![]() The second reason for this change in trading patterns was the growing desire in Europe for Chinese tea. ![]() These light, colourful and easy to wear garments were popular amongst the fashionistas and upper classes of Britain.īy the time of the Industrial Revolution, Britain had started producing these garments in its own factories, dramatically lowering prices (due to mass production) and bringing the fashions into the reach of the middle classes. Prior to this, highly skilled weavers were employed in India to make cottons and silks by hand. The reasons for this were two-fold.įirstly, the industrial revolution had changed the way that the Company dealt with the textiles trade. However, this was to be a turning point for the Company and the following years saw it take full administrative powers over its territories, including the right to tax anyone living within its boundaries.Īlthough the 1600s and early 1700s saw the East India Company primarily focused on the trade of textiles, by the mid 18th century the Company’s trading patterns began to change. Faced with a local uprising led by Siraj ud-Daula (with some French assistance!), the Company’s army led by Robert Clive quickly defeated the insurgents. Most of the forces were based at the three main ‘stations’ in India, at Madras, Bombay and Bengal.Īlthough the forces of the East India Company were at first only concerned with protecting the direct interests of the Company, this was to change with the Battle of Plassey in 1757. This strategy appeared to pay off, as by the 1700s the Company had grown so large that it had come to dominate the global textile trade, and had even amassed its own army in order to protect its interests. It was during this time that the Company also decided that it could not compete with the more powerful Dutch East India Company in the trading of spices, so instead turned its attention to cotton and silk from India. Wars, pirates and lower profit margins forced the Company to grow into new markets where competition was less fierce. The expedition returned two years later with a cargo of pepper weighing almost 500 tons! James Lancaster was duly knighted for his service.Īlthough these initial voyages turned out to be extremely profitable for the shareholders, increased competition in the mid-1600s made trading much more difficult. Their first expedition left for Asia in 1601 with four ships commanded by James Lancaster (pictured to the right). ![]() One of these groups of merchants called themselves Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies, later to become simply The East India Company.Īs the name suggests, the Company’s humble origins was as a small group of investors and businessmen looking to capitalise on these new trading opportunities. The Dutch initially took a lead in this, focusing mainly on spices and in particular the trade of peppercorns.Ĭoncerned that the English were falling behind to the Dutch on these new trading routes, on the 31st December 1600 Queen Elizabeth I granted over 200 English merchants the right to trade in the East Indies. ![]() The Spanish and the Portugese were originally dominant on these new sailing routes, but after the destruction of the Spanish Armada in 1588 the British and Dutch were able to take more of an active role in trade with the East Indies. In the late 1500s, European explorers started sailing east for trading purposes.
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