British Imperialism in India

British Imperialism in India

Unit 3 – IndiaMs. Doyle

European Imperialism1500-1900

Portuguese Discovery

• 1499- Vasco da Gama arrives back in Portugal from a voyage to Calicut, on the Malabar Coast of India.

• His cargo of spices-pepper, nutmeg, and cloves-fascinate the people

• The trade in spices was the most important reason for European interest in the East.

Trade• Europe and Asia were separated by deserts, mountains, and by the

powerful Ottoman Empire, which was Muslim in religion and not on friendly terms with Christian Europe.

• The journey was long and dangerous. Ships had to sail down the coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope and into the Indian Ocean.

• The trip lasted several years, if the ship made it at all.

Other products

• Brought back beautiful fabrics and gems• Spices and pepper were still the most

intriguing• The Europeans now saw how good food could

taste

Portuguese Control• 1505- Portuguese ships sailed into the Indian Ocean

and quickly overpowered Arab resistance

• Alphonso de Albuquerque established the first European settlement at Goa on India’s west coast

• Portugal controlled the spice trade, and Portuguese trading posts were established in India, in Malaya, and in the Spice Islands

Dutch Control

• The Dutch, expert seamen, and perceptive merchants wasted no time challenging Portugal’s control

• By 1600 there were several Dutch trading posts in India.

• The Dutch eventually pushed the Portuguese out of the spice trade

British Control• In 1587, English merchants captured a Portuguese ship filled

with spices • Merchants formed the British East India Company to trade in

spices• First British settlement was called St. George and was

established in 1639 • 1661- the British gained control of Bombay, which is now

India’s second largest city and a great seaport. • 1690- a trading post was created at Calcutta, then only a small

village, now a city of 12,000,000 people.

Competition

• British were too busy fighting the Portuguese to establish many trading posts

• 1612 and 1614, Portuguese navy was defeated and the Dutch became too involved in the islands of Indonesia to compete with the British in India.

• England and Holland fought over America and the East. Portugal was stuck with much less influential position in the East.

British Resistance

• 1746-1761, the British army defeated several Indian armies and the French who were gaining power

• 1814-1818 fought against the Gurkhas in northern India

• 1840- suppressed the Sikhs, who were fierce Indian warriors

• After the Sikhs were defeated, all of India came under the power of the East India Company

British Change

• Social reforms were made and cruel customs of Indian society were abolished. ~Suttee, the drowning of unwanted girl babies, slavery

• Built new roads, harbors, and railways trade extended • Established a telegraph system, built schools and colleges, and

established uniform law. • Thought of eventually giving India her independence • India was the “jewel in the Empire’s crown”. • Brought peace to parts of India which had suffered turmoil.

“The Indian Mutiny”• India welcomed the British as traders not rulers led

to revolt in 1857 • Resulted in a mutiny among Indian soldiers who had

joined the British army • N.India was in revolt for over a year and cruel and

bloody battles were fought • Led by princes and rulers who had lost their

kingdoms to the British and wanted to win them back

• Attempts failed and the British were more strongly established in India than ever before