2. British Imperialism
• The British empire comprised of the colonies and
territories all over the world that was ruled or
administered by the UK.
• At its height, British empire was the largest
empire in the world both in terms of land
territory, wealth and power.
• By 1913, the British Empire held sway over 412
million people, 23% of the world population at
the time, and by 1920, it covered 35,500,000 sq.
km, 24% of the Earth's total land area.
3. British Empire
• The empire was so vast, it was known as “the
empire on which the sun never set”.
4. Q)How did British Empire come to be in India?
i) Military Conquest/Expidition
ii) Diplomacy
iii) Trade
5. Origin of the British Trade in India
• During the 15th and 16th century (Age of discovery), Spain and
Portugal pioneered European exploration of the globe and in the
process established large overseas empire.
• Other powerful countries of the time, England, France and
Netherlands became envious of them and also started establishing
colonies and trade posts in the Americas and Asia.
• United Kingdom was in frequent conflict with these other countries
and navy battles often occurred. In 1588, England defeated the
Spanish Armada and occupied many ships that granted it the
opportunity to launch its own global expeditions.
6. Origin of the British Trade in India
• The focus on india first came not from the UK government but
rather by a group of “Adventurer Merchants”.
• This group of merchants realized the business potentiality of the
greater India because of the various exotic goods that originated in
this region.
• The merchants raised money (₤68373) and sought the official
approval from Queen Elizabeth 1. After multiple attempts, they
persuaded the queen that formal expeditions in Indian
subcontinent was needed to (i) reduce French and Dutch
(Netherlands) monopoly in that region (ii) procure various exotic
goods and raw materials
9. Raw Materials Taken from India
• Jute (fiber for making rope) • Opium (plant that heroin is
made from)
10. The Spice Trade
• Pepper, cinnamon, rice, tea, cotton, indigo etc. all
were in great demand in Europe
• Very expensive due to taxes and tariffs by Italians
and Turks
• India was a potential market where these spices
could be obtained at a cheaper cost
11. Origin of British Trade in India
• Persuaded by the merchants, Queen Elizabeth
provided a royal charter to the merchants and
thus an organization was formed on 31
December, 1600.
• The organization finally evolved into – East
india Company (EIC) also known as
Honourable EIC (HEIC), “BEIC”, “John
Company”, “Company Bahadur”
12. Foothold in India- Beginning
• In 1608, the first factory was built in South India.
• English trades frequently fought with the Dutch and French traders. In 1612, the
company achieved a major victory over the Portuguese in the Battle of Swally in
1612 fought in Surat (city of Gujrat).
• This impressed the Mughal Empreror Jahangir. Seeing the opportunity, The
company, upon instruction from King james, approved Emperor jahangir with a
proposal.
• They asked for exclusive commercial rights to set up factories and trade routes in
the region and in return offered to provide valuable goods and rarities from the
European market to the emperor. The emperor agreed.
• The company started off by building a factory in Surat (1612), Madras (1639),
Bombay (1690).
13. Foothold in India- Expansion
• The company, benefitting from the imperial patronage and support of mughal Emperor,
expanded its operations in India.
• It soon eclipsed portugese traders and Portugal finally ceded three of its major bases in Goa,
Chittagong and Bombay to England as part of a dowry for the royal marriage between
Portugese princess Caterine of Braganza with English King Charles II.
• The Mughal emperor extended his hospitality allowed the company to trade in Bengal in
1634 and in 1717 completely waived customs duties for their trade. However, relationship
between Mughals and the company soured for a while in between this time.
• EIC set up factories all over India in Calcutta, Madras, Bombay etc. It also fought four wars
with the Dutch (Anglo-Dutch) war and severely weakened dutch operations.
• Through these activities, it expanded and solidified its operations in india.
14. • So, EIC entered India to trade. But did they have
any intentions to occupy/rule this region from the
very beginning?
• Historians have differing viewpoints with regards to this question. Some
claim that England did not have any initial ambitions to rule India and did
so only when they saw that such an opportunity occurred when the
mughal power was waning. Another group of historians argue that the
british always had ulterior motives and this was apparent from the
location of their trade posts and the level of fortifications they did to their
trade posts (Bombay Castle).
