The East India Company: Laying the Foundations for British Colonial Domination of India, 1752-1774 - Key Data

This collection provides a unique perspective on the complex geopolitical circumstances of India during the 18th century, and how the foundations of British colonialism were established through the activities and campaigns of the East India Company. Drawing from the personal and professional papers of two East India Company employees, Colonel Robert Clive and Brigadier-General John Carnac, the collection offers an insight into how the East India Company became increasingly influential after the weakening of the Mughal Empire during the 18th century.

Robert Clive was a British military commander and eventual Governor of Bengal. Through his political and military actions in India, he amassed vast personal wealth and played a key role in laying the foundations for British domination of India for the next few centuries. John Carnac served as Commander-in-Chief of the East India Company in India between 1760-1761, defeating the French supported forces of the Mughal Empire. He worked in tandem with Clive as they systematically expanded British influence on the subcontinent. Together, the the papers enable researchers to study how the burgeoning commercial and political power of the East India Company turned into monolithic rule of the Indian subcontinent.