When Did India Become a British Colony?
The history of the world is full of interesting events and moments that shaped the world we live in. This blog post will take you through a few such events. But what happened when did India become a British colony?
As we all know, India gained independence from Britain on 15th August 1947. But certain periods gave rise to this date. Before we delve deep into history, let us get back to the very root of this question.
Did you know that India gained its independence from Great Britain on 15th August 1947? Did you know that the history of India has an interesting beginning?
As the English Empire expanded across the globe, the East India Company’s commercial operations were among its most lucrative.
The East India Company provided the Empire’s military forces with goods and services during the East India Company’s heyday in the early 1800s. During that period, the Company’s headquarters was located in London, England.
But did you know that the company had set up shop in London at least as early as the 17th century?
By the end of the 18th century, the British government had taken full control of the East India Company’s affairs and made it one of the Crown’s principal instruments of governance.
1. When the Mughals were defeated by the British
On July 23, 1819, Lord William Bentinck, governor-general of Bengal, gave the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, until the end of 1826 to accept British supremacy. At the time, the Mughals still held a large portion of the Indian subcontinent, but the British were steadily gaining ground in the areas they controlled.
The following month, Bentinck wrote to the secretary of state, Lord Liverpool, stating: "The object of this letter is to acquaint Your Lordship that in the opinion of the British government,
it will be necessary for His Majesty’s subjects to hold themselves in readiness to take advantage of any opportunity which may occur of subduing the Mughal empire."
2. The East India Company was formed in the 1600s
The East India Company was founded in the 1600s, as the English East India Company, with the purpose of trading and transporting Indian goods to England. Its success allowed other nations to trade with India and made England a global power.
The company was formed in the 1600s under British rule. The company had three aims: to trade with the east and bring back riches and spices to England,
to become a profitable business by avoiding expensive governmental regulations, and to develop the East India Company into a global company. The company was allowed to operate only under a charter, meaning that the king was the actual owner and that all profits and losses were kept at the London headquarters.
3. The first Englishman to rule India
The English arrived in India in the 16th century. They brought with them a love of education and a desire to convert people to Protestantism. The English thought that the Hindu religion was inferior to Christianity, and wanted to replace Hindu culture with Christianity and Western culture. The first Englishman to rule India was Robert Clive.
4. Britain lost control of India to the Dutch in 1654
Britain lost control of India to the Dutch in 1654, and even though there were many reasons why that happened, one of the reasons I chose to focus on was because I wanted to look at the importance of understanding and following through on strategy.
Because of their new position as rulers of India, the Dutch were able to use their new power to become extremely wealthy and very powerful.
This enabled them to influence and even shape British politics, and they eventually became strong enough to challenge the British monarchy. They were also successful in influencing the British economy, and because of this influence, the British economy began to grow rapidly.
In addition to being a huge economic success, the Dutch helped British trade expand into other areas of the world. Hormone levels in
5. The East India Company was dissolved in 1858
The East India Company was dissolved in 1858 and its possessions were passed on to the British government. This led to the founding of two new states, Ceylon and the Federated Malay States.
The British were not the first Europeans to discover the Indian subcontinent; however, they were the first to make it part of their empire.
In 1608, they conquered the area in the name of their king and established the first British settlement in Calcutta, which later became known as Kolkata. From then on, the East India Company ruled all of India for almost two centuries
Final Thoughts
There were no battles fought in 1765; in fact, the Seven Years’ War officially ended in 1763 with a peace treaty. The war ended in part because of the British victory in the French and Indian War, which was won because the British had developed the flintlock musket.
However, the British defeat at the hands of the French in 1763 meant that all of India was ceded to the French Empire. It was only when the British won their second major war in India in the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1805 that the British regained control over India, in which Britain’s defeat of the French helped the Marathas in their fight against the East India Company.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did India become a British colony?
Slowly but surely, the East India Company started to transform from a trading company to a ruling one. The powers of the East India Company kept growing till 1858 when it was dissolved after the Revolt of 1857
How long has India been a British colony?
The British Raj (/rɑːdʒ/; from Hindi rāj: kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; it is also called Crown rule in India
Why did Britain give up India?
No longer able to afford to administer the country, it wanted to leave as quickly as possible. The last viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, set the date as 15 August 1947.
Who ruled India before the British?
Maurya Empire. The Maurya Empire under Ashoka the Great. Ashokan pillar at Vaishali, 3rd century BCE. The Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE) unified most of India
Was India rich before British rule?
India was one of the largest economies in the world, for about two and a half millennia starting around the end of the 1st millennium BC and ending around the beginning of British rule in India.