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 and Dutch were able to take more of an active role in trade with 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. 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.  Although these initial voyages turned out to be extremely profitable for the shareholders, increased competition in the mid-1600s made trading much more difficult. Wars, pirates and lower profit margins forced the Company to grow into new markets where competition was less fierce. It was during this time that the Company also decided that it could not compete with the more powerful Dutch East India Company in the trading of spices, so instead turned its attention to cotton and silk from India. This strategy appeared to pay off, as by the 1700s the Company had grown so large that it had come to dominate the global textile trade, and had even amassed its own army in order to protect its interests. 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 assistance!), the Company’s army led by Robert Clive quickly defeated the insurgents. However, this was to be a turning point for the Company and the following years saw it take full administrative powers over its territories, including the right to tax anyone living within its boundaries. Although the 1600s and early 1700s saw the East India Company primarily focused on the trade of textiles, by the mid 18th century the Company’s trading patterns began to change. The reasons for this were two-fold. Firstly, the industrial revolution had changed the way that the Company dealt with the textiles trade. Prior to this, highly skilled weavers were employed in India to make cottons and silks by hand. These light, colourful and easy to wear garments were popular amongst the fashionistas and upper classes of 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. The second reason for this change in trading patterns was the growing desire in Europe for Chinese tea. This was a potentially massive market for the Company, but was held back by the fact that the Chinese only traded their tea for silver. Unfortunately Britain was on the gold standard at the time, and had to import silver from continental Europe, making the whole tea trade financially unviable. The East India Company didn’t actually own many of the ships in its fleet. It rented them from private companies, many of which were based at Blackwall in East London. The picture above is of Mr Perry’s Yard, which also built ships for the British navy. So how did the East India Company make its fortune in Chinese tea? In short, through illegal drugs! The Company started encouraging opium production in its Indian territories, which it then gave to private merchants (heavily taxed, of course) to be sold to China. The tax revenues from this funded much of the Company’s profitable tea business. Unfortunately this broke Chinese law, although it was tolerated by the authorities for a good 50 years until the trade balance fell to such a point that the Chinese could not afford to let it continue. This came to a head in 1839 when the Chinese demanded that all opium stock be handed over to its government for destruction. This ultimately led to the Opium Wars. “…there is a class of evil foreigner that makes opium and brings it for sale, tempting fools to destroy themselves, merely in order to reap a profit.” The Nemesis, an East India Company warship, destroying Chinese vessels during the First Opium War At the same time as the Opium Wars, the Company started witnessing an increasing amount of rebellion and insurgence from its Indian territories. There were many reasons for this insurgency, and the Company’s rapid expansion through the sub-continent during the 18th and early 19th century had not helped matters. The rebels, many of whom were the Indian troops within the Company’s army (which at this time was over 200,000 men strong, with around 80% of the force made up of Indian recruits) caught their employers off guard and succeeded in killing many British soldiers, civilians and Indians loyal to the Company. 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… I have seen many bloody and awful sights lately but such a one as I witnessed yesterday I pray I never see again. The women were all spared but their screams on seeing their husbands and sons butchered, were most painful… Heaven knows I feel no pity, but when some old grey bearded man is brought and shot before your very eyes, hard must be that man’s heart I think who can look on with indifference…” Edward Vibart, 19 year old British officer The Indian Rebellion was to be the end of the East India Company. In the wake of this bloody uprising, the British government effectively abolished the Company in 1858. All of its administrative and taxing powers, along with its possessions and armed forces, were taken over by the Crown. This was the start of the British Raj, a period of direct British colonial rule over India which continued until independence in 1947. It accomplished a work such as in the whole history of the human race no other Company ever attempted and as such, is ever likely to attempt in the years to come. Published: 26th March 2015 Arrival of the British and the establishment of East India Company was the outcome of the Portuguese traders who earn enormous profit by selling their merchandise in India.The East India Company was formed 1599 through the royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600 AD authorizing it to trade in the East.
Arrival of the British and the establishment of British East India Company was the outcome of the Portuguese traders who earn enormous profit by selling their merchandise in India. Being motivated by the successful business stories of the Portuguese a group of English merchants -‘Merchant Adventurers’ formed a company- the East India Company in 1599 AD. The Company received a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600 AD authorizing it to trade in the East. Queen was herself a share holder in the East India Company. Expansion in West and the South Subsequently in 1608 AD, the East India Company sent Captain William Hawkins to the court of the Mughal emperor Jahangir to secure royal patronage. He succeeded in getting royal permit for the Company to establish its factories at various places on the Western coast of India. Then in 1615 AD, Sir Thomas Roe was sent by Emperor James I of England to Jahangir’s court, with a plea for more concession for the Company. Roe was very diplomatic and thus successfully secured a royal charter giving the Company freedom to trade in the whole of the Mughal territory. In the ensuing years the East India Company further expanded its base and flourished though it also faced challenges from the Portuguese, the Dutch and the French. The decisive moment came in 1662 AD, when Charles II of England married a Portuguese princess Katherine, and received the island of Bombay as dowry which he immediately gave to the East India Company in 1668 AD for 10 pounds per year. The Company on the West coast shifted its business headquarters from Surat to Bombay (Mumbai). In 1639 AD, the East India Company obtained the lease of the city of Madras from the local king where it built Fort St. George to protect its factory. Later Madras was made the South Indian headquarters of the Company. Expansion in the East After establishing its factories in south and west India, the company started to focus on east India particularly Bengal a significant province Mughal empire. The governor of Bengal Sujauddaula in 1651 AD, allowed the English Company to carry out its trade activities in Bengal. A factory in Hugli was established and three villages -Sutanati, Govindapur and Kolkata- were purchased in 1698 AD by the Company to build a factory over there. Subsequently Fort William was raised in order to provide protection around the factory. The present day Kolkata grew and developed on this very site. Royal Farman by Emperor Farrukhsiyar It was Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar which in 1717 AD, issued royal Farman (charter) granting the company important trading facilities in Bengal which included the permission of export and import British goods in Bengal without paying taxes. Under the Farman the company was authorized the to issue Dastaks (passes) for the transportation of goods. The Company after establishing firmly on the front of commerce and trade started dreaming of becoming a ruling power in gradual manner. Factors Responsible for the British to Emerge as Ruling Power in India The major reasons that helped the British to be established as ruling power during next two hundred years in India can be- inter alia -described as-
Conflicts among the European Powers Major European Powers in India: The Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and the French were the four major European powers who arrived in India to establish their trade links and subsequently held colonial possessions. Major well as minor conflicts among them often took place from time to time for commercial and political supremacy but in the end it were the British who proved themselves most powerful after thrashing the other three and remained in India for more than 200 years as ruling power. The Portuguese, who were the first to come to India, set up their factories and colonial posts here and faced stiff competition from the Dutch but the Dutch proved weak before them as they could not withstand the stiff competition of the Portuguese and the British and thus retired from India. Main Rivals: Ever since the British came to India they faced challenges from the Europeans powers like the Dutch, the Portuguese and the French. The Portuguese and the Dutch were not serious and potent rivals to the British. The only strong rival of the British were the French who were also the last Europeans to come to India. The British efforts to establish a complete monopoly over trade and commerce in India again and again brought them into conflict with the French. Consequently three long battles were fought between these two European powers during a period of 20 years (1744 AD-1763 AD) with the aim of capturing commercial as well as territorial control. The final decisive battle was fought on 22 January, 1763 AD at Wandiwash. Carnatic Wars: It was the succession disputes in both the Carnatic and Hyderabad that opened the gates for Europeans- the British and the French- to play the roles of middlemen and thus in order to grind their axe both European powers had a golden opportunity for intervention in support of various rival Indian claimants. At first the French, under Dupleix who was a governor of Pondicherry emerged victorious both in the Carnatic and in Hyderabad. The French were rewarded with Northern Sarkars by their claimant to throne which the French officer Bussy controlled for seven years. However the French success turned out to be short lived. They were checked by British forces under Robert Clive in 1751 AD. Robert Clive changed the course of the war. The French claimant was defeated the next year. The French had to sign the treaty of Tirucirapally with the British. In the next Seven Years’ War (1756 AD– 1763 AD)-third Carnatic War-both the French and British Armies renewed their rivalry. The war began when French General Count De Lally invaded Madras but was defeated by the British General Sir Eyre Coote. The British captured Pondicherry (1761 AD) and Count De Lally was forced to surrender Karaikal and Jinji to them. Hence, the French lost third Carnatic War at Wandiwash (1760 AD) and subsequently signed treaty of Paris with the British in Europe. Establishment of British Supremacy: The victory in Carnatic war prepared the ground for the British to establish their supremacy in India and the French dream of an Indian empire disappeared for ever. With the victory of Wandiwash the British East India Company had no European rival left in India.The British became the master of this great country. Besides having skilled leaders like Sir Eyre Coote, Major Stringer Lawrence, Robert Clive on their side the British was also a strong naval power which was a decisive factor with them to become credible rulers of India. GK Questions and Answers on History of India |
What was the special order received by the English East India Company from the Queen Elizabeth I?
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