The Origins of the British Empire in Asia, 1600–1750

A revisionist interpretation of the origins of the British Empire in Asia from 1600 to 1750.

David Veevers (Author)

9781108705646, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 March 2022

309 pages, 4 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.418 kg

'Veevers provides richly detailed examples to reinforce his argument and convince the reader ... The Origins of the British Empire in Asia is a deeply researched and well-written monograph that makes an important contribution to the historiography of the British empire.' Michael D. Bennett, Journal of British Studies

This is an important, revisionist account of the origins of the British Empire in Asia in the early modern period. David Veevers uncovers a hidden world of transcultural interactions between servants of the English East India Company and the Asian communities and states they came into contact with, revealing how it was this integration of Europeans into non-European economies, states and societies which was central to British imperial and commercial success rather than national or mercantilist enterprise. As their servants skilfully adapted to this rich and complex environment, the East India Company became enfranchised by the eighteenth century with a breadth of privileges and rights – from governing sprawling metropolises to trading customs-free. In emphasising the Asian genesis of the British Empire, this book sheds new light on the foreign frameworks of power which fuelled the expansion of Global Britain in the early modern world.

Introduction. 'A hundred gates open for entrance'
Part I. Weakness and Adaptation: 1. 'A boddy without a head': the failure of an English enterprise
2. 'Soe fayre an opportunitie': Madras and the reconstitution of the company
3. 'Not as absolute lords and kings of the place': the success of an Anglo-Asian enterprise
Part II. Subordination and Expansion: 4. 'To be determined by the Moor's justice': searching for legitimacy in Mughal Bengal
5. 'A firm settlement in this place': war, negotiation and imperial integration
Part III. Limitations and Devastation: 6. 'The Malays will not preserve ye countrey themselves': Sumatra and the failure of suzerainty
7. 'The company as their lords and the deputy as a great Rajah': the making and unmaking of an imperial power
Part IV. Empire: 8. 'The end of these things will not be good': legacies of empire in mid-eighteenth century India
Conclusion. Rethinking the origins of the British Empire in Asia.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB], Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], Asian history [HBJF], British & Irish history [HBJD1], General & world history [HBG]