INDIA BEIC Bengal Presidency 1 pie (1831 AD)

Description

In 1612 the Mughal Emperor Jahangir allowed the British to set up a trading post that became the city of Calcutta (Kolkata), the capital city of the British Imperial government.

The Europeans started coming to India by sea in the late 15th century, and started a policy of war and trade that continued until the 20th century. The Portuguese started the colonizing movement, then, in succession, the Spanish, Dutch, British, French, and some other European nations all went “Hey, what about us?” and proceeded to grab territory from people less well armed. The British East India Company was a royal charter limited liability corporation with a license to do whatever they wanted in India, long as they paid their stipulated charges. Starting out with trading posts, then meddling in local politics, then poaching territory, the Company came to dominate the actual Mughal Empire and make the Emperor into a puppet. Then they blew it for the usual blowhard delusions of grandeur reasons and had to beg their home government to save them, which it did. That’s how Queen Victoria became Empress of India.

The British obtained their first trading concessions in Bengal in the 17th century and expanded their holdings through the first half of the 19th century.