When did the british colonize india?

Though Portugal presence in India initially started in 1498, its colonial rule ranges from 1505 to 1961. The Portuguese Empire established the first European trading centre at Kollam, Kerala. read more

The British East India company, following the trend set by many other colonial empires of the time, set forth to India in order to trade spices and other valuable commodities. Though they started off as a trading company, they did cross the line occasionally by trying to capture Mughal fortifications in Calcutta. read more

India was also one of the major trading nations in the 18th century. In fact, India had a monopoly in the supply of high quality finished textiles and spices. In 1750, her trade amounted to about 24.5% of the total world trade. India and China (whose contribution was a little over 32%) together contributed to more than half to the total world trade. read more

Colonial India was the part of the Indian subcontinent which was under the jurisdiction of European colonial powers, during the Age of Discovery. European power was exerted both by conquest and trade, especially in spices. read more