How did the British capture India?

Question

i just got curious to how they captured India. Like the Japanese invaded Singapore from Malaya (while travelling on cycles). I would really be grateful for any help.

Answer 1

India was a jumbled up chaotic mess with rival kingdoms squabbling over territory much as with the situation in Kashmir to this very day. The British were quite adept at playing these kingdoms against one another. Setting themselves up as the friend of one kingdom, they would offer trained disciplined troops with modern weapons to one ally in exchange for conquered territory and other concessions. Naturally allegiances shifted - - - Britain would aid one kingdom, grabbing valuable concessions & territory along the way, then they would send a diplomat to the defeated kingdom offerring their services to avenge the defeat.

Neat, huh!! It is how Empires are built. Play one set of armies against another until both parties are exhausted & prostrate then roll over all of them. The British did it brilliantly.

Peace...

Answer 2

Europeans had been sniffing around the edge of India for a couple of centuries, but made no headway. As the power and cohesion of the Mughal Empire declined they were able to exploit the rivalries and divisions within the empire anf the Maharathas to gain control. It was a slow process. There were still nominally independent princely states at the time of independence, and many more in 1857, at the time of what the English call the Mutiny.

Answer 3

piece by piece.
In the early days many european countries had trading posts in India. They also assisted local rulers in their wars. All that was small scale until these outposts began fighting wars between themselves, mirroring the wars fought in Europe. In this case the territory conquered became the property of the european state (as opposed to the "territory of an allied local ruler"). After several wars the territory of India was a patchwork of British owned and locallyruled lands

Bear in mind that the "owner" of these lands was the East India Company- and NOT the British crown (until the company was "nationalised")

The "patchwork" of British/locally governed territories went all the way until the declaration of Independence and partition- which is when Britain betrayed the independent local rulers and forced them to become part of India or Pakistan

Answer 4

Clive of India. A British civil servant who was stunningly adept at lying, cajoling, coercing, threatening, bribing, terrorising and convincing the leaders of hundreds of tiny kingdoms. By using the innate competition between states, Clive would make the ruler believe the only path of survival for the kingdom was to subjugate themselves to the British. Those that did not were invaded by thier old enemies, the now British allies. Clive was remembered as the key figure for his effective and tireless diplomatic push and the low investment of troops and materials necessary to maintain this empire.

Answer 5

These are all excellent answers here Hungry, you got lucky. I can't add a thing, in this forum anyway.