Presidency armies

The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of British India. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company until the Indian Rebellion of 1857, when the British government took over all three presidencies. All three presidency armies were eventually merged to form the Indian Army.

The presidency armies were named after the presidencies:

 The Bengal Army
 The Madras Army
 The Bombay Army

Before the rebellion
From the mid-18th century, the East India Company began to keep armies at each of its three main stations, or ‘residencies’, in India: Calcutta (Bengal), Madras and Bombay. The Bengal Army, Madras Army and Bombay Army were quite different from one another since they all had their own lists of regiments and of European officers. All three armies had European regiments in which both the officers and the ordinary soldiers were Europeans, as well as a larger number of ‘Native’ regiments in which the officers were Europeans and the ordinary soldiers were Indians.

Also from the mid-18th century, the British government began to send regiments of the regular British Army to India to reinforce the company's armies. The troops are often referred to as ‘H.M.’s Regiments’ or ‘Royal Regiments’.

After the rebellion
After the Indian rebellion of 1857 and the end of the East India Company, the compamy's European regiments were joined in 1860 with the British Army, but its ‘Native’ regiments were not. The three separate Presidency Armies continued to exist, and their European officers continued to be listed as members of the Bengal, Madras or Bombay Army, rather than of the British Army. However, the presidency armies began to be described as the Indian Army. Also artillery was to be used by only the British Army, not Indian troops.

In the 1890s, the three presidency armies were merged to form the Indian Army.

Related pages
Bengal Presidency
Bombay Presidency
Madras Presidency

Category:Military of British India