The British Empire

colony

A country or area politically under control of another

sepoy

An Indian soldier who fights in the British Army

slave code

Rules and laws introduced in Barbados to control enslaved people

Raj

The name given to India during the rule of the British Empire

Penal colony

À place that Britain sent criminals to, like Australia

East India Company

The trading company who initially took control of India

Plantation

A large farming estate

1600

The East India Company is formed

1627

Barbados is settled by European colonisers

1661

Slave codes introduced in Barbados

1757

Robert Clive wins at the Battle of Plassey, increasing the EIC’s control over India

1788

Captain Cook lands in Australia

1816

Bussa’s rebellion in Barbados

1858

Sepoy rebellion in India

Pemulwuy

An aboriginal fighter who fought against the British colonisation of Australia

Bussa

An African enslaved man who led the largest slave rebellion on the island of Barbados in 1816

James Drax

A British settler and businessman who cultivated the first successful sugar crop in Barbados

First Fleet

A group of 11 ships and about 1400 people who established the first European settlements in Botany Bay and Sydney, Australia

Robert Clive

British governor of Bengal (an area in India controlled by the EIC)

Queen Victoria

The Queen of England and Empress of India who governed at a time when the British empire expanded rapidly.

Why did Britain want to expand its empire?

To get valuable raw materials, to sell British goods in colonies, and to strengthen Britain’s position in the world.

How did Britain acquire its empire?

Through violent conquest, trading partnerships, encouraging exploration and people to settle permanently

Why did Britain found the East India Company?

To gain and sell natural resources, such as iron ore, gold, and tea.

How did the East India Company consolidate their power?

By creating an East India Company army to protect their trading posts

What did India become in the British Empire and why?

The ‘Jewel in the Crown’ because of large profits being made.

What did the mishandling of the Bengal Famine, and the Battle of Plassey cause?

Britain became increasingly involved in the direction control of the government of India

What did tensions between Sepoys and the British government lead to in 1857?

The Sepoy rebellion

What was Barbados?

An important economic colony to the British which used slave labour and set a model for the colonisation of other Carribean islands

What is an example of a rebellion against the punishments against Carribean enslaved workers?

Bussa’s rebellion

What was the First Fleet and why were they sent to Australia?

The first fleet was made up of convicts and was sent to Australia to establish a penal colony

Examples of rebellions from indigenous Australians

Massacre, disease, and the Frontier wars