East India Company Rule

1757 – 1858

Map layer: Colonial Rule

A trading company becomes a territorial power after Plassey and Buxar.

🗺 Map at start (1757) Map at midpoint (1808) Zoomed timeline

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