montgomery
-
▪ British colonial official
born June 28, 1806, Matura, Ceylon [now Sri Lanka]
died July 4, 1857, Lucknow, India
English soldier and administrator who helped to consolidate British rule in the
Punjab region.
After joining the Bengal artillery in 1823, Lawrence served at the capture of Arakan in the First Anglo-Burmese War (
Anglo-Burmese Wars) (1824–26). He studied the Urdu, Hindi, and Persian languages and in 1833 joined the survey department of the North-Western Provinces. Placed in charge of
Firozpur, in the
Punjab (1839), he acquired a substantial knowledge of Sikh politics. After holding several other posts, he in 1846 was appointed agent, and later resident, at
Lahore (now in Pakistan). He reduced the Sikh army, suppressed mutinies in the
Kangra region and in
Kashmir, and deposed the
wazīr (Muslim executive officer) Lal Singh.
After the Treaty of Bhairowal (1846), the British part in Sikh rule was apparent when Lawrence prepared a Sikh legal code that gave him the power to forbid
suttee (self-immolation by widows on their husbands' funeral pyres),
infanticide, and
forced labour. Knighted in 1848 while on home leave, he returned to India when the Second Sikh War (
Sikh Wars) (1848–49) broke out. He was made president of the board of administration of the newly annexed Punjab. He was in charge of political affairs while his younger brother, John, supervised finance. Henry favoured treating the Sikh aristocracy with generosity by granting them life pensions and large estates, while John wished to improve the status of the common people by reducing taxes and limiting landlords' rights.
Policy conflicts with his brother led Henry to seek a transfer, and in 1852 he was assigned to Rajputana (Rājputāna). In 1857 he was summoned to Oudh (
Ayodhya), where annexation, precipitate land reforms, and a mutinous army had created a grave situation. He effectively delayed the mutiny at Lucknow and prepared the residency for its famous defense of a six-month siege during the
Indian Mutiny (1857–58). He was mortally wounded on July 2, and at his death he did not know that the British government had nominated him provisional governor-general.
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Henry Montgomery Lawrence — Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence (1806–1857) Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence (* 28. Juni 1806 in Matura, Britisch Ceylon; † 4. Juli 1857 in Lakhnau) war ein britischer General. Henry Montgomery wurde … Deutsch Wikipedia
Henry Montgomery Lawrence — Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence (June 28, 1806 July 4, 1857) was a British soldier and statesman in India, who died defending Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny.CareerLawrence was the brother of John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence and was born at… … Wikipedia
Henry Lawrence — Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence (1806–1857) Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence (* 28. Juni 1806 auf Ceylon; † 4. Juli 1857) war ein englischer General. Henry Montgomery, Sohn irischer Eltern, studierte auf dem Militärcollege zu Addi … Deutsch Wikipedia
Lawrence [2] — Lawrence (spr. laorens), 1) Sir Thomas, engl. Maler, geb. 4. Mai 1769 in Bristol, gest. 7. Jan. 1830 in London, erhielt in Bath durch W. Hoare einige Anleitung und begann seine Laufbahn, indem er Kreidebildnisse zeichnete. 1785 gewann er einen… … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
Henry Lawrence Island — is the second largest Island of the Ritchie s Archipelago, it has an area of 55 km2. It was named after Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence … Wikipedia
Lawrence [2] — Lawrence (spr. Lahrens), 1) Sir Thomas, geb. 1769 in Bristol; Sohn eines Steuereinnehmers, der später Gastwirth war; zeichnete, erst 5 Jahr alt, Portraits, welche Aufsehn machten. Schon in seinem zehnten Jahre führte er eigne Compositionen… … Pierer's Universal-Lexikon
Lawrence School — may refer to any of three famous schools that were founded as asylums in the mid 19th century by Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence:*Lawrence School, Sanawar, India: http://www.sanawar.edu.in/ *Lawrence School, Ghora Gali, Pakistan:… … Wikipedia
Lawrence Baronets — There have been seven Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Lawrence, one in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Great Britain and five in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.The Lawrence Baronetcy, of Iver in the… … Wikipedia
Lawrence School, Sanawar — Infobox School name = The Lawrence School, Sanawar imagesize = 150px caption = motto = Never Give In established = 15 April 1847 closed = type = Public school affiliation = district = grades = president = principal = head of school = Mr. Praveen… … Wikipedia
Lawrence College Ghora Gali — The Lawrence School, Ghora Gali (near Murree), Punjab, Pakistan, is the oldest boarding schools in Pakistan and was established in 1860. It was named after Major General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence of the Army of the colonial India’s British… … Wikipedia
