00:00How did a single company take over one of the strongest empires in the world?
00:04Back in the year 1600, English Queen Elizabeth I approved the creation of the company called East India Company,
00:11whose goal was to make money selling spices, tea, and silk from India.
00:15However, there was one problem.
00:17At that time, India was ruled by the Mughal Empire, one of the richest and most powerful empires of that
00:22era.
00:23They started small, building a couple of fortresses in a couple of cities, as well as hiring soldiers for their
00:28army.
00:28In the year 1707, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb died, and with him, his empire began to fall apart,
00:35with local rulers becoming more and more independent.
00:37East India Company used this, signing contracts with many of the lords, taking even more control.
00:43In 1757, Robert Clive, who led the company's forces, had a beef with Bengal's leader, Siraj Uddala,
00:50who didn't like the British interfering with India's politics.
00:52Knowing he cannot beat the Bengal's forces, Clive sent a letter to Mir Jafar, the general commander of the enemy
00:58forces.
00:59Clive promised to make him the new ruler of Bengal if he withdraws his army, and that's exactly what he
01:04did.
01:04During the Battle of Plassey, Mir Jafar refused to send his troops into battle,
01:09allowing Clive to crush Bengal's forces and take over their territory.
01:12With Jafar now the new leader, the East India Company had control over the emperor,
01:17taking taxes from the Indian people, building a larger army, and slowly conquering the entire India.
01:22But, after a massive rebellion in 1857, the British government took direct control of India, ending the company's rule.
