The East India Company (EIC)

The East India Company

• Seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent in the mid-18th century.
• Original name was the Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies.
• The British Crown assumed direct control of India from the East India Company in 1858.

East India Company Rule

• Ruled large areas of India through a system of indirect rule, where local rulers were allowed to govern their territories in exchange for loyalty and tribute to the Company.

Trade and Commodities

• During the mid-1700s and early 1800s, the East India Company traded in commodities such as textiles, spices, and tea.

South Asia's Early History

• Sedentariness, or the transition from nomadic to settled life, began in South Asia around 7000 BCE.
• The Indus Valley Civilisation flourished in present-day Pakistan and north-western India from 3300 to 1300 BCE.
• The period of Vedic composition, marked by the creation of large collections of hymns, occurred from 1500 to 500 BCE.
• The rise of new ascetic movements and religious concepts, including the rise of Jainism and Buddhism, took place from 600 to 300 BCE.
• The Maurya Empire, the first great empire in ancient India, was established by Chandragupta Maurya.
• The event that marked the beginning of settled life in South Asia was the rise of agriculture.
• Around 600 BCE, religious concepts such as Jainism and Buddhism arose in the Indian subcontinent.
• The Maurya Empire was established by Chandragupta Maurya.
• The population of the Indus Valley scattered from large urban centres to villages due to the drying up of the Saraswati River.