Some believe that the East India Company was one of the “most

powerful engines” of state and empire in British history. – Huw V. Bowen

-The Company lasted from 1600- 1874 and was chartered by Queen Elizabeth I for trade with Asia

-In the year 1600, a group of merchants were given exclusive control over all trade with the East Indies

THE EAST INDIA COMPANY

-Trading ports started to be established along the east and west coasts of India

-English communities started developing around the cities of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras

-The Company focused mainly on trade in cotton, silk, indigo dye, tea, saltpetre (potassium nitrate) and opium

- Within the battle, Robert Clive ( a military official of the East India Company) defeated Siraj- ud daulah who was the Nawab of Bengal (the provincial governor of Bengal).

- After the fall of Bengal, the province became poor and there was a famine from 1760- 1770 in which many people died.

-The Battle of Plassey in 1757 transformed the East India Company from a trading element into a ruling enterprise.

-The photo shows the emperor Shah Alam II granting Robert Clive tax- collecting powers in Bengal in 1765.

Battle of Plassey

-The Governor- Generals allowed British rule to greatly expand in India and they collected revenue from the Indians.

- These significant Governor- Generals include Warren Hastings and Charles Cornwallis.

- The Chinese banned opium imports but it was still smuggled into China (The East India Company bought the opium in Bengal)

- In 1773, the East India Company was involved with an illegal opium trade with China

-In order to diminish the exploitative practices of the company and to gain a share of revenues, the British government intervened and passed the Regulating Act of 1773.

Collecting revenue

- The Company faced much resistance from local rulers in India but eventually the company gained control of almost all of India.- Eventually the Rebellion of 1857- 1858 (Sepoy

Mutiny) occurred which led to the decline of the East India Company

- The rebellion occurred because of annexation of native states, harsh revenue policies, and the plight of the Indian peasantry

Sepoy Mutiny