Track the growth of the British from traders to rulers.
● 16th C acquisition of a few trader areas and warehouses.
● 17th C acquisition of trading stations.
● 18th C control of Indian states.
● 19th C the complete subjugation of India. Write 2 sentences giving details about each stage mentioned above
Answers
Initially the British were not that interested in India. They had set their eyes on Spice Islands, like the Portugese and the Dutch. But, when the British could not dislodge The Dutch from the Spice Islands, they turned their attention on India.
The British made foray into India by chasing away a Portugese naval squadron and created its own outpost at Surat. This started the beginning of a remarkable presence for the British that would last for 300 years and eventually rule the entire sub-continent.
In 1612, the British established a trading post in Gujarat. In 1614, Sir Thomas managed to arrange a commercial treaty with Jahangir and got permission to set up factories. The East India company first set factories in Ahmedabad, Broach and Agra.
In 1640, they established their outpost at Madras. In 1661, the East India Company managed to obtain Bombay from Charles II and by 1668, converted it into a flourishing trade centre.
In 1764, the French and British fought a series of battles for supremacy in the Carnatic region. In the third Carnatic War, the British, at last, defeated the French forces at the Battle of Wandiwash ending a century of conflict over supremacy in India.
The winning of the Battle of Buxar, in 1764, set the foundation for the British Political rule in India. Now, the British had control over Bengal, Bihar, Orissa.
The British faced lots of challenges after this, entered into pacts with several rulers, there were betrayals and series of wars and pacts leading to lots of famous wars like the First Anglo-Mysore War (1767-1769), First Anglo-Maratha War (1775-1782), Second Mysore War, Third Mysore War, Fourth Mysore War leading to Tipu Sultan’s death, Second Anglo- Maratha War in 1803, Third Maratha War(1817-1818) which ended the powerful Maratha rule. The British ultimately won.
The British had to fight many wars between 1814 and 1826, against Gurkhas in the North and Burmese in the North-east. In the North-west region of Punjab, they made a peace treaty with Ranjit Singh in 1838 but it lasted only till his death. After that the Firs Anglo-Sikh war started in 1845. The second Anglo-Sikh war in 1849 led to the defeat of Sikhs by the British and they were able to capture most of India.