Why was india seen as the most important imperial possesion to britain in the period leading up to 1947?

post indepence India wasone of britains most important colonies why. what did they have that the other colonies didnt?

Why was india seen as the most important imperial possesion to britain in the period leading up to 1947?
It was rich, well organised and strategically placed so as to be within easy reach of most parts of the world. It provided magnificent products which could be traded all over the world through the East India Company. On 31 December 1600 Queen Elizabeth I granted a royal charter to the British East India Company to carry out trade with the East. Ships first arrived in India in 1608, docking at Surat in modern-day Gujarat. Four years later, British traders defeated the Portuguese at the Battle of Swally, gaining the favour of the Mughal emperor Jahangir in the process. In 1615, King James I sent Sir Thomas Roe as his ambassador to Jahangir's court, and a commercial treaty was concluded in which the Mughals allowed the Company to build trading posts in India in return for goods from Europe. The Company traded in such commodities as cotton, silk, saltpetre, indigo, and tea.





By the mid-1600s, the Company had established trading posts or "factories" in major Indian cities, such as Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras in addition to their first factory at Surat (built in 1612). In 1670 King Charles II granted the company the right to acquire territory, raise an army, mint its own money, and exercise legal jurisdiction in areas under its control.





By the last decade of the 17th century, the Company was arguably its own "nation" on the Indian subcontinent, possessing considerable military might and ruling three presidencies.





You can read further on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Raj
Reply:During the Empire, India was known as the 'Jewel in the Crown'


It was won without a fight, since it was taken by a commercial company 'the East India Company' - known as 'John Company'. This trading company came to agreements with the ruling princes, they didn't rape, plunder or kill.


At the turn of the 20th Century, the people who went out to India did not show so much understanding for the Indian people - in fact they began to consider themselves as superior.And that's when things really started to fall apart.





Many Brits of my generation (b. 1943) still have memories of stories told by their parents or grandparents. For many of us, India is, and will remain, an integral part of our heritage. I was so pleases when my daughter, now 35 and who had been in India twice as a child, went there this Christmas. I think she now understands the family connections and has learned to love India as I do.


No one can ignore four hundred years of history. There is a spiritual connection. Ethnically I'm Anglo-Saxon, my heart is in Kurdistan, but my soul belongs to India.





I don't think I'm alone in thinking my soul belongs to India. As I said before, 'the Jewel in the Crown.'
Reply:Hi there. the other guys make some good points - and some incorrect ones. We can sum it up - wealth.


India has always been a powerhouse of wealth because of its tight societies and huge population. The British took India a little piece at a time, often with a fight (see the career of "Clive of India" and the battle of Plassey!) BUT - India was not particularly backward, just very poorly governed. When the ruling class had been subverted or ousted, the British could take over and the underlying structure of society remained! This could be redirected into what the British wanted (i.e. used to make lots of money) easily and the Indian people very adaptable.


So having initially been taken over by businesses to make money, India eventually came under the crown after the great mutiny (the great mutiny which involved only a fraction of the people of India in reality).


A huge nation, intelligent, hard working and structured, with all kinds of products (spices, cloths, gems) - no wonder it was the most important!


Other colonies had similar things (Hong Kong was very wealthy, Canada huge resources, etc) but India had it in vast amounts.


Cheers, Steve.
Reply:Location Location Location
Reply:India was and is a land ofrich heritage. Indian soil was very rich in minerals and was excellent for growing all sorts of crops. India thus became an important conquest of the English as the country provided the Britons with money, and good trade.


The people of India were backward, and this made it easier for the Britons to exploit India's wealth without inteference.