Textbook
History of Modern India
The old-NCERT modern India classic, from the decline of the Mughals to independence.
East India Company Rule
1757 – 1858
Map layer: Colonial Rule
A trading company becomes a territorial power after Plassey and Buxar.
Who ruled when
Move along the chart to see which powers existed in any year; click a bar for its page, or empty space to open the map.
Main polities of this period
| Name | Type | Span | Region | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| British East India Company ★ | Colonial power | 1600 – 1858 | Pan-Indian | Surat, then Madras / Bombay / Calcutta |
| Fort St George, Madras | Colonial settlement | 1639 – 1858 | Coastal | |
| Bombay (English East India Company) | Colonial settlement | 1668 – 1858 | Coastal |
Also existing during this period
Holkar State (Indore)
Central · 1731 – 1948
Scindia State (Gwalior)
Central · 1731 – 1948
Bhonsles of Nagpur
Central · 1739 – 1853
Portuguese Estado da Índia
Coastal · 1505 – 1961
Portuguese Diu
Coastal · 1535 – 1961
Portuguese Daman
Coastal · 1559 – 1961
Dutch East India Company (VOC) in India
Coastal · 1605 – 1825
Dutch Coromandel (Pulicat)
Coastal · 1610 – 1825
Danish India
Coastal · 1620 – 1869
Danish Tranquebar
Coastal · 1620 – 1845
Dutch Chinsurah
Coastal · 1656 – 1825
Dutch Malabar (Cochin)
Coastal · 1663 – 1795
French India
Coastal · 1668 – 1954
Chandernagore
Coastal · 1673 – 1950
Pondichéry
Coastal · 1674 – 1954
Mahé
Coastal · 1721 – 1954
Yanam
Coastal · 1731 – 1954
Karaikal
Coastal · 1739 – 1954
Danish Serampore
Coastal · 1755 – 1845
Maratha Empire
Deccan · 1674 – 1818
Hyderabad State (Nizams)
Deccan · 1724 – 1948
Nawabs of Bengal
East · 1717 – 1765
Rohilkhand
Gangetic Plain · 1721 – 1774
Awadh (Nawabs of Oudh)
Gangetic Plain · 1722 – 1856
Malla Dynasty of Nepal
Himalaya · 1201 – 1769
Gorkha Kingdom
Himalaya · 1559 – 1768
Bhutan under the Zhabdrung (Druk Desi)
Himalaya · 1616 – 1907
Kingdom of Nepal — expansion era
Himalaya · 1768 – 1816
Kingdom of Nepal
Himalaya · 1816 – 2008
Sultanate of the Maldives
Islands · c. 1153 – 1968
Mughal Empire
North · 1526 – 1857
Jat Kingdom of Bharatpur
North · 1722 – 1947
Sikh Empire
North · 1799 – 1849
Ahom Kingdom
Northeast · 1228 – 1826
Koch Kingdom (Kamata / Cooch Behar)
Northeast · 1515 – 1949
Durrani Empire
Northwest · 1747 – 1823
Emirate of Afghanistan
Northwest · 1823 – 1926
British Raj (Crown Rule)
Pan-Indian · 1858 – 1947
Zamorins of Calicut
South · c. 1124 – 1766
Kingdom of Mysore
South · 1399 – 1950
Carnatic (Nawabs of Arcot)
South · 1692 – 1855
Travancore
South · 1729 – 1949
Kingdom of Kandy
Sri Lanka · c. 1469 – 1815
Dutch Ceylon
Sri Lanka · 1658 – 1796
British Ceylon
Sri Lanka · 1796 – 1948
Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur)
West · c. 1128 – 1949
Marwar (Rathore)
West · c. 1226 – 1949
Mewar (Sisodia)
West · 1326 – 1949
Gaekwad State (Baroda)
West · 1721 – 1949
Events
| Year | Event | Polity |
|---|---|---|
| 1757 | Battle of Plassey Siraj ud-Daulah was defeated and Mir Jafar became a Company-backed nawab. |
British East India Company |
| 1760 | Battle of Wandiwash French power in India was broken. |
British East India Company |
| 1761 | Third Battle of Panipat The Marathas were crushed by Ahmad Shah Durrani and their northward expansion checked. |
Maratha Empire |
| 1764 | Battle of Buxar The Company defeated Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula and Shah Alam II together. |
British East India Company |
| 1765 | Diwani of Bengal granted The Company won the right to collect revenue in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. |
British East India Company |
| 1767 | First Anglo-Mysore War | Kingdom of Mysore |
| 1768 | Prithvi Narayan Shah conquers Kathmandu Kathmandu became the capital of a unified Nepal. |
Kingdom of Nepal — expansion era |
| 1769 | Treaty of Madras Ended the First Anglo-Mysore War with mutual restitution of conquests. |
Kingdom of Mysore |
| 1770 | Great Bengal Famine | British East India Company |
| 1773 | Regulating Act; Warren Hastings Governor-General | British East India Company |
| 1775 | First Anglo-Maratha War begins | Maratha Empire |
| 1780 | Battle of Pollilur Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan destroyed a Company force under Colonel Baillie. |
Kingdom of Mysore |
| 1782 | Treaty of Salbai The First Anglo-Maratha War ended with a return to the status quo. |
Scindia State (Gwalior) |
| 1784 | Asiatic Society founded | British East India Company |
| 1784 | Treaty of Mangalore Ended the Second Anglo-Mysore War on the basis of mutual restitution. |
Kingdom of Mysore |
| 1792 | Treaty of Seringapatam Tipu Sultan ceded half his kingdom and gave two sons as hostages. |
Kingdom of Mysore |
| 1793 | Permanent Settlement of Bengal | British East India Company |
| 1795 | Battle of Kharda The Marathas defeated the Nizam of Hyderabad. |
Maratha Empire |
| 1796 | British take coastal Ceylon from the Dutch Coastal Sri Lanka passed to Britain, confirmed by the Treaty of Amiens. |
British Ceylon |
| 1798 | Hyderabad accepts the Subsidiary Alliance The Nizam became the first ruler to accept Wellesley's system. |
Hyderabad State (Nizams) |
| 1799 | Fall of Srirangapatna Tipu Sultan was killed and the Wodeyars were restored as Company allies. |
Kingdom of Mysore |
| 1799 | Ranjit Singh takes Lahore | Sikh Empire |
| 1802 | Treaty of Bassein Peshwa Baji Rao II accepted the Subsidiary Alliance. |
Maratha Empire |
| 1803 | Battle of Assaye Arthur Wellesley defeated the combined Scindia and Bhonsle armies. |
British East India Company |
| 1803 | British capture Delhi The Mughal emperor came under British protection. |
British East India Company |
| 1806 | Vellore mutiny | British East India Company |
| 1809 | Treaty of Amritsar fixes the Sutlej frontier Ranjit Singh agreed not to expand south of the Sutlej. |
Sikh Empire |
| 1814 | Anglo-Nepal War: siege of Nalapani The Gorkha garrison under Balbhadra Kunwar held out before withdrawing. |
Kingdom of Nepal — expansion era |
| 1815 | Kandyan Convention The Kandyan kingdom ended and all Sri Lanka came under British rule. |
Kingdom of Kandy |
| 1816 | Treaty of Sugauli Nepal ceded Kumaon, Garhwal and the Terai and accepted a British resident. |
Kingdom of Nepal |
| 1817 | Battle of Khadki The Peshwa's army was defeated near Pune. |
Maratha Empire |
| 1818 | Third Anglo-Maratha War ends The Peshwa's territories were annexed and the Company became the paramount power. |
Maratha Empire |
| 1824 | Kittur revolt against the Company Rani Chennamma won an early victory but was captured in a second assault. |
|
| 1826 | Treaty of Yandabo Burma ceded Assam, Manipur, Arakan and Tenasserim to the Company. |
Ahom Kingdom |
| 1828 | Brahmo Samaj founded | British East India Company |
| 1829 | Sati abolished | British East India Company |
| 1835 | English Education Act | British East India Company |
| 1839 | Death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh | Sikh Empire |
| 1839 | First Anglo-Afghan War begins Shah Shuja was installed in Kabul, but British forces were destroyed in 1842. |
Emirate of Afghanistan |
| 1842 | British retreat from Kabul Almost the entire retreating British column was annihilated. |
Emirate of Afghanistan |
| 1843 | Annexation of Sindh Sindh was annexed after the Battle of Miani. |
British East India Company |
| 1845 | First Anglo-Sikh War The Sikhs ceded the Jullundur Doab and paid an indemnity. |
Sikh Empire |
| 1846 | Jammu & Kashmir granted to Gulab Singh The Dogra-ruled princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was created. |
|
| 1846 | Kot massacre; Rana rule begins in Nepal Jung Bahadur Rana seized power and Rana prime ministers ruled for 104 years. |
Kingdom of Nepal |
| 1848 | Doctrine of Lapse applied to Satara Satara was annexed because its ruler died without a natural heir. |
British East India Company |
| 1849 | Punjab annexed The Sikh Empire ended and Maharaja Duleep Singh was pensioned off. |
British East India Company |
| 1853 | First passenger railway: Bombay to Thane | British East India Company |
| 1855 | Santhal Hul (rebellion) Suppressed in 1856; the Santhal Parganas district was created. |
British East India Company |
| 1856 | Awadh annexed Wajid Ali Shah was deposed on the charge of misgovernance. |
British East India Company |
| 1856 | Hindu Widows' Remarriage Act Remarriage of Hindu widows was legalised. |
British East India Company |
| 1857 | Revolt of 1857 begins at Meerut The revolt was suppressed by 1858 and Company rule was ended. |
|
| 1857 | Mangal Pandey's attack at Barrackpore Mangal Pandey was hanged; his regiment was disbanded. |
British East India Company |
| 1857 | Rebels proclaim Bahadur Shah Zafar emperor Delhi became the centre of the revolt until retaken in September 1857. |
|
| 1858 | Government of India Act — Crown rule begins The Crown took over India, governed by a Viceroy and a Secretary of State. |
British Raj (Crown Rule) |
| 1858 | Rani Lakshmibai falls at Gwalior |
📚 Recommended reading for this era
Textbook
A Brief History of Modern India
The most-used exam book for modern India; dense, well organised and revision-friendly.
Reference
From Plassey to Partition and After
A balanced, analytical history of colonial India; excellent for Mains answers.
Popular history
The Anarchy
A gripping account of how a trading company conquered India.
We may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. See all recommended books →
📄 Research papers
Paper🏛 Library access
Law, State and Agrarian Society in Colonial India
How colonial courts and property law reshaped land, caste and the village.
Paper🏛 Library access
Knowing the Country: Empire and Information in India
Spies, runners and news-writers: how the Company took over Indian systems of information.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
The Company Army and Rural Society: The Invalid Thanah 1780–1830
How the East India Company settled retired sepoys on land, and what that did to rural society.
Paper🏛 Library access
🇮🇳 Indian scholarship
Colonialism, stages of colonialism and the colonial state
The stages through which British colonialism in India changed — from trade and plunder to finance.