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British East India Company gained control over India from "summary" of The History of India by Mountstuart Elphinstone (Hon.)
The British East India Company, a trading company established in the early 17th century, gradually expanded its influence and control over various regions in India. This process began with the company obtaining a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, granting it a monopoly on trade with the East Indies. Over time, the company's power grew, as it established trading posts and fortified settlements along the Indian coast. One of the key turning points in the company's quest for control over India was the Battle of Plassey in 1757. During this battle, the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive, defeated the forces of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah. This victory not only secured the company's dominance in Bengal but also marked the beginning of British colonial rule in India. In the years following the Battle of Plassey, the British East India Company continued to expand its territorial holdings through a combination of military conquests, alliances with local rulers, and cunning diplomacy. By the early 19th century, the company had established itself as the dominant power in India, controlling vast swathes of territory and millions of subjects. The company's rule over India was characterized by both economic exploitation and political subjugation. Through its policy of indirect rule, the company extracted wealth from Indian territories through taxes, trade monopolies, and land seizures. Meanwhile, the company's military forces, known as the "Sepoy Army," enforced British authority and suppressed any resistance to colonial rule. By the mid-19th century, the British East India Company's control over India had become so entrenched that the British government felt compelled to intervene. In 1858, following the Indian Mutiny, the British Crown assumed direct control over India, effectively bringing an end to the company's rule.- The British East India Company's acquisition of control over India was a gradual and complex process that involved military victories, alliances with local rulers, economic exploitation, and political manipulation. This period in Indian history marked the beginning of British colonial rule in the region, setting the stage for nearly two centuries of British dominance.
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