Arrival of British in India and establishment of power

The English are the inhabitants of England in the European continent. In this lesson, we will learn about how they took over India.

Arrival of European traders in India:

India and Europe have had trade relations since ancient times. Indian goods were in great demand in the European market. In the Middle Ages, this trade was mainly done by land. Later European merchants and kings began to search for sea routes to trade with India.

Portuguese sailors Vasco-da-Gama sailed to South Africa. C. Reached the port of Calicut in India in 1498. He obtained trade concessions from the local Zamorin king. The Portuguese, etc. C. Conquered Goa in 1510. After that, Diu-Daman took over. The Portuguese gained immense wealth in their trade with India. So, after the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French traders came to India.

East India Company:

Some English merchants came together in London to trade with India and set up a trading company. It is called the East India Company. The company was given a charter by the Queen of England to trade with the countries of the East, especially India. C. Received in 1600.

Foundation of power:

At this time India was under Mughal rule. East India Company C. In 1608, Jahangir obtained a license to trade in India from the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Established the company's warehouse at Surat. Commercial goods were stored in the warehouse. Over the next hundred years, the British set up warehouses at various places along the coast of India.

British invasion of Bengal:

The Mughal emperor had granted some concessions to the British in granting trade licenses. The English merchants in Bengal began to abuse these concessions. Without permission, the British began fortifying their warehouses. It was objected by Siraj Uddaula, the Nawab of Bengal. So the British declared war on Siraj Uddaula. Etc. C. In the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the British defeated Siraj Uddaula.

The British established their dominance in the province of Bengal. They began to oppress the people in order to get the goods here at cheaper prices. Mir Qasim, the then Nawab of Bengal, in collaboration with the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam and the Nawab of Ayodhya, Shuja Uddaula, launched a joint operation to curb the British. These three were captured by the British. C. Defeated at Buxar in 1764. The British got the right to collect revenue from the Mughal emperor, the Diwani of Bengal. Thus the foundation of English power in India was laid in Bengal.

Expansion of the English Empire:

At this time, the power of the Mughal emperor of Delhi was shaken. North India had separate Sikh, Jat and Rohile kingdoms. There were also Marathas, Nizams and other states in the south. Conflicts were going on between them. This weakened the rulers of India. The British took advantage of this.

Marathas as well as Sikhs faced the British. Tipu Sultan Dharatirthi fell while fighting the British. The British went to war with the Marathas. The second Bajirao Peshwa was defeated and Marathi power etc. C. Ended in 1818. Jhashi, Satara, Nagpur, Ayodhya etc. were annexed by the British. The British invaded the Punjab, defeated the Sikhs and captured the Punjab. Thus the British expanded their power in India.