East India Company:
- India Company to submit annual reports to the British The East India Company (EIC) was established in 1600 as a British trading company with a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I that granted it a monopoly on trade with the East Indies.
- In 1608, the EIC established its first factory in the port city of Surat, Gujarat.
- In 1615, the EIC established its second factory in the city of Masulipatnam in present-day Andhra Pradesh.
- In 1639, the EIC established a trading post in the city of Madras (now Chennai).
- In 1640, the EIC established a trading post in the city of Bombay (now Mumbai).
- In 1690, the EIC established its first factory in Calcutta (now Kolkata).
- In 1746, the EIC was attacked by French forces in Madras, marking the beginning of the First Carnatic War between the British and French in India.
- In 1756, Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, attacked and captured Calcutta, leading to the Black Hole of Calcutta incident.
- In 1757, the EIC achieved a major victory over the Nawab of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey, which gave it control over the Bengal region and its resources.
- In 1760, the British forces led by Sir Eyre Coote defeated the French forces at the Battle of Wandiwash, marking the end of the Second Carnatic War.
- In 1764, the EIC defeated the combined forces of the Mughal Empire and the Nawab of Awadh at the Battle of Buxar, which expanded its control over northern India.
- In 1773, the Regulating Act was passed by the British Parliament, which gave the British government greater control over the EIC’s operations in India.
- In 1784, the Pitt’s India Act was passed, which created the Board of Control to oversee the EIC’s operations in India.
- In 1799, the EIC defeated Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore, at the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, which expanded its control over southern India.
- In 1803, the EIC defeated the Maratha Empire at the Second Anglo-Maratha War, which expanded its control over central India.
- In 1813, the EIC’s monopoly on Indian trade was ended by the British government, allowing other British companies to trade with India.
- In 1839, the First Anglo-Afghan War broke out, which was fought between the EIC and the Afghan Empire.
- In 1845, the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out, which was fought between the EIC and the Sikh Empire.
- In 1856, the Doctrine of Lapse was introduced by Lord Dalhousie, which allowed the EIC to annex Indian states without a direct heir.
- In 1857, the Indian Rebellion broke out, also known as the First War of Indian Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny, which was fought against the EIC’s rule in India.
- In 1858, following the Indian Rebellion, the British government assumed direct control over India and the EIC was dissolved.
- Throughout its history, the EIC played a significant role in the economic development of India, including the construction of railways, telegraph lines, and other infrastructure.
- The EIC’s rule in India also had a significant impact on Indian society, including the imposition of British values and culture.
- The EIC’s policies led to the destruction of traditional Indian industries and the exploitation of Indian resources, such as the cultivation of cash crops like opium.
- The EIC also had a significant impact on the political landscape of India, with the establishment of British puppet rulers and the suppression of Indian rebellion and dissent.
- The EIC’s actions also had significant consequences for the environment, including the deforestation of large areas of India to make way for cash crops like tea and the destruction of ecosystems and wildlife.
- The EIC was involved in the transatlantic slave trade, with British ships carrying enslaved Africans to the British colonies in the Caribbean and the Americas.
- The EIC’s monopoly on trade with China led to the Opium Wars in the mid-19th century, which forced China to open up its markets to British goods and resulted in significant harm to the Chinese people and economy.
- The EIC’s policies also led to the emergence of Indian nationalism and the movement for Indian independence, with leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru challenging British rule and advocating for Indian self-rule.
- The EIC also played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in India, with British missionaries establishing schools and hospitals across the country.
- The EIC’s presence in India also had a significant impact on British culture, with the creation of literary works such as Rudyard Kipling’s “Kim” and the development of Indian-inspired styles in art and architecture.
- The EIC’s legacy continues to be felt in modern-day India, with many of its policies and actions having a lasting impact on Indian society and politics.
- Today, the EIC is remembered as a symbol of British colonialism and imperialism in India, and its legacy remains a subject of debate and discussion among historians and scholars.
- Despite its controversial history, the EIC played a significant role in the development of global trade and the emergence of the modern world economy, with its legacy still felt in the global trade networks of today.
- The EIC’s monopoly on Indian trade and resources helped to fuel the Industrial Revolution in Britain, with raw materials and goods from India playing a key role in the development of British industry.
- The EIC also played a significant role in the development of the global tea trade, with the company’s cultivation of tea in India leading to the establishment of tea plantations across the world.
- The EIC’s role in the development of the global economy also had significant consequences for the environment and natural resources, with the exploitation of resources and the use of fossil fuels contributing to climate change and environmental degradation.
- The EIC’s legacy also includes the establishment of British colonial rule across much of the world, with the company’s operations in India serving as a model for British imperialism in other parts of the globe.
- The EIC’s impact on the world is still being felt today, with debates over issues such as global trade, economic inequality, and the legacies of colonialism and imperialism remaining important topics of discussion in the modern world.
Governors-General and Viceroys
- Warren Hastings (1773-1785)
- Sir John Macpherson (1785-1786)
- Lord Cornwallis (1786-1793)
- Sir John Shore (1793-1798)
- Lord Wellesley (1798-1805)
- Lord Cornwallis (1805)
- Sir George Barlow (1805-1807)
- Lord Minto (1807-1813)
- Lord Moira (1813-1823)
- Lord Amherst (1823-1828)
- Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835)
- Sir Charles Metcalfe (1835-1836)
- Lord Auckland (1836-1842)
- Lord Ellenborough (1842-1844)
- Sir Henry Hardinge (1844-1848)
- Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856)
- Lord Canning (1856-1862)
- Lord Elgin (1862-1863)
- Sir John Lawrence (1864-1869)
- Lord Mayo (1869-1872)
- Lord Northbrook (1872-1876)
- Lord Lytton (1876-1880)
- Lord Ripon (1880-1884)
- Lord Dufferin (1884-1888)
- Lord Lansdowne (1888-1894)
- Lord Elgin (1894-1899)
- Lord Curzon (1899-1905)
- Lord Minto II (1905-1910)
- Lord Hardinge of Penshurst (1910-1916)
- Lord Chelmsford (1916-1921)
- Lord Reading (1921-1926)
- Lord Irwin (1926-1931)
- Lord Willingdon (1931-1936)
- Lord Linlithgow (1936-1943)
- Lord Wavell (1943-1947)