What was the state of the British Empire in 1857?

About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about background to the British Empire up to the 1850s, focusing in particular on: (i) the Indian war of independence from 1857-59; (ii) the British presence in India which began for commercial reasons at the start of the 17th century; (iii) the presence of the dominant Mughal Empire in India when the British presence was established; (iv) the decline of the Mughal Empire in the 18th century, which drew in British and French East India companies; (v) the fact that, in 1857, the British East India Company has control over much of India, alongside allied princes; (vi) the typical British territorial presence format being that, while the highest ranking members are British, the majority of employees are native to the colonised country; (vii) settlement colonies in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, wherein many British people do live; (viii) lessons in governing offshore territories learned from the American Revolutionary War of 1775-83; (ix) a comparison between the situation in India and in Canada, where the commercial Hudson Bay Company had a presence; (x) the fact that, throughout the British Empire, there was no unified system of commercialisation or government; (xi) the process of nationalisation, which involved the British state taking over the East India and Hudson Bay companies.

About the lecturer

Professor Jeremy Black is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Exeter. He is the author of over 180 books, principally but not exclusively on 18th-century British politics and international relations, and has been described as "the most prolific historical scholar of our age". He has also broadened his perspective, both temporally and geographically, and published on the history of the press, cartography, warfare, culture and on the nature and uses of history itself.