The Company’s WorldExplore interactive atlas →
The complete chronicle · 80 events

East India Company timeline, 1600–1874

Follow the Company from its English trading charter to its dissolution, through commerce, conquest, resistance and the transfer of government to the Crown.

Dates are shown only to the precision recorded for each event. Select an entry to open that event in the interactive atlas.

Chapter 01 of 10

A licence to trade

Charters, voyages and negotiated footholds

1600–1634

  1. A charter for eastern trade

    Elizabeth I charters the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies. The monopoly covers English trade, not sovereignty over Asian lands.

    London

  2. The first fleet sails

    James Lancaster leads the Company’s first voyage to Asia. Investors finance this venture separately, before the later permanent joint-stock company.

    Torbay

  3. A trading post at Bantam

    Lancaster’s expedition establishes a Company trading post at Bantam in Java. English merchants enter an existing Asian commercial world dominated locally by its own rulers and traders.

    Bantam / Banten, Java

  4. A foothold on the Coromandel coast

    Company merchants establish a post at Masulipatnam for the textile trade. This early Indian foothold predates the durable Surat establishment.

    Masulipatnam / Machilipatnam

  5. Portuguese ships checked at Swally

    Thomas Best’s ships fight Portuguese forces near Surat. The encounter strengthens the Company’s position in negotiations for Mughal trading access.

    Swally / Suvali, near Surat

  6. Several voyages share a joint stock

    After a 1612 decision, a temporary joint stock finances several voyages. This pools investment more widely but is not yet the permanent capital structure created in 1657.

    London

  7. A durable factory at Surat

    The Company secures a lasting trading establishment at Surat under Mughal authority. A factory is a merchant station, not a modern industrial plant.

    Surat

  8. An embassy to Jahangir

    Thomas Roe arrives as ambassador to the Mughal court and seeks more secure trading privileges. Company access depends on imperial permission and local negotiation.

    Ajmer

  9. A Safavid alliance takes Hormuz

    Company ships assist Safavid forces in expelling the Portuguese from Hormuz. The victory serves a Persian conquest and English commercial ambitions, not Company annexation.

    Hormuz

  10. Executions at Amboyna

    Dutch authorities execute English Company men and Asian associates after a disputed conspiracy prosecution. The crisis intensifies Anglo-Dutch rivalry in the spice islands.

    Amboyna / Ambon
Chapter 02 of 10

Factories, forts and rival companies

Capital becomes permanent; competing English companies coexist

1635–1708

  1. An English rival receives a licence

    Charles I authorises Courteen’s Association to trade in the East. Rival English ventures challenge the older Company’s monopoly before later consolidation.

    London

  2. A grant at Madras

    Company agents obtain a coastal land grant from local Nayak authorities. The settlement develops around Fort St George, whose construction follows in the 1640s.

    Madras / Chennai

  3. A coalition with the Assada interests

    Following a 1649 agreement, a Commonwealth settlement combines the Company with the Assada interests. The arrangement precedes, rather than replaces, the permanent stock established in 1657.

    London

  4. A Bengal factory at Hughli

    Company merchants establish a factory at Hughli. Bengal’s textile and commercial networks become increasingly important to the Company’s Asian trade.

    Hughli / Hooghly

  5. Capital becomes permanent

    A new settlement establishes a permanent joint stock instead of repeatedly winding up separate investment pools. This strengthens the Company as a continuing corporate institution.

    London

  6. St Helena becomes a Company station

    The Company establishes possession of St Helena as an Atlantic supply station. Its oceanic system needs provisioning places as well as Asian trading posts.

    St Helena

  7. Bombay passes to the Company

    The English Crown transfers Bombay to the Company, after acquiring it through the Portuguese royal marriage settlement of 1661. Company administration develops separately from the earlier Crown acquisition.

    Bombay / Mumbai

  8. A new post in Sumatra

    The Company establishes itself at Bencoolen on Sumatra’s west coast. The settlement becomes an enduring, costly part of its Southeast Asian trading network.

    Bencoolen / Bengkulu

  9. War with the Mughals backfires

    The Company attempts to force better trading terms through war with the Mughal empire. Defeat and submission in 1690 show how limited its power still is.

    Surat

  10. A settlement at Sutanuti

    Company agents establish a lasting settlement at Sutanuti, one of the existing communities that become Calcutta. Fort William develops later in the 1690s, not as a completed fort in 1690.

    Calcutta / Kolkata

  11. A second East India Company

    A parliamentary settlement creates the English Company Trading to the East Indies. The older London Company survives alongside its new rival, producing overlapping claims and competition.

    London

  12. The rivals agree to unite

    A tripartite agreement begins the process of uniting the old and new companies. Legal and financial integration takes several more years.

    London
Chapter 03 of 10

One company, contested empires

Union, Mughal privileges and rivalry with the French

1709–1755

  1. The United Company emerges

    The old and new interests complete their union as the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies. The 1708 settlement and 1709 legal transfers form successive steps.

    London

  2. Farrukhsiyar grants privileges

    The Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar grants the Company important trading privileges, including in Bengal. Later disputes over their scope become part of the struggle between merchants and regional government.

    Delhi

  3. The French capture Madras

    French forces take Madras during the First Carnatic War. The later peace settlement restores it to the British, showing that coastal possessions can be lost as well as gained.

    Madras / Chennai

  4. Arcot and the Carnatic succession

    Clive’s force takes and defends Arcot during the Second Carnatic War. British and French companies intervene through rival Indian claimants, rather than fighting in an empty political landscape.

    Arcot
Chapter 04 of 10

Bengal: victory and revenue

From court intervention to the right to collect taxes

1756–1765

  1. The nawab captures Calcutta

    Siraj ud-Daulah’s forces take Calcutta after disputes over Company fortification and conduct. The loss prompts the expedition that retakes the settlement in early 1757.

    Calcutta / Kolkata

  2. Plassey changes Bengal’s politics

    A Company-led coalition defeats Siraj ud-Daulah after conspiracy and defections weaken his army. Mir Jafar becomes nawab, giving the Company enormous leverage without annexing all Bengal.

    Plassey / Palashi

  3. Western trade is channelled through Canton

    The Qing government restricts Western maritime commerce to Canton under regulated merchant intermediaries. The Company trades within a Chinese-controlled system, not an English enclave ruling the province.

    Canton / Guangzhou

  4. French ambitions checked at Wandiwash

    Company forces defeat a French-led army at Wandiwash during the Third Carnatic War. The subsequent fall of Pondicherry sharply limits French prospects of territorial power in India.

    Wandiwash / Vandavasi

  5. Buxar strengthens Company power

    Company forces defeat the coalition of Mir Qasim, Shuja ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II. The victory prepares the way for the revenue settlement of 1765.

    Buxar

  6. The right to collect Bengal’s revenue

    Shah Alam II grants the Company the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and historical Orissa. Revenue rights transform its resources, but are not identical to modern borders or immediate direct administration.

    Allahabad / Prayagraj
Chapter 05 of 10

War, famine and regulation

A revenue state faces resistance, crisis and parliamentary control

1766–1793

  1. Hyder Ali resists Company expansion

    The First Anglo-Mysore War pits changing regional alliances against one another. Hyder Ali reaches the vicinity of Madras and forces a treaty in 1769.

    Madras / Chennai

  2. Famine devastates Bengal

    Crop failures and disruption culminate in catastrophic famine. Revenue demands and exploitative trading practices compound the crisis, exposing the human consequences of Company power.

    Bengal (regional anchor)

  3. The Company takes revenue management in hand

    Warren Hastings ends the earlier system of indirect revenue management in Bengal. A five-year settlement auctions revenue collection, exposing cultivators to new financial pressures.

    Calcutta / Kolkata

  4. Opium becomes an organised revenue business

    Company authorities reorganise Bengal opium procurement through contracts. Opium revenue grows into a major link between Indian production and private merchants supplying the illegal China market.

    Patna

  5. Parliament regulates a troubled Company

    Financial crisis brings the Company under closer parliamentary supervision. The Regulating Act creates a governor-general of Bengal and a new governing council, without ending Company rule.

    London

  6. Company tea is thrown into Boston harbour

    Protesters destroy Company tea during resistance to British taxation and the Tea Act. The Company’s commercial crisis becomes entangled with the American colonial conflict.

    Boston

  7. A costly intervention in Maratha politics

    Company support for a rival claimant draws it into the First Anglo-Maratha War. Resistance checks its ambitions; the Treaty of Salbai in 1782 brings a negotiated peace.

    Poona / Pune

  8. A Company force is destroyed at Pollilur

    Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan inflict a major defeat during the Second Anglo-Mysore War. The conflict ends with the Treaty of Mangalore in 1784, rather than decisive Company conquest.

    Pollilur

  9. A Board of Control in London

    Pitt’s India Act strengthens British government supervision of the Company’s political affairs. Directors and ministers share a system of control rather than a clean separation between business and state.

    London

  10. A Company base at Penang

    Francis Light establishes a Company settlement on Penang through dealings with Kedah’s ruler. It becomes a strategic port, not Company ownership of the entire Malay peninsula.

    Penang

  11. Mysore is forced to cede territory

    The Third Anglo-Mysore War ends with the Treaty of Seringapatam. Tipu Sultan cedes territory to the Company and its allies, while Mysore remains a separate state.

    Seringapatam / Srirangapatna

  12. Bengal’s land revenue is fixed permanently

    The Permanent Settlement fixes the government's revenue demand on zamindars. It does not fix cultivators' rents; their rights remain contested despite stated protections.

    Calcutta / Kolkata
Chapter 06 of 10

Conquest and resistance

Mysore, Maratha power and the limits of expansion

1794–1818

  1. Tipu Sultan dies at Seringapatam

    Company and allied forces storm Tipu Sultan’s capital during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. Mysore is partitioned, while a reduced kingdom is restored to the Wodeyar dynasty under British influence.

    Seringapatam / Srirangapatna

  2. Awadh cedes land for an army subsidy

    The nawab of Awadh cedes extensive territory under pressure from the Company. A reduced Awadh survives as an allied state, distinct from the outright annexation of 1856.

    Lucknow

  3. The Peshwa signs at Bassein

    Baji Rao II accepts a subsidiary alliance and Company troops after losing his position at Poona. Other Maratha leaders reject the expanding Company role.

    Bassein / Vasai

  4. Assaye in the Second Maratha War

    Arthur Wellesley’s army defeats Maratha forces at Assaye. Campaigns and treaties elsewhere also expand Company power, but the confederacy is not yet extinguished.

    Assaye

  5. Soldiers revolt at Vellore

    Indian troops at Vellore rise against Company authority amid military and religious grievances. The uprising is suppressed with severe violence.

    Vellore

  6. British forces take Java

    A British expedition seizes Java from Dutch-French control and places it under British administration. Most Dutch possessions are restored in 1816 after the European war settlement.

    Batavia / Jakarta

  7. The India trade monopoly is broken

    The Charter Act opens most British trade with India to other merchants. The Company retains its China and tea monopoly and continues to govern Indian territories.

    London

  8. Nepal cedes territory but stays independent

    The Treaty of Sugauli ends the Anglo-Nepalese War after signing in 1815 and ratification in 1816. Nepal loses territory but remains an independent kingdom.

    Sugauli

  9. The Paika uprising in Odisha

    Paikas and other local groups, including Kandha participants, resist Company authority around Khurda. Land, revenue and political grievances drive the rebellion associated with Bakshi Jagabandhu.

    Khurda / Khordha

  10. The Peshwa’s government is abolished

    The Third Anglo-Maratha War breaks the Peshwa’s power and brings extensive lands under Company rule. Other Maratha dynasties survive as subordinate princely states.

    Poona / Pune
Chapter 07 of 10

An Asian network; commerce ends

Singapore, Burma and the loss of the last trading monopoly

1819–1838

  1. A trading agreement at Singapore

    Raffles reaches an agreement with Sultan Hussein and the Temenggong for a Company trading settlement. Singapore already has inhabitants and a long regional history.

    Singapore

  2. Britain and the Netherlands divide their claims

    The Anglo-Dutch Treaty rearranges colonial claims around the Straits. Malacca passes towards British control and Bencoolen towards Dutch control, with transfers implemented subsequently.

    London

  3. Singapore is ceded to the Company

    A new treaty obtained by John Crawfurd secures the cession of Singapore to the Company. This is a different legal step from the limited trading agreement of 1819.

    Singapore

  4. Burma accepts the Treaty of Yandabo

    After the First Anglo-Burmese War, Burma cedes Arakan and Tenasserim and renounces claims over Assam and Manipur. The settlement does not annex the whole Burmese kingdom or all neighbouring states.

    Yandabo

  5. The Straits Settlements are combined

    Penang, Malacca and Singapore are grouped under Company administration as the Straits Settlements. A network of ports becomes a single administrative unit.

    Penang

  6. Sati is prohibited in Bengal

    Bengal Regulation XVII makes the practice of sati illegal in the Company’s Bengal jurisdiction. Indian reformers, including Rammohun Roy, are central to the debate surrounding the measure.

    Calcutta / Kolkata

  7. The Company must stop trading

    The Charter Act removes the remaining China and tea monopoly and requires the Company to end its commercial business. From 1834 it continues principally as a governing institution.

    London
Chapter 08 of 10

Coercion and annexation

Opium, imperial wars and contested reform

1839–1856

  1. Aden is seized

    Company forces take Aden and place the port under the Bombay government. The seizure adds a strategic Arabian base to the Company’s maritime system.

    Aden

  2. Opium is confiscated near Canton

    Commissioner Lin Zexu suppresses the illegal opium trade and destroys surrendered stocks at Humen. The crisis leads into the First Opium War between Britain and Qing China.

    Humen, near Canton

  3. Disaster on the retreat from Kabul

    A British-Indian force and its followers suffer catastrophic losses withdrawing from Kabul during the First Afghan War. A punitive return follows, but Afghanistan is not annexed.

    Kabul

  4. Hong Kong is ceded to the Crown

    The Treaty of Nanjing ends the First Opium War, opens five treaty ports and cedes Hong Kong Island to Britain. The island becomes a Crown possession, not Company territory.

    Nanjing

  5. Sindh is annexed

    Company forces defeat Sindh’s rulers and annex the region. The conquest extends Company rule along the lower Indus.

    Hyderabad, Sindh

  6. Courts stop enforcing slave-property claims

    Act V of 1843 removes legal enforcement of claims to property in enslaved people within its jurisdiction. This does not instantly eliminate slavery, bondage or coercive labour.

    Calcutta / Kolkata

  7. The Lahore settlement constrains the Sikh kingdom

    The First Anglo-Sikh War ends with cessions, an indemnity and British intervention in Lahore’s government. The kingdom survives for now; Punjab’s annexation comes in 1849.

    Lahore

  8. Punjab is annexed

    Following the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the Company annexes Punjab and removes the young Duleep Singh from sovereignty. The independent Sikh kingdom ends.

    Lahore

  9. Satara is annexed under lapse policy

    After the raja’s death in 1848 and a disputed adoption, Company authorities reject his successor and order Satara’s annexation in 1849.

    Satara

  10. Lower Burma is annexed

    The Second Anglo-Burmese War leads to the annexation of Pegu and Lower Burma. The Burmese monarchy continues to rule farther north.

    Rangoon / Yangon

  11. A passenger train links Bombay and Thane

    The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens its passenger service from Bombay to Thane. Railway development belongs to the final Company era, but the railway operator is a separate company.

    Bombay / Mumbai

  12. The Santal Hul challenges colonial power

    Santal communities led by figures including Sido and Kanhu rise against exploitation and the colonial order. The uprising is met with military repression.

    Bhognadih (regional anchor)

  13. Awadh is annexed outright

    The Company deposes Wajid Ali Shah and annexes Awadh on claims of misgovernment. The dispossession helps intensify the grievances that feed the rebellion of 1857.

    Lucknow
Chapter 09 of 10

Rebellion and the end of Company rule

Military revolt, civilian resistance, reprisals and Crown takeover

1857–1858

  1. Rebellion breaks out at Meerut

    Sepoys at Meerut revolt, then move towards Delhi, where rebels rally around Bahadur Shah Zafar. Military grievances intersect with wider political, economic and religious opposition.

    Meerut

  2. Delhi is retaken amid reprisals

    British and loyal Indian troops retake Delhi after a prolonged siege. Mass killings, expulsions and looting follow, while resistance continues elsewhere.

    Delhi

  3. Jhansi falls; resistance continues

    Company forces capture Jhansi after a siege, but Lakshmibai escapes and continues fighting. She dies later in the campaign, becoming a major symbol of resistance.

    Jhansi

  4. Parliament legislates for Crown rule

    Parliament passes the Government of India Act, providing for Crown government in place of the Company. Implementation and proclamation follow; the corporation itself is not dissolved.

    London

  5. The Crown proclaims its new rule

    Queen Victoria’s proclamation announces the new regime and promises respect for religions and princely rights. It marks a political settlement, not the immediate end of fighting everywhere.

    Allahabad / Prayagraj
Chapter 10 of 10

A corporation without a country

The legal Company outlives its government

1859–1874

  1. The Company is dissolved

    Following the 1873 redemption legislation, the East India Company is formally dissolved. Its commercial business had ended in 1834 and its Indian government in 1858.

    London