What is East India Company?
[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg|thumb|280x280px|Flag of British East India Company (1801)]] The '''East India Company''' ('''EIC''') was an [[England|English]] [[joint-stock company]] with [[headquarters]] in [[London]]. It was started for trading with the [[East Indies]], but most trade was with [[India]] and [[China]]. It was given a royal charter, permission to exist, in 1600 and traded many things in India. In the mid-18th century, the company built up its own [[presidency armies]] and won the [[Battle of Plassey]], which brought it from only trading with India to actually ruling the [[Indian subcontinent]]. The company had armed forces and armed ships. It fought against various Indian rulers and struggled against the [[Dutch East India Company]] and other European [[nations]]. It was ruled by one [[governor]] and 24 [[Board of Directors|directors]]. It became a [[monopoly]] in most parts of India.<ref>Chaudhury S. 1999. ''Merchants, companies, and trade: Europe and Asia in the early modern era''. London: Cambridge University Press.</ref> After the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] the British government ruled India directly and the company was dissolved in 1874.<ref>Gardner, Brian 1972. ''The East India Company: a history''. McCall Publishing Company. {{ISBN|0-8415-0124-6}}</ref> Its role was taken over by the Government of India (the [[British Raj]]). At its height, the Raj covered a huge area from [[Balochistan (Pakistan)|Baluchistan]] in the west to [[Burma]] in the east, as well as [[Ceylon]] and a number of other islands. == References == {{reflist}} {{multistub|UK|Asia}} [[Category:Defunct companies of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:17th-century establishments in England]] [[Category:1870s disestablishments in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:1600s establishments in Europe]]