Origins of the British Empire in Asia, 1600-1750

This is a revisionist account of the origins of the British Empire in Asia in the early modern period. David Veevers shows that it was the 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.

List of contents

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.

About the author

David Veevers is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Queen Mary University of London. He has published articles in the Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History and the Journal of Global History, and won the Royal Historical Society's Alexander Prize in 2014. He is co-editor of The Corporation as a Protagonist in Global History, c.1550 to 1750 (2018).

Summary

This is a revisionist account of the origins of the British Empire in Asia in the early modern period. David Veevers shows that it was the 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.

Product details

• Authors: David Veevers, David (Queen Mary University of London) Veevers
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2022
• EAN: 9781108705646
• ISBN: 978-1-108-70564-6
• No. of pages: 309
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Business > International economy; European History, Asia, British Empire, HISTORY / World, Social & cultural history, Colonialism & imperialism, British & Irish history, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Social and cultural history, Colonialism and imperialism, Asian History, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, C 1600 To C 1700, Early 18th century c 1700 to c 1750, C 1700 To C 1800