Jamsetjee Bomanjee Wadia, c. 1754-1821 RMG BHC2803

The British East India Company was the first joint-stock corporation to be formed in England, and it eventually became one of the most powerful trading companies in the world, with a virtual monopoly on trade in India and the East Indies. The East India Company or the British East India Company and informally as John Company was an English and later British joint-stock company, which was formed to pursue trade with the East Indies but ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and Qing China. After the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, London merchants presented a petition to Queen Elizabeth I for permission to sail to the Indian Ocean. Permission was granted, and on 10 April 1591 three ships sailed from Torbay around the Cape of Good Hope to the Arabian Sea. On 31 December 1600, the Queen granted a Royal Charter to "George, Earl of Cumberland, and 215 Knights, Aldermen, and Burgesses" under the name, Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading with the East Indies. The governance of the company was in the hands of one governor and 24 directors or "committees", who made up the Court of Directors. They, in turn, reported to the Court of Proprietors, which appointed them. Ten committees reported to the Court of Directors. According to tradition, business was initially transacted at the Nags Head Inn, opposite St Botolph's church in Bishopsgate, before moving to India House in Leadenhall Street. The company played a key role in the spread of British influence in India and the development of the British Empire. However, it also became involved in corruption and exploitation, and it was eventually dissolved in 1858, following the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The British East India Company played a key role in the spread of British influence in India and the development of the British Empire became involved in corruption and exploitation. In the years that followed the Anglo-Sikh wars of 1849, sikh armies were disbanded by the British. During the Mutiny of 1857, the Muslims sought restoration of the rule of Muslim princes and rulers, and the Hindus hoped to put the Maratha rulers back into power. The princes of the two communities had a unity of purpose in putting up a common front against a common enemy, the British. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India that took place in 1857-58 against the rule of the British East India Company. The rebellion was a major uprising against British rule in India, and it was sparked by a number of grievances, including the annexation of Awadh (the princely state of which Lucknow was the capital) by the British East India Company. The rebellion began as a mutiny of sepoys (Indian soldiers) of the Company's army against its own officers, on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to present-day Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, northern Madhya Pradesh, and the Delhi region. The term "sepoy" is derived from the Persian word sipahi, which means "soldier." Sepoys were recruited from various parts of India and were usually armed with muskets and bayonets. Three-fourths of the sepoys were Hindus, and the rest were Muslims. The company hired British officers and soldiers to command the sepoy regiments. For the most part, these British military men had as little contact with their sepoy troops as possible. The rebellion posed a considerable threat to British power in that region and was contained only with the rebels' defeat in Gwalior on 20 June 1858. According to some estimates, the death toll from the rebellion could be as high as 100,000. However, other estimates put the death toll at around 10,000-20,000, with the majority of deaths occurring on the British side. During the rebellion, several hundreds of British women, and children were murdered all over North India. Many more people were wounded, and there were also significant economic and social impacts as a result of the rebellion. The most famous of these was the Siege of Lucknow, which took place in 1857 and was a major turning point in the rebellion. The rebellion was eventually put down by the British, but it had a lasting impact on India's struggle for independence and is considered a major event in Indian history. After the Rebellion, the British government took control of India from the East India Company and established the British Raj. The British Raj (meaning "rule" in Hindi) was the period of British rule in India from 1858 to 1947. The British Raj was the largest and most enduring British empire, and it played a key role in the development and spread of the British Empire. During the British Raj, India was ruled by a governor-general, who was advised by a council of ministers. The British government also established a system of administration and justice, with British officials and judges serving in India. The British Raj brought significant economic, social, and political changes to India, including the establishment of modern infrastructure and the introduction of Western education and institutions. However, it also faced opposition and resistance from Indians, who sought greater autonomy and independence. The British Raj came to an end in 1947, when India gained independence from British rule.