East India Company

The East India Company ruled the subcontinent for many years.

After Vasco da Gama had arrived on the subcontinent , the Portuguese conquered a small territory in 1510. This became the enclave of Goa, which they kept for 450 years. The French and the Dutch also were present in the region. But it were the British who became the colonising power. In 1600 the London based East India Company was granted a trade monopoly for the entire subcontinent. This East India Company had the absolute power, not the British government.

The East India Company kept this position for more than 250 years. Gradually the British got control of the subcontinent. However, many small and large states remained officially “independent”. Many kept their kings, rajas and maharajas. The British ,meanwhile, made gigantic profits with mining ( iron, coal) and trade ( tea, coffee and cotton).

English became the language of administration. The British had everything well under control. Until 1857, the year of the Indian Uprising, sometimes called the Mutiny. A majority of Indian soldiers mutinied and many British were killed. After this event, the British government took over and the East India Company lost its political and military power.

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