East English Company

Ptolemy

2nd-century Egyptian philosopher who introduced geography

Portuguese Dominance of Asian Trade

Portuguese dominated Southeast Asian trade routes before other European powers like Britain

When did the Portuguese control Southeast Asian trade?

16th century

Why did the Portuguese see India as important for trade?

India was not considered as important as the South East Asian islands but as a spot along the trade routes to stay during the winter and head back to the West in the summer

Why was India valuable to Britain?

Essential materials like Indio, saltpeter, and textiles.

English East India Company

Established in 1600 by Queen Elizabeth, focused on Southeast Asia and later shifted to India when the Portuguese occupied SEA islands

Why was it important for the English Indian Company to be centralized?

As the first join-stock enterprise in England, a centralized company was easier to control and the merchants shared risk of trade and gathered funds

Post-Aurangzeb Era

Period after Aurangzeb's death in the early 18th century, marked by disunity and local rulers' attempts to rule India

How did the East Indian Company eventually become rulers of India?

After Aurangzeb’s death, India’s disunity allowed the company to act more as a government and rulers by having small bases with armies

Siraj-ud-Dulah

Creator of the black hole of calcutta in 1756

Why did Siraj-ud-Dulah wanted to remove the East Indian Company and created the Black hole of Calcutta??

EIC would not pay to improve the city’s fortifications

Black Hole of Calcutta

Prison for British soldiers overnight in a tiny cell. Many of the prisoners died from the crowded conditions and heat.