What was the role of the British East India Company in India?
As stated above, the British East India Company played a significant role in the in the history of India and British imperialism in India. The British East India Company was first established on December 31st, 1600 as a company that aimed at promoting British trade in the Far East, which included India, China and Japan.
What does British East India Company mean?
British Dictionary definitions for East India Company East India Company noun the company chartered in 1600 by the British government to trade in the East Indies: after being driven out by the Dutch, it developed trade with India until the Indian Mutiny (1857), when the Crown took over the administration: the company was dissolved in 1874
What was the cause of the British East India Company?
The Indian Revolt of 1857
- Origin of the Mutiny. The immediate cause of the Indian Revolt of 1857, or Sepoy Mutiny, was a seemingly minor change in the weapons used by the British East India ...
- Causes of Unrest. As the Indian revolt gained energy, people found additional reasons to protest British rule. ...
- Aftermath. The Indian revolt lasted until June 1858. ...
Why was the British East India Company named so?
References and Further Reading:
- [1] East India Company at BBC
- [2] Baladouni, Vahe (1983). ...
- [3] History and Politics: East India Company
- [4] The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I, SciHi Blog
- [5] The East India Company at Wikidata
- [6] Charter Granted by Queen Elizabeth to the East India Company
- [7] Nick Robins, “The world’s first multinational”, 13 December 2004, New Statesman
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What was unique about the British East India Company?
The new English East India Company was a monopoly in the sense that no other British subjects could legally trade in that territory, but it faced stiff competition from the Spanish and Portuguese, who already had trading outposts in India, and also the Dutch East Indies Company, founded in 1602.
Who is known as East India Company?
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia), and later with East Asia.
Why was the British East India Company so powerful?
It was the most powerful multinational corporation the world had ever seen. Founded in 1600, the English East India Company's power stretched across the globe from Cape Horn to China. The company was established for trading, with a royal charter by Queen Elizabeth I granting it a monopoly over business with Asia.
What is the difference between British and East India Company?
Answer:The company had trading rights with the Mughal and Maratha Empires. The British Raj on the other hand was direct British rule in India. After the Great Uprising, Queen Victoria abolished the Company and instead created the British Raj or "Indian Empire".
Who established East India Company?
John WattsThomas SmytheEast India Company/Founders
Why did the East India Company came to India?
The British East India Company came to India as traders in spices, a very important commodity in Europe back then as it was used to preserve meat. Apart from that, they primarily traded in silk, cotton, indigo dye, tea and opium. They landed in the Indian subcontinent on August 24, 1608, at the port of Surat.
How did the British East India Company impact India?
The influence of the EIC in India started to grow as they got powerful in trade. The decline of the Moghul Empire was a significant factor that paved the way for the influence of the EIC in politics. They had a huge army that helped them engage in battles against other countries and side with certain rules.
What is the most powerful company in the world?
1. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) With $3,124.9 billion in assets, the state-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Limited (ICBC) is the world's largest and most powerful bank.
What are the two objective of the East India Company to permanently rule in India?
The two objectives of the East India company are as follows; They wanted to achieve their first target by exhorting British government to relinquish the royal charter which allowed to trade with India and east from England. Moreover to eliminate their European rivals they also commenced many wars on land and sea.
What is the role of East India Company?
The East India Company was initially created in 1600 to serve as a trading body for English merchants, specifically to participate in the East Indian spice trade. It later added such items as cotton, silk, indigo, saltpeter, tea, and opium to its wares and also participated in the slave trade.
What was the East India Company 4 marks?
Q What was East India company? Ans: E.I.C was a trading company established by British traders, In 1600AD Queen Elizabeth granted charter of trade to trade in the east of Africa. In 1612 Prince Khurram allowed E.I.C to trade with India. E.I.C gradually captured whole India.
What was the structure of East India Company?
In the decision-making process, there were two levels: the Court of Directors, as the superior entity in London, and the local administration, the subordinate entity in Asia. As the highest authority, the Court made all policy decisions, and directed all operations of the Company.
What was the East India Company?
The East India Company was an English company formed for the exploitation of trade with East and Southeast Asia and India. Incorporated by royal ch...
Why was the East India Company established?
The East India Company was initially created in 1600 to serve as a trading body for English merchants, specifically to participate in the East Indi...
When was the East India Company founded?
The East India Company was incorporated by royal charter on December 31, 1600. It was an English company formed for the exploitation of trade with...
Why did the East India Company fail?
A number of things contributed to the end of the East India Company. It acquired control of Bengal on the Indian subcontinent in 1757, and, as the...
What other names were used for the East India Company?
The company commonly referred to as the East India Company was incorporated in 1600 and ceased to exist as a legal entity in 1873. During its exist...
When did the East India Company start?
The East India Company's archives suggest its involvement in the slave trade began in 1684, when a Captain Robert Knox was ordered to buy and transport 250 slaves from Madagascar to St. Helena. The East India Company began using and transporting slaves in Asia and the Atlantic in the early 1620s, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica, or in 1621, according to Richard Allen.
Why did the British condemn the East India Company?
British leaders condemned the East India Company for permitting the events to occur. In the aftermath of the Rebellion, under the provisions of the Government of India Act 1858, the British Government nationalised the company.
When was the East India Company Military Seminary founded?
The East India Company Military Seminary was founded in 1809 at Addiscombe, near Croydon, Surrey, to train young officers for service in the company's armies in India.
When was the East India Dock Company established?
In 1803 , an Act of Parliament, promoted by the East India Company, established the East India Dock Company, with the aim of establishing a new set of docks (the East India Docks) primarily for the use of ships trading with India.
When did India become a company?
Company rule in India effectively began in 1757 after the Battle of Plassey and lasted until 1858 when, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control of India in the form of the new British Raj .
Who took over India?
The British East India Company gradually took over most of India by threat, intimidation, bribery or outright war. The East India Company was the first company to record the Chinese usage of oil of bergamot to flavor tea, which led to the development of Earl Grey tea.
What is EIC trading?
1947– 0000. v. t. e. The East India Company ( EIC ), also known as the East India Trading Company ( EITC ), the English East India Company or (after 1707) the British East India Company, and informally known as John Company, Company Bahadur, or simply The Company was an English and later British joint-stock company founded in 1600.
Who was the East India Company?
Updated January 29, 2020. The East India Company was a private company which, after a long series of wars and diplomatic efforts, came to rule India in the 19th century . Chartered by Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, the original company comprised a group of London merchants who hoped to trade for spices at islands in present day Indonesia.
What was the East India Company's main focus?
After a series of conflicts with Dutch and Portuguese traders active in the Spice Islands, the East India Company concentrated its efforts on trading on the Indian subcontinent.
What were the main products of the East India Company?
Numerous products, including silk, cotton, sugar, tea, and opium, began to be exported out of India.
When did the government of India end its trading business?
And the first decades of the 19th century became an era of military successes and territorial acquisitions for the company. In 1833 the Government of India act enacted by Parliament actually ended the company's trading business, and the company essentially became the de facto government in India.
Who was the leader of the East India Company in the 1800s?
The East India Company In the Early 1800s. The successor to Hastings, Lord Cornwallis (who is remembered in America for having surrendered to George Washington during his military service in the American War of Independence) served as governor-general from 1786 to 1793. Cornwallis set a pattern which would be followed for years, ...
Who allowed Christian missionaries into India?
A number of Christian missionaries had been allowed into India by the East India Company. And the native population started to become convinced that the British intended to convert the entire Indian subcontinent to Christianity.
Who was the main threat to British interests?
But the major threat to British interests came from the French, who began seizing British trading posts. At the Battle of Plassey, in 1757, forces of the East India Company, though greatly outnumbered, defeated Indian forces backed by the French. The British, led by Robert Clive, had successfully checked the French incursions.
What was the role of the East India Company in Britain?
History of Britain. The East India Company and its role in ruling India. by Ben Johnson. In the late 1500s, European explorers started sailing east for trading purposes. The Spanish and the Portugese were originally dominant on these new sailing routes, but after the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588 the British ...
What is the East India Company?
One of these groups of merchants called themselves Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies, later to become simply The East India Company. As the name suggests, the Company’s humble origins was as a small group of investors and businessmen looking to capitalise on these new trading opportunities.
Why did the East India Company change its trading patterns?
The reasons for this were two-fold. Firstly, the industrial revolution had changed the way that the Company dealt with the textiles trade.
What was the Indian Rebellion of 1857?
In retaliation for this uprising, the Company killed thousands of Indians, both rebel combatants as well as a large number of civilians perceived to be sympathetic to the uprising. This was the Indian Rebellion of 1857. British troops retaking the city of Delhi, 1857. “It was literally murder….
What was the effect of the Industrial Revolution on Britain?
By the time of the Industrial Revolution, Britain had started producing these garments in its own factories, dramatically lowering prices (due to mass production) and bringing the fashions into the reach of the middle classes.
What did the Dutch trade in the East Indies?
The Dutch initially took a lead in this, focusing mainly on spices and in particular the trade of peppercorns. Concerned that the English were falling behind to the Dutch on these new trading routes, on the 31st December 1600 Queen Elizabeth I granted over 200 English merchants the right to trade in the East Indies.
Where were the East India Company's forces based?
Most of the forces were based at the three main ‘stations’ in India, at Madras, Bombay and Bengal. Although the forces of the East India Company were at first only concerned with protecting the direct interests of the Company, this was to change with the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Faced with a local uprising led by Siraj ud-Daula (with some French ...
What was the British East India Company?
The British East India Company was one of the most important economic and political organizations in the world during the period of European Imperialism . It was a major player in British imperialism in India and other nations of the Far East that centered in the Indian Ocean. It operated throughout much of the 17th, 18th ...
When was the East India Company founded?
The British East India Company was first established on December 31st, 1600 as a company that aimed at promoting British trade in the Far East, which included India, China and Japan. The company was created by a group of over 200 English merchants that petitioned Queen Elizabeth I, who was then the monarch of England.
What was the Mughal Empire?
At the time, the Mughal Empire was the largest and most powerful kingdom in India. For instance, the Mughal Empire existed approximately from 1526 until 1857 and at its height included most of the territory in modern India, parts of Pakistan and parts of Bangladesh. As part of the deal, the British East India Company wanted exclusive trading rights ...
How many soldiers did the East India Company have in 1750?
For instance, in 1750 the company had only about 3,000 soldiers, but by 1778 it had over 67,000.
What was the result of the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company?
In fact, the rivalry between the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company became so inflamed that it eventually resulted in the Anglo-Dutch Wars, which occurred throughout different periods of the 17th and 18th centuries. As a result, the British Monarch, Charles II, passed a series of acts in 1670 that attempted ...
Why was the expansion of the British East India Company important?
This was vitally important to the expansion of the British East India Company in the 18th century and allowed it to gain control over huge sections of the Indian subcontinent, which expanded its wealth and influence.
Why did the British East India Company establish its own private armies?
In order to aid in its expansion throughout India, the British East India Company began to establish its own private armies. For instance, a common practise by the European nations in India was to recruit and employ Indian men into their own armies.
What was the history of the British East India Company?
A Brief History of the British East India Company – An Essay. The establishment of the British East India Company completely changed the history of India leading to the establishment of the British rule in India which continued till the mid- twentieth century.
Why was the British East India Company formed?
Founding of the Company. The British East India Company was formed to claim their share in the East Indian spice trade. The British were motivated the by the immense wealth of the ships that made the trip there, and back from the East.
What was the rivalry between the British and the French in the 1740s?
By the 1740s rivalry between the British and the French was becoming acute. The Seven Years war between 1756 and 1763 effectively stumped out the French threat led by Governor General Robert Clive. This set up the basis of Colonial monopoly of East India Company in India. By the 1750s, the Mughal Empire was in a state of decadence.
What was the East India Company responsible for?
The East India Company became responsible for administering the civil, judicial and revenue systems in one of India’s richest provinces. The arrangements made in Bengal provided the company direct administrative control over a region, and subsequently led to 200 years of Colonial supremacy and control.
How did the East India Company's colonial rule affect the common people?
Although the East India Company’s colonial rule was hugely detrimental to the interest of the common people due to the exploitative nature of governance and tax implementation , there is no denying the fact that it brought forward some interesting positive outcomes as well.
When did the East India Company lose its powers?
The Company lost its powers following the Government of India Act of 1858. The Company armed forces, territories and possessions were taken over by the Crown. The East India Company was formally dissolved by the Act of Parliament in 1874 which marked the commencement of the British Raj in India.
Who granted the East India Company the Royal Charter?
The East India Company was granted the Royal Charter on 31 December, 1600 by Queen Elizabeth I. The charter conceded the Company monopoly of all English trade in lands washed by the Indian Ocean (from the southern African peninsula, to Indonesian islands in South East Asia).
Overview
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia), and later with East Asia. The company seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonised parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, and kept tradin…
Origins
In 1577, Francis Drake set out on an expedition from England to plunder Spanish settlements in South America in search of gold and silver. In the Golden Hind he achieved this but also sailed across the Pacific Ocean in 1579, known then only to the Spanish and Portuguese. Drake eventually sailed into the East Indies and came across the Moluccas, also known as the Spice Islands, and met with Sultan
Formation
On 22 September 1599, a group of merchants met and stated their intention "to venture in the pretended voyage to the East Indies (the which it may please the Lord to prosper)", and the sums that they will adventure, committing £30,133 (over £4,000,000 in today's money). Two days later, "the Adventurers" reconvened and resolved to apply to the Queen for support of the project. Although their first attempt had not been completely successful, they nonetheless sought the Q…
Early voyages to the East Indies
Sir James Lancaster commanded the first East India Company voyage in 1601 aboard the Red Dragon. After capturing a rich 1,200 ton Portuguese carrack in the Malacca Straits the trade from the booty enabled the voyagers to set up two "factories" – one at Bantam on Java and another in the Moluccas (Spice Islands) before leaving. They returned to England in 1603 to learn of Elizabeth's death b…
Foothold in India
Company ships docked at Surat in Gujarat in 1608. The company established its first Indian factory in 1613 at Surat, Gujarat, and its second in 1616 at Masulipatnam on the Andhra Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The high profits reported by the company after landing in India initially prompted James I to grant subsidiary licences to other trading companies in England. However, in 1609 he renewed the East India Company's charter for an indefinite period, with the proviso that its privileges woul…
Expansion
The company, which benefited from the imperial patronage, soon expanded its commercial trading operations. It eclipsed the Portuguese Estado da Índia, which had established bases in Goa, Chittagong, and Bombay – Portugal later ceded Bombay to England as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza on her marriage to King Charles II. The East India Company also launched a joint attac…
Forming a complete monopoly
The prosperity that the officers of the company enjoyed allowed them to return to Britain and establish sprawling estates and businesses, and to obtain political power. The company developed a lobby in the English parliament. Under pressure from ambitious tradesmen and former associates of the company (pejoratively termed Interlopers by the company), who wanted to establish private trading fi…
Basis for the monopoly
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) resulted in the defeat of the French forces, limited French imperial ambitions, and stunted the influence of the Industrial Revolution in French territories. Robert Clive, the governor-general, led the company to a victory against Joseph François Dupleix, the commander of the French forces in India, and recaptured Fort St George from the French. The company took this respite to seize Manila in 1762.