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The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia), and later with East Asia.
Apr 16, 2024 · East India Company, English company formed for the exploitation of trade with East and Southeast Asia and India, incorporated by royal charter on December 31, 1600. Starting as a monopolistic trading body, the company became involved in politics and acted as an agent of British imperialism in India from the early 18th century to the mid-19th ...
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A royal charter created the English East India Company on 31 December 1600 as a limited joint stock company (people invested capital and received part of the profits) managed by a group of 215 merchants and investors headed by the Earl of Cumberland. Awarded by Elizabeth I of England (r.1558-1603), the charter granted the EIC the exclusive right to...
The EIC was heavily involved in what become known as the 'triangular trade', which involved exchanging precious metals for products made in India (notably fine textiles) and then selling these on in the East Indies in exchange for spices. The spices (above all pepper) were then shipped to London, where they commanded prices high enough to make a pr...
The Mughal Empire did receive some other benefits to these trade arrangements. Often British warships performed services and helped protect the interests of the emperors at sea. The British-Mughal relationship was affected by the Marathas who challenged and conquered Mughal territories in the southern and western areas of India in the 18th century....
In 1764-5, after the Battle of Buxar, the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II awarded the EIC the right to collect land revenue (dewani) in Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. This was a major step and ensured the company had vast resources to expand and protect its traders, bases, armies, and ships. The EIC had now become the official imperial tool of the British ...
1857-58 saw the collapse of the Mughal Empire and the formal closure of the EIC as the British Crown repressed the Sepoy Mutiny (aka The Uprising or First Indian War of Independence) which rebelled against British rule. The causes of the rebellion were many and ranged from discrimination against Indian cultural practices to Indian princes not being...
- Mark Cartwright
Oct 23, 2020 · European History. How the East India Company Became the World’s Most Powerful Monopoly. The massive British corporation was founded under Queen Elizabeth I and rose to exploit overseas trade...
- Dave Roos
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Oct 26, 2022 · Founded in 1600 by royal charter, the East India Company was established as a joint-stock trading company to exploit opportunities east of the Cape of Good Hope where it was granted a trade monopoly. Crucially, to conduct this trade, the EIC was permitted to 'wage war '.
- Mark Cartwright
Feb 2, 2023 · The British East India Company was a trading company founded in 1600. It controlled most of India by the mid-19th century but was then taken over by the British Crown and formally dissolved in 1874. When did the East India Company first come to India?
Sep 6, 2019 · EXPLAINER. How the East India Company became the world’s most powerful business. The trading firm took command of an entire subcontinent and left behind a legacy that still impacts modern...
