Hi there.

I'm Mr. Roberts.

And thanks for joining me for today's history lesson, where my job will be to guide you through our history resources.

I'll be making sure that by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to securely meet our lesson objective.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to recall that the Mughal Empire initially had control over India so that the power of the East India Company expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries.

There are three key terms which we need to make sure we're comfortable with before embarking on our learning journey today.

Monopoly is exclusive control over a supply of or trade in a commodity or service.

A sepoy was an Indian soldier serving in the British or another order.

And a Nawab was a native governor during the time of the Mughal Empire.

Our lesson on the origins of British rule in India is separated into three learning phases, and the first one is dedicated to examining the Mughal Empire and its decline.

India, for millennia an alluring land of prosperity, attracted settlers and conquerors from around the world.

India was home to a vast supply of natural resources, such as precious jewels and emeralds.

The Persians and Iranians settled in ancient India, while famous conquerors such as Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great invaded it.

Chinese scholars came in pursuit of knowledge, and later European powers, such as the French, Dutch, and ultimately the British sought its wealth.

Before the British, the Indian subcontinent was historically divided into numerous kingdoms, mostly run by Hindu princes, who enjoyed long periods of peace with only occasional wars.

However, in the early 1500s, the Mughals and Muslim dynasty invaded and quickly established dominance.

Akbar the Great, one of the most notable Mughal emperors, managed to unite many Indian states and ruled over the Hindu princes, creating a vast and relatively stable empire.

Let's make sure we've secured some key information now.

Which two famous conquerors invaded India? A.

Alexander the Great.

B.

Julius Caesar.

Or C.

Genghis Khan.

Pause the video while you decide on the answer, and then press play when you are ready to resume.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said A.

Alexander the Great and C.

Genghis Khan, for the two famous conquerors that invaded India during its long history.

Let's try another one now.

Akbar the Great conquered the Hindu regions of India.

What was the name of his empire? A.

The Indian Empire.

B.

The British Empire.

Or C.

The Mughal Empire Pause the video while you decide on the answer, and then press play when you're ready to resume.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said C.

The Mughal Empire was the name of the empire of Akbar the Great after he conquered the Hindu regions of India.

Akbar's great-grandson, Aurangzeb, who ruled from 1658 to 1707, set about persecuting followers of faith's other than Islam.

His reign was marked by continuous military campaigns to expand Mughal authority, which placed a significant strain on the empire's resources and led to economic difficulties.

Heavy taxation and the destruction of Hindu temples alienated many of the subjects, resulting in widespread unrest and rebellion.

By the late 1600s and early 1700s, the Mughal Empire was in decline, plagued by internal strife and weakened by overextension.

This decline coincided the arrival of European trading companies, including the British East India Company, who began to exploit the situation.

And before we move on again, let's just check the following.

True or false? The British East India Company took advantage of Aurangzeb's mistakes.

Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer.

And then press play when you're ready for the answer to be revealed.

Welcome back.

And well done if you identify the correct answer is true.

Now let's justify that answer.

Which of the following is true? A.

Aurangzeb had tried to expand the Mughal Empire too far and had angered Hindus by destroying the temples.

Or B.

Aurangzeb had tried to expand the Mughal Empire too fast and had persecuted India's Muslim population.

Pause the video while you come to a decision on the correct justification, and then press play to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said the answer is A.

It's true to say that the British East India Company took advantage of Aurangzeb's mistakes as Aurangzeb had tried to expand the Mughal Empire too far, and did angered Hindus by destroying their temples.

Now, I'd like you to use what you've learned so far to put the following events into chronological order by numbering them one to four with one as the earliest.

Pause the video while you complete this task, and then press play when you're ready for the answers to be revealed.

Welcome back.

And well done if you correctly ordered the events as follows.

Firstly, India was a collection of Hindu kingdoms ruled over by Hindu princes.

Secondly, Akbar the Great conquered India and ruled over the Hindu kingdoms. Thirdly, Aurangzeb persecuted non-Muslims and overreached in his attempts to expand the Mughal Empire.

And finally, with the Mughal Empire in decline, the East India Company arrived and took advantage of the situation.

Next, I'd like you to study the source on the screen and answer the following question.

What does the Mughal Emerald suggest about the Mughal Empire? Remember that an emerald is a gemstone that is considered very valuable.

Pause the video while you write round a paragraph in answer to this question, and then press play when you're ready for some feedback in the form of a model answer.

Welcome back.

I asked you to study the source and answer the question, what does the Mughal Emerald suggest about the Mughal Empire? Everyone will have written something slightly different in answer to this question, but well done if you were able to include any of the following in your answer.

"The Mughal Emerald suggests that the Mughal Empire has great wealth and resources.

Presumably, this wealth was gained through the conquest of the Hindu kingdoms of India, as India was known as a rich and plentiful land.

The intricate carvings also suggest considerable skills and technology were harnessed by Mughal craftspeople.

The date of the emerald's production, towards the end of the 17th century, slightly predates the arrival of the British East India Company, who would've presumably been attracted to the Mughal Empire by the existence of jewels, such as the Mughal Emerald." Well done for your hard work there.

And now it's time to move on to the second learning phase of our lesson today, where we'll be examining the rise of the East India Company.

In 1600, the British East India Company was founded and granted a monopoly over trade in East Asia.

This monopoly allowed the East India Company to dominate trade routes and outcompete other European nations.

It soon established trading posts with fortified bases, warehouses and barracks for their private armies in Surat in 1612, Madras in 1638 and Bombay in 1668.

The trading stations was surrounded by huge walls and guarded by men with guns and became centres of commerce in the industry.

Cotton cloth, woven by Indian weavers, was exported in large quantities.

And opium grown in India was sold by British traders in China at significant profit.

The East India Company also made use of India's vast population.

As Britain's empire expanded, it needed more soldiers, and so the East India Company began training and paying local Indians known as sepoys, to serve in its army.

And before we move on again, let's just check the following.

True or false? In 1600, the British East India Company had a monopoly over trade.

Pause the video while you decide on the correct answer, and then press play when you're ready for the answer to be revealed.

Welcome back.

And well done if you identified the correct answer is true.

Now let's justify that answer.

Which of the following is true? A.

The British government granted the monopoly to the East India Company, and this allowed them to dominate trade around India.

Or B.

The British government granted the monopoly to the East India Company, and this allowed them to share trade with other countries.

Pause the video while you come to a decision on the correct justification.

And then press play to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said the correct answer was A.

The British government granted the monopoly to the East Indian company, and this allowed them to dominate trade around India.

Now, I'd very quickly like you to consider the answer to the following question.

Which two products were exported by the British East India Company from India? Pause the video while you consider the answer and then press play when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

And well done if you said B.

Cotton cloth and C.

Opium.

Now please complete the following sentence using a key word.

Pause the video while you have a think and resume when you're ready to continue.

Welcome back.

And well done if your sentence now reads like this, "The British East India Company began training and paying local Indians, known as sepoys, to serve in its army." Control over the goods coming out of India was not the only thing that attracted Europeans.

India was a good place in which to sell their own goods to the many millions of Indians in their territory.

Furthermore, the Dutch, French and British companies realised that by helping certain Hindu princes, by providing them with weapons and soldiers, for example, they could affect the outcome of the wars and help these princes to beat their enemies.

They could then demand rewards from the princes they had supported in the form of land or goods.

Furthermore, if the company ever fell out with the prince and fought against him, they could threaten to use their army to take away his territory.

So now I'd like you to study the source on the screen and answer the following question.

What does the source suggest about the East India Company at the beginning of the 19th century? Pause this video while you write about a paragraph in answer to this question.

And then press play when you're ready for some feedback in the form of a model answer.

Welcome back.

I asked you to study the source and answer the question, what does the source suggest about the East India Company at the beginning of the 19th century? It's worth mentioning again that everyone will have written something slightly different in answer to this question, but well done if you were able to include any of the following in your answer.

"This depiction of the East India Company suggests its power and economic dominance by the early 19th century.

An East India Company colonel is seated on an elaborately decorated elephant and has a parasol held over him.

This suggests that he is treated as an important leader.

Furthermore, sepoys surround him, reflecting the company's use of local Indians in their private army.

This demonstrates the military power of the East India Company, which they use to protect their monopoly over trade in East Asia." Now let's move on to the final part of our lesson today, where we'll be looking in detail at the expansion of British control.

A pivotal moment came in 1757 at the Battle of Plassey.

Robert Clive, an ambitious East India Company officer, led around 3,000 company troops, including around 2,000 sepoys, against an Indian Army of over 40,000.

The Indian Army was led by the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, and was supported by the French.

Clive's victory allowed the East India Company to take control of Bengal, one of the richest parts of India.

Clive's effective and often ruthless tactics, such as negotiating trade agreements with regional princes and expelling the French, cemented British dominance.

Clive persuaded the Mughal Emperor to grant monopoly trading rights to the East India Company.

More accurately, he used the East India Company's military might to coerce the mobile emperor into granting this monopoly.

His actions transformed the company from a commercial enterprise into a major political power in India, with responsibilities for law, order, administration, trade, defence and diplomacy.

Over the following decades, the East India Company expanded its control across India.

Despite making huge profits in India, the company faced financial difficulties due to declining trade with America.

The British government, eager to maintain control and revenue from India, intervened.

The Regulating Act of 1773, established joint control of Indian territories between the British government and the East India Company, with a governor general appointed to oversee administration.

After Britain lost its American colonies in 1776, India became even more crucial to the British Empire.

The East India Company, by then resembling a state rather than a private company, played a major role in the day-to-day running of India.

I would now like you to match the key figures of this period with the correct descriptions.

Pause the video while you work out the correct answers, and then press play to check your answers against mine.

Hello again.

And well done if you correctly identified Robert Clive as an ambitious and ruthless East India Company officer.

The Nawab of Bengal as the man who lost the Battle of Plassey to Robert Clive in 1757.

And the Mughal Emperor as the man who granted a monopoly on trade in India to the East India Company.

Now I'd like you to put these events in chronological order, starting with the earliest.

Number the boxes one to four with one being the earliest.

Pause the video while you do this, and then press play for the correct order to be revealed.

Welcome back.

And well done if you ordered the events as follows.

Firstly, in 1757, Robert Clive beat the Nawab of Bengal with a small army of the East India Company soldiers and sepoys.

Secondly, Robert Clive used the East India Company's military might to coerce the Mughal Emperor to grant a monopoly on trade to the company.

Thirdly, as the power of the East India Company grew but trade decreased, the British government intervened to maintain control of India.

And finally, the British government passed the Regulating Act in 1773 to take joint control of the East India Company.

Now, I'd like you to use what you've learned so far to write one paragraph that answers this question.

how did the East India Company expand its power in India? Consider the importance of two or more of these factors, war, government, economic resources, or the role of individuals.

Pause the video while you do this using your learning today, and then press play when you're ready for some feedback, once again, in the form of a model answer.

Welcome back.

I asked you the following question, how did the East India Company expand its power in India? Well done if you managed to include any of the following in your answer.

"The government granted the East India Company a monopoly over trade in East Asia.

This meant the East India Company could dominate trade in India's valuable economic resources.

Control of trade made the East India Company wealthy and powerful.

War was also a significant factor in the East India Company's expansion of power in India.

By integrating Indian soldiers, the East India Company strengthened its military significantly.

The East India Company also aided Indian princes in wars and then demanded rewards that expanded their power in India.

The role of individuals was critical in these wars.

Robert Clive secured victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, which gave the East India Company control over Bengal, and access to its wealth of economic resources.

Then joint control of Indian territories between the British government and the East India Company came in 1773, supporting the East India company's powerful position." Really well done today.

With that task finished, we have arrived at the end of our lesson.

The following is a summary of our key learning points, and it'd be great if you could remember these going forward.

"Prior to the arrival of Britain, the Indian subcontinent was ruled by the Muslim Mughal Empire.

Under the rule of Aurangzeb, the power of the Mughals decreased due to war and economic difficulties.

In 1600, the East India Company was founded and given a monopoly over trade in East Asia, meaning it had no competition.

In the 1757 Battle of Plassey, Robert Clive's East India Company Army gained control over India, defeating the Nawab of Bengal.

And in the 18th and 19th centuries, the East India Company cemented its control with the help of the British government via the Regulating Act of 1773.

Thank you so much for joining me for our lesson today.

It's been a real pleasure to guide you through our history learning resources, and I very much look forward to seeing you again in the future where we'll be looking at the Indian rebellion.