Trading Approach of EIC (1600 - 1640s)
In the arousing time, in 1599, when spices were the most important things for trading and business, according to European countries. British EIC was getting to do trade in the other lands of the world. According to the "Ancient Times", "Black Pepper was so coveted in the ancient world. It was know as 'black gold' to the merchants."
At the next step, the East India Company (EIC) was becoming one of the best trading company in the contemporary time of England. EIC has made a session with 125 shareholders, and they gathered 7200 pounds of money. After that, they must be taken the grant from Queen Elizabeth 1 to trade in the other countries. On 31st Dec, 1600, they were granted by Queen Elizabeth 1 to trade in the other lands of the world, by the "Royal Charter Act of 1600."
Through this act, the queen gave rights to East India Company such as "Print Own Notes, Make own policy, make own judgement, and give punishments and others." On August 24, 1608, Captain William Hawkins was the first Englishman to arrive in India as an officer of the British East India Company. He led the Hector, the first English ship to sail directly to India.
Hawkins first reached to Gujarat, India in 1608 then he goes Agra to visit the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir. In that time, Hawkins realizes that it is tough to trade with India because Portuguese is trading from 1501 with India. According to Byjus.com, "Portugal was the first European nation to start making attempts to discover a sea route to India. In 1498, Vasco da Gama succeeded in reaching Calicut in India. He was warmly received by the then ruler of Calicut, King Zamorin. In 1501, Vasco da Gama came again to India and established a trading center at Cannanore."
After all that, the Mughal emperor, Jahangir granted permission to the English East India Company (EEIC) to establish a factory in Surat on January 11, 1613. This permission was granted in the form of a Farman. EIC got the permission to trade in India by the Royal Decrees and Farman, which was granted by the Fourth Mughal Emperor, Jahangir.
After a decade, on September 18, 1615, one of the diplomats of East India Company Thomas Roe came to Surat, India. He was the first English ambassador of King James 1 who has gifted to Jahangir a lot things to take additional agreements from the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir.
Through the Farman, The EIC established its first factory in the south in Masulipattanam in 1616. At the initial level of their business, they were giving more profit to their shareholders.
After a few decades, EIC started manipulating to the other kings of India to take their area to start trade. They had given offer to Vijaynagar's king. In case, "In 1639 CE, the last Vijayanagara king, Sri Ranga Raya II, is said to have signed the original documents providing the East India Company the strip of land needed to build Fort St. George in Madras at this very fort," According to IndianCulture. In this assigned paper, EIC got three miles of land to maintain their all the things such as goods, police, security , services and etc.
Hampi or Vijaynagar
Conflicting and Pardoning Era (1680 - 1690s)
In 1681, the new governor of EIC was Josiah Child (1681-1687), who did not accept some of the additional curriculum of Mughal Emperor. In 1685, Mughal governor has adhered a new rule that "EIC should now pay 3% of tax wages, which was 2% in the earlier time." Child did not give any positive outlook in this new law of Mughals. In contrast, he forcefully says to Mughals if you adhere this new taxation law then we will not pay you the taxes, rather we will captured Chittagong. Mughals, without giving any focus on the threat of EIC, adhered the new taxation rule.
Addtionally, EEIC has made problems to Mughals such as "attacked the Mughal army on land, captured ships carrying Muslim pilgrims to Mecca, besieged Bombay for almost a year and a half, and burned the city of Balasore."
On the other hand, Josiah Child becomes anger and thought to make a war against Mughals. As a result, he brought from England a fleet of 12 warships with 200 cannons and over 600 soldiers, then Child attacks on the Mughals at the Hugli River in Calcutta.
In its consequences, "Child lost the war with Aurangzeb, 6th Mughal Emperor of India, which took place between 1688 and 1690. Aurangzeb, however, did not take any punitive action against the company and restored its trading privileges", according to Wikipedia. As Josiah Child has started the war, it is known as
"Child's War".
Josiah Child's Defeat Portrait
There becomes an outlined deadlock, the Mughals seized the EIC's factories and arrested members of the EIC Army. The EIC was fined and forced to apologize. After this war, "The King of England sent warships but the expedition failed. Aurangzeb got the Company’s factories expropriated. As EIC has defeated the war, they wanted to follow a lot of ways to take pard0n from Mughals.
In 1690, According to Rahul Srivastava, "By giving a lot of gift to Aurengzeb, Britishers melted the heart of Mughal Emperor, and Britishers secured permission to trade in India again. In some of the sections, it is mentioned that Britishers has fallen on the feet of Mughaals. They were allowed by Mughals to establish a new trading post at Calcutta (now Kolkata). In all these cases, a Britisher officer, Sir William Hedges has played a significant role to manipulate to Mughals."
In accordance with 1690 treaty between Mughals and Brtishers, there is mentioned, "EIC paid a large fine to the Mughal emperor, promised to behave better in the future, emperor lifted the siege of Bombay, and EIC sent envoys to apologize and offer compensation." In this situation some of the decades were going normally.
Falling Era of India (1707 - 1750s)
On 3 March 1707, after the death of Aurengzeb (last ideal Mughal Emperor), the falling time comes to the Mughal Enpire, also to India. "Rebellions and Orthodox Religious policies" is the primal cause for the destroy of the Mughal Empire. In this era, India was gaining to lose its value economically.
In 1717, according to Banglapedia, "From Farukh Siyar, the company sent an embassy to the Mughal court with a view to securing trade and related privileges throughout India and some villages around the newly acquired zamindari of the three villages of Sutanuti, Govindapur and Kalikata (Kolkata), where the future city of Calcutta was founded." Through this proposal, it was getting clear that EIC again comes back to the strategy to make a war again in future (or to cover more areas in India). The company has got the permission to trade for free, only except of annual tax 30 lakhs rupees. The assignment was called as "Farukh Siyar Farman of 1717."
The EIC has made its trading posts in Bengal (Fort William, Calcutta), Madras (Fort St. George), and Bombay. Steadily, EIC was making their personal army storng and efficient.
Gaining Time of EIC (1750 - 1765)
Siraj against EIC (1756 - 1757)
In this age, EIC becomes most powerful in India. They also trade and took in many areas of India. Now, they are trying to enter into the political and social matter of India. The community of India's kings and emperors are getting lost as all the subas of Mughal become individually independent. Those subas stop to pay taxes to the Mughal Emperor. Only the Bengal suba was giving tax to Mughal Emperor. In this era, Mughal Empire had lost almost 70% of its land.
The year comes to 1750s, Siraj-Ud-Daulah, the grandson of Alvardi Khan, a new nawab of Bengal, who had stopped the curriculum of EIC in Fort William at Calcutta. Siraj renamed the city of Calcutta to Alinagar in June, 1756. He had kept 146 army of EIC in 20/22 feet room, and one day later 123 were died through the suffocation. The big death is known as "The Black Hole Tragedy." In all the incidents of Siraj-Ud-Daulah, EIC's governor, Robert Clive (1746–1774) becomes anger.
In the all the consequences, Clive again captured to Fort William at Calcutta. In 1757, EIC becomes most powerful in that time. They don't tolerate to Siraj-Ud-Daulah. EIC has taken to Miraj Zafar, Jagat Seth, Omichand, Rai Durlabh and Khawaja Wajid, on their behalf. In the part of Siraj, Mir Zafar had a big part of the army. In contrast, Mir Zafar was promised by EIC to be a the next nawab after Siraj-Ud-Daulah.
Jagat Seth, a powerful banker of Bengal who allied with the British to overthrow Siraj because he felt threatened by his policies. Omichand (Amir Chand), a wealthy merchant who acted as a double agent and tried to extort the British during the conspiracy. Rai Durlabh, another key general in Siraj's army who refused to fight during the battle and secretly allied with the British. Khwaja Wajid, a merchant and conspirator who worked against Siraj due to financial and political interests.
On 23rd June, 1757, Siraj had 5000 soldiers and Robert clive had only 3000 soldiers, in these almost 2100 were Indian soldiers and 800 were European. Instead of a vast army of Siraj, he was defeats the war easily for the conspiracy of Mir Zafar and other conspirators of Daulah. Finally, EIC won the war easily without any major trap.
When Siraj was defeated, "he was killed on 2 July 1757 by Mohammad Ali Beg under orders from Mir Miran, son of Mir Zafar in Namak Haram Deorhi as part of the agreement between Mir Zafar and the British East India Company", according to Wikipedia.org. As the proposal of EIC, Mir Zafar becomes the nawab of Bengal, which was the "puppet nawab."
When Zafar becomes the new nawab of Bengal, he agreed to pay the British East India Company 17.7 million rupees as compensation for their military expenses and as a reward. EIC has promised to give to safeguard to Jagat Seth. Omichand was promised to be rewarded 30 million rupees as a bribe for his role, but at the end of the war he didn't get anything.
Qasim's Approach (1760 - 1764)
After a few year, in the works of Mir Zafar, EIC don't take the good look as a puppet nawab. Mir Zafar was becoming as the independent nawab. In this time, Britishers replaced to Mir Zafar and give the position to his son-in-law, Mir Kasim in 1860. In case of Zafar, he was approved to get 15000 INR as an salary in his retirement of life.
In, Mir Qasim's age, he was trying to oppose to pay 40% of taxes to Britishers. Qasim trasferred his capital from Murshidabad to Munger, present day Bihar. Qasim's curriculums were not good to EIC and they removed Qasim from his rank as the Nawab of Bengal. In this consequence, Qasim wanted to fight against the EIC then he started making a community with Shuja-Ud-Daula and Shah Alam 2. According to Wikipedia Foudation, "Mir Qasim invaded the Company offices in Patna in 1763, killing several Europeans including the Resident. Mir Qasim allied with Shuja-ud-Daula of Avadh and Shah Alam II, the incumbent Mughal emperor against the British. However, their combined forces were defeated in the Battle of Buxar on 22 october, 1764." After the "Battle of Plassey", Qasim fled from the battle and goes to Delhi. In 1777, he dies in poverty.
Mir Zafar becomes again the puppet nawab of Bengal. In the aftermath of "Battle of Buxar", the "Treaty of Allahabad" was signed between Robert Clive and Shah Alam 2 (the last Mughal emperor) on 16 August 1765 . In this treaty, "Alam granted the East India Company Diwani rights, or the right to collect taxes on behalf of the Emperor from the eastern province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa," Wikipedia says. On the other hand, the company will pay 26 lakh rupees while getting a safety in the districts of Kora and Allahabad. The company has taken the Kora and Allahabad from Shuja-Ud-Daula, and Daula also had to pay fifty lakhs of rupees as wages of war to the British East India Company.
In Conclusion
After "Battle of Plssey" and "Battle of Buxar", EIC, instead of small trading company, took throne of India. At the first time, they only wanted to trade and business in this country. By going times, they have taken all the economic and political power of India. On the other hand, some of the historians say that Robert Clive was the most intelligent governor of EIC. He has cleared the path to colonize India. In the aftermath of "The Treaty of Allahabad", EIC took more power of India.