How did British Empire take over India?

Hello, friends! In 1686 in 1686, in 1686, the British East India Company declared war against the Mughals. Aurangzeb was in the throne in 1686. This war is believed to be a huge error. Since the troops from the East India Company, was tiny and weak compared with those of Mughal army. It was therefore not unexpected when the Mughals beat their East India Company very easily. It was reported that the EIC manufacturing facilities in India were taken over.

A number of EIC officials were detained and the Governor who was in charge of the company was forced to bow before Aurangzeb. However, around 300 years later, the East India Company, this foreign corporation, gained control over all of the Indian subcontinent. Although the largest company is in your mind today, Apple, Google, Facebook, East India Company was far larger and more powerful than these. How was this possible? Let’s try to comprehend this in today’s video. “British East India Company” was the name of the company which controlled India and a substantial portion of the Indian subcontinent. …” “Britain devastated India through looting expropriation and even theft outright.” “The British continent, was an unsavory multinational company. “Like any other, one which was created to trade.

However, they also have the power to seize land. To fight an war. and also to find a way to end to make peace.” Our story began with the years 1600 at the time that the East India Company was founded by a few merchants. It was the first Joint Stock Company, i.e. its company was controlled by shareholders. In the beginning there were just 125 shareholders. They met to raise a capital of PS70,000. The purpose behind the creation of this firm was to market spices.

It was located in it, you will find the Spice islands of South-East Asia. The following year, in 1601 The East India Company undertook its debut voyage and built two manufacturing facilities in Indonesia. At the time in the Indonesia islands, Spanish and Portuguese traders were already operating. Furthermore, Dutch traders had recently started trading on the islands. They were also more profitable than the English company. Dutch business was far more lucrative than English company. The Dutch had more cash as well as a stronger army.

As time passed, they became the main force in the region. In the end, British East India Compay realised that they had to change their operations since they had no chance of to compete to the Dutch. To avoid conflict, they began considering other areas. They eventually considered India. There were numerous spices and textiles found in India. Thus in 1608 EIC merchants travelled to India and settled in today’s Surat, Gujarat. The Mughals had taken over the entire country.

The Mughal army was comprised of 4 million soldiers. Very powerful. The company’s officials realized that it would be ineffective to challenge them. Therefore, they decided to try to build a connection to be granted the permission for trading. They attempted to please Agra’s ruler. Their captain captain Willian Hawkins, traveled far to Agra. Agra is the Mughal Capital. He was there to meet the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. He attempted to request for permission to establish an industry to start trade in Surat. But Jahangir would not allow the request.

The primary reason is the existence of Portuguese merchants in Surat. The Portuguese traders enjoyed good relations to the Mughals. Thus, Jahangir was not in a position to let their competitors in who were English, British traders. Because EIC was unable to obtain permission to conduct business in Mughal territory The EIC traders decided to relocate to other regions in India. The territory was not controlled by the Mughals.

This was under a different ruling family. They achieved success when they established the first manufacturing facility in the state of Andhra Pradesh’s Machlipatnam. They were granted permission from the ruler of Machlipatnam. In the following years, they East India Company established more factories and worked hard to establish a presence within the Indian subcontinent.

In the process they were always at war and with and other European traders. In 1612, they returned back to Surat and declared conflict with the Portuguese traders. The battle was dubbed”the Battle of Swally. Portuguese were defeated in the battle. The Portuguese influence began to diminish and was largely only present in the regions that were around Goa. East India Company became the most powerful actor within India’s Indian subcontinent. Following this victory in 1615 East India Company East India Company requested the English King James I, to send an official representative of the royal family in the direction of Mughal emperor.

Mughal emperor. Through his assistance the Mughal Emperor might be inclined to accept. In the name of the English Crown Sir Thomas Roe was sent. A diplomat. He accomplished what Hawkins could not. When he got to meet Jahangir He presented amazing gifts to Jahangir. Jahangir was amazed at the gift. Therefore, Jahangir issued a royal edict, which was a royal decree stating that English were granted permission to set manufacturing facilities in Surat.

Additionally however, it was also the case that East India Company was given certain exclusive rights. The company was able to mark territories in which the EIC was the sole trader , in the exchange of an annual payment towards the Mughal emperor. So, the EIC’s first factory was built in Surat. Over the next several decades, a number of other factories were built. Madras, Ahmedabad, Bombay, Agra, Patna, the business of the Company was growing. The profits of the company were increasing. They traded in cotton, silk, indigo and salt, and later things like tea and opium.

The cities in which their factories were built were thriving economically abundantly. People were drawn towards these places. The EIC gradually began to establish the city’s monopoly. They began to build fortified bases. The majority of the factories in the EIC were located on they were located in the Western and South-Eastern regions in the Indian subcontinent. They wanted to build their factories throughout Mughal areas. Particularly in the East of Bengal. Back then, Bengal meant, present-day West Bengal, Bangladesh, Bihar and Odisha combined.

Commercially it was a hugely profitable region in the past. The company’s ambitions did not limit itself. The company was looking to gain the political power too. The primary reason was to facilitate the ease of trading. Also, to remove easily any rivals. They also asked for the English King to confer more power to them. In order to allow them to earn more revenue. In 1670 The English King Charles II, granted rights to the East India Company to acquire territories. Control political power, Mint money, oversee the civil and criminal law within their jurisdictions.

Additionally however, they could also be able to create private armies, form alliances, or even declare war. It’s ridiculous since when we think of companies today, such as Apple, Google, Facebook are you imagining the companies possessing such power that they could have their own private armies, their own justice systems, and be capable of printing their own money, and even go to war against other nations. This is not the case today. In the past the English monarchy gave this power to EIC which means that EIC could later become an agent for Imperialism.

It was in 1682 that EIC attempted to reach a deal with the Mughal Governor in Bengal. Shaista Khan. The company requested Governor Shaista Khan to sign a royal decree that would allow them to trade freely in Bengal. At this point the company already had a presence in Bengal however, they desired the right to trade and tax reductions. So that trading would be simpler. The new Mughal Emperor was elected to the throne of Aurangzeb. After hearing the request from the East India Company, He thought they were arrogant. With several factories, they didn’t feel satisfied. They wanted to set up factories in Bengal and also. The petition is rejected by the governor. The head of the East India Company was Josiah Child.

He was not happy with the decision made by Aurangzeb. In arrogance over the newfound power, which allowed his East India Company to have its own army, he declared war on the Mughals. It was 1986. I mentioned this at the beginning of the video. It was a questionable move from the standpoint that of East India Company. Their army was ineffective against their adversaries, the Mughal army. The EIC was beaten badly. Josiah Child had to bow down and beg Aurangzeb’s forgiveness. There’s a painting from the past of the scene. It’s visible from the image.

Aurangzeb was able to forgive his East India Company but levied an amount of fine against them. Rs150,000. This was then about 350 million today. After this fine, rights to trade of the East India Company were restored. Also, the factories that were confiscated were returned. The company’s officials displayed a lot of patience. They worked quietly within their capabilities. They were looking for the perfect opportunity. The opportunity to allow them to establish factories in Bengal in addition to establish a stronghold on Bengal. They were granted this opportunity in 1707, after Aurangzeb died. Following the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal empire was severely weakened.

There was a constant struggle for power. There was a constant fight between the Mughals in order to claim the throne and become the next Emperor. Therefore, the local Nawabs those who were the landlords and kings of their region took over the sovereign power of their areas. They broke away of their parent empire, the Mughal Empire.

At this time the Marathas, Rajputs Jats, Rohillas, became regional powers. In fact, the Maratha Empire was founded some years prior to this. However, during the reign of Aurangzeb the Marathas were in danger to the Mughals. Between 1680 and 1758, there was a number of Maratha-Mughal battles. However, after the death of Aurangzeb, the Marathas defeated Mughal forces and expanded their territories up to North. In the meantime the Mughals faced a new challenge with the help of the Persians. In 1739 Nadir Shah, the Persian leader Nadir Shah attacked India when the Mughals were pillaged and looted of treasures, bringing them back with his. I have discussed this in my video on Koh-i-Noor , too.

A few years later, in 1748 in 1748, the Afghan ruler, Ahmad Shah Durrani, invaded Mughal territory. In 1748, the Mughals came together with Rajputs as well as the Sikhs to take on Nadir Shah. However, financial difficulties arose within the Mughal Empire, after having fought so many conflicts. Regional governors, who paid their share of the income in cash to the Central Mughal government, stopped making payments to the central government. In addition, the Indian subcontinent began to be separated into different regions. Within the midst of all this there was a time when the East India Company was focusing on itself.

It was investing money in the latest technologies , and establishing new factories. More soldiers were taken by Great Britain to join the private army of the East India Company. They were also strengthening its private military. East India Company was training local Indians in addition. The local Indians worked for the East India Company for employment and then join the army. These Indians who were component of the East Indian Company’s army were referred to as Sepoys.

Due to the regular coronation of the new Mughal Emperors The East India Company continued pressurising the Mughal throne. They continued to push for obtain trade privileges in Bengal. They tried to negotiate with new rulers. They attempted manipulating the new rulers. In 1717, finally it was the time that Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar granted tax-free trade privileges to East India Company in Bengal. In addition but, as per the royal decree, East India Company could even issue an Dastak which is trade permit with the possibility of customs taxes and duties on transit could be waived on the merchandise sold through East India Company.

East India Company. This was a major success for the business. They not only received permission to set up factories in Bengal and other cities, they also began using the Dastak system to increase their profits. Thanks to an exclusive trade license they did not have to pay any taxes. This meant that the money previously derived from Bengal to support that of the Mughal Empire was lost. The financial difficulties that plagued the Mughal Empire got worse. In 1717, the then Mughal governor in Bengal, Murshid Quli Khan abandoned his position as the head of the Mughal Empire. He declared Bengal to be under his control. He declared himself to be the Nawab of Bengal.

Murshid Quli Khan was aware of the strategies of the East India Company. Therefore, he directed to the East India Company to stop their practices and pay tax. The EIC officials said that the order was not fair. They claimed that they were treated unfairly. They looked down upon those who were treated unfairly. Bengali Nawab. And he looked down on the Bengali Nawab. East India Company then decided to be involved with local politics in order to maximize their profit. Before we go forward in the story it is essential to comprehend that in the time in which it was evident that the Mughal Empire was gradually becoming weaker, a lot was taking place all at once in India. The European rivals from the British East India Company such as the Dutch and the Danes were also benefiting from the decline of the Mughal Empire and were setting up their own businesses within this region of the Indian subcontinent.

The French became new players after they made their way into India. The European powers sought to increase their influence within India. In addition, they wanted control over India’s Indian territories. Evidently that they wanted to control the Indian territories. British East India Company wanted to achieve the same. The French acquired territories in India quickly, as they founded colonies within Pondicherry as well as Bengal’s Chandernagore. In the late 1700s The British along with the French were the two main powers on India’s Indian subcontinent. In the early 1740s the French leader, Joseph Francois Dupleix, was the Governor General of the French Indian areas.

Dupleix wanted to create an French Empire in India. In the wake of the shift in the motives of the European force in India The motivations for the East India Company changed as well. There was conflict among France and Britain in the beginning. From 1740 to 1748 both countries engaged in their way through the War of Austrian Succession in Europe. In the years following they fought their Seven Year’s War between them in 1756. The two countries tried to expand their influence within North America, The enmity between France and Britain was so strong that they did not just engage in wars within Europe in Europe, but also North America they fought a war in India too. From 1746 to 1763 between 1746–1763 Carnatic Wars were fought in Southern India. England was victorious in these wars, and the French were unable to exert their influence in the political arena.

The territories in Pondicherry and Chandernagore were left in their hands. Friends, it’s interesting to observe the impact on the present Indian leaders of the wars between British as well as the French. In the local area, Indian rulers also fought against one another for supremacy. They noticed they Europeans had superior army, well-trained soldiers and officers who were disciplined They decided to make alliances with them so that they could use European assets in fights. However, the Indian ruling class didn’t know that if they accepted help, they would be dependent to the Europeans. Then they would begin interfering in the domestic political system. This could lead to the loss of power in the domestic sphere.

The European powers may benefit from this strategy. They could use bribes to make the opposing chief to have an Indian ruler, and then support them with an army and then place their heirs on the throne, and set up a puppet government. To better understand this through one example, go back to the history about the Bengali Nawabs, and also the East India Company. in 1756 Siraj-ud-Daulah took over as the next Nawabs of Bengal. As I stated in the video earlier, The East India Company was continuously ignoring their authority as Nawabs. From Murshid Quli’s rule. But Siraj-ud-Daulah had enough. He did not want to endure the situation any longer. Siraj-ud-Daulah marched towards Calcutta and his army. He also attacked Fort William in the Bengali capital Murshidabad. =ss.ss He was jailed for a number of hundred British officers and a large portion of the British officers actually perished.

Because they were squeezed into small jail cells. The incident is referred to as”the Black Hole Tragedy of Calcutta. The British were angry with this. They decided to remove Siraj-ud-Daulah from power at all cost. They used strategies they learned during the Carnatic Wars. They decided to make use of the opposition from the Nawab to take him off the throne. However, not everyone was thrilled with Siraj-udDaulah having the throne. His main rival were the relatives of Jagath Seth. A formidable family of bankers and merchants, and moneylenders that resided in Murshidabad. They were among the most wealthy families in Bengal in the period.

They had a huge effect on the royal court of Nawabs. Additionally the commander of Siraj-ud -Daulah’s military, Mir Jafar, harboured the dream to become a Nawab. Under the direction by Robert Clive, the East India Company formed a partnership together with the Seth family as well as Mir Jafar. and planned to remove Siraj-ud -Daulah as the ruler of Siraj-ud-Daulah from his thro. Nowadays, it’s simple to influence governments through bribes MLAs, but in the past change of rulers was actually sending the army in to combat. Siraj-ud-Daulah was not a fool. He knew the actions taken by the East India Company.

He argued that if the EIC could unite against his enemies in order to overthrow the British, why wouldn’t be able to do the same? He contacted the French and, who were known as rivals to the British and who joined with him in fighting the common foes. The war began in the month of June 1757. It was the Battle of Plassey. While Siraj-ud-Daulah’s troops were 15 times larger in size but he lost. After the victory the war, the British placed their new ally Mir Jafar on the throne and he was made an official toy Nawab from Bengal. In the following year, Siraj-ud daulah was assassin. The French influence in Bengal was ended shortly after that. Chandernagore was the sole area located in Bengal that was under French control, slipped out of French control and fell into British control. Battle of Plassey is an significant turning point in the history of. Since after the battle Plassey, the British were able to gain the political authority. However, they did so in indirect ways. A few years later the servant Nawab, Mir Jafar, was able to get into conflict against The East India Company. He was not as calm as the British would have liked. He forged one along with his fellow members of the Dutch East India Company, in an attempt to take on the East India Company and to eliminate them from Bengal.

The East India Company got to learn of the alliance, they removed Mir Jafar from the throne. His son-in-law Mir Qasim became the new Nawab of Bengal. In the same way, the company was hoping that he would turn out to be an unofficial Nawab according to their instructions. Qasim was appointed an official Nawab in Bengal on 1761. However, as with the previous Nawab the previous Nawab, he was also involved in disputes over his fellow members of the British East India Company. He realized that the company was utilizing its power. He also was determined to get rid of the British. In 1763, he sent his army into war against his British forces. At this time the British forces were becoming quite strong. The British were defeated by Mir Qasim.

The British then took Mir Qasim from the throne and brought Mir Jafar back. He was given another chance to become the Nawab with the understanding that he’d be a great puppet. Qasim departed Bengal and realized that the war couldn’t be won on its own. If he was determined to drive out the British away from Bengal it is impossible to accomplish it on his own by himself and his troops. He contacted to the Nawab of Awadh Shuja-ud-Daula, as well as the current Mughal King Shah Alam II. They made an alliance and decided to eliminate British influence. The alliance took on against the British in 1764 in the Battle of Buxar. The British were victorious in the battle, too. Following the conflict The East India Company decided that they were done of the puppet rulers that none among the puppet Nawabs behaved as they desired.

They decided to become their own rulers for Bengal. In 1765, pursuant to the Treaty of Allahabad, Robert Clive was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief for Bengal. The main element of the Treaty is the fact that Shah Alam II had issued an edict to grant Diwani Rights of Bengal to the East India Company. The entire revenue generated of Bengal as taxes paid was to be given towards the East India Company alone. Officially this East India Company became the new ruler of Bengal. The company had a wide range of revenue. Trading was profitable. Now they also collected taxes, too. The amount of money they collected grew exponentially. They could purchase new goods to boost their trade, strengthen their military and invest more on infrastructure, and like that, the Bengal region was placed subordinate to British control. In this case, it brings to mind an interesting quotation.

It’s easy to see the reasons why this is true. I discussed this in depth in the Video about Capitalism also. At this point East India Company was in the ascendancy. East India Company had the funds, resources, and capability to expand their area of operation. To control other regions in India they employed some very interesting methods. First, in the areas that were in the Indian subcontinent that weren’t under British control The British appointed Residents in those areas. Residents were mostly British officials who served as diplomats to different countries and states. They sought to establish good relations with the local rulers and to form friendships. The rulers who agreed to their friendship, were advised by them regarding how to conduct their politics.

They attempted to influence indirectly in local political affairs. Then the local leaders of other states they, the East India Company pressurised them to sign an subsidiary Alliance to East India Company. East India Company. Subsidiary Alliance was an interesting arrangement. As per this alliance, local rulers couldn’t be armed. They were not allowed to engage in their combats. Instead they were allowed to join the East India Company would form an army for them while the local ruler was required to be able to pay for the East India Company to form the army. From the point of view that of the ruler they could save cash.

They won’t need to run an army. From the point of view from the East India Company, it was a clever decision. When the rulers of the region had an army of their own, they will not be able to take on them. In addition they would be the money they needed to carry out their duties. If the local rulers were unable to make payments to an amount to the East India Company, for reasons of any kind, a portion of their territory could be taken over to the East India Company. It happened often. In a steady and gradual manner that the East India Company kept gaining new territories. As per the Subsidiary Alliance, the East India Company had made a promise that it will not interfere with any of the inner affairs in other of the regions. However, this was a hollow assurance.

Behind the scenes, the corporation was interfering with local politics by involving their residents. Through this method, an extensive area was placed under the oversight of East India Company. The areas that made up part of the Subsidiary Alliance with East India Company Later, they came to be referred to by the name of Princely States of India. The year 1798 was the date Hyderabad was first to sign an Subsidiary Alliance with the company. The second method was straightforward. If either of these strategies were unsuccessful and they would use the East India Company used their brutal military force. They formed an army and then occupied new territories.

Utilizing these methods and tactics, by the year 1818, in 1818, the East India Company had become the most powerful organization within the Indian subcontinent. In 1818, around 2/3rds of Indian subcontinent was under the rule of the East India Company. The majority of the population of the subcontinent lived under the East Indian Company’s rule. In the future the fourth method was employed to control the remaining territories. It was called the Doctrine of Lapse. It was adopted in 1847 by EIC officials. It was followed the most by Lord Dalhousie between 1848 between 1848 and 1856. In accordance with this Doctrine that when an Indian ruler dies, and they did not have a natural male heir to the kingdom, it would be automatically disbanded and fall under the Eastern India Company’s jurisdiction.

Many cities that are famous came under British control as a result of this Doctrine. Satara was in 1848. Udaipur after 1852. Nagpur after 1853. Jhansi after 1854 and then Awadh at the end of 1856. Aside from these strategies There were many administrative reforms that were implemented by the East India Company. Without it, control over an area this large was achieved by various rulers and kings, however they were unable to sustain the rule. It was the East India Company was constantly improving to be able to effortlessly regulate the various regions of the country. For instance it was the Regulating Act of 1773. which established the post of Governor General of Bengal.

Warren Hastings became the first Governor General of Bengal. This made it much easier to govern. In the early 1800s, the only remaining major power, other than the British within the Indian subcontinent was the Maratha Empire as well as Mysore Kingdom. Mysore Kingdom. What was the strategy used by you defeat the East India Company defeat these two? This is an interesting tale. It’s worth a video on its own. We’ll discuss it later in another video. Following The Doctrine of the Lapse followed the Revolt in 1857. It is referred to by the name of First War of Independence. Although Indian rebels did not win the war, as per the Government of India Act, 1858 which was passed in 1858, the British government nationalized in 1858 the East India Company.

All territories, army forces, as well as the money amassed through East India Company East India Company went to the British government. In the year the rule of the East India Company ended. The British Raj began. It was in 1874 that the corporation was eventually disbanded. In 1874, the Mughal Empire ended after 1857 when the final Emperor Bahadur Shah Jafar was exiled to Burma. Then his successors were executed. So, my friends, this was the fascinating story that shaped one of the largest corporations around the globe.