Second Rohilla War

The Second Rohilla War was a conflict between British India and the Rohillas of Rampur in 1794.



The end of the First Rohilla War in 1774 saw Faizullah Khan installed as Nawab of Rampur with the support of the British East India Company. Faizullah Khan was a competent ruler who was succeeded by his son, Muhammad Ali Khan, on his death in 1793. Overbearing and bad-tempered, Muhammad Ali Khan was deposed by his younger brother, Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bahadur, and exiled to Dungarpur, where he was later shot in his sleep. Ghulam Muhammad proved to be little better than his predecessor, and the British sent an expedition under the command of General Sir Robert Abercromby to remove the usurper. Ghulam Muhammad's army of approximately 25,000 Rohillas was defeated by the British force at Bhitaura, in Bareilly, on Oct 24, 1794, and Ghulam Muhammad was replaced as Nawab by his nephew, Ahmad Ali Khan Bahadur.