AsiaSome of the British Empires greatest accomplishments occurred in Asia.
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India and China
The Start of the EmpireThe British Empire started in Asia as a result of the charter award which was awarded to East India Company. This gave them complete control over trade from Cape of Good Hope to Magellan. In 1616 and English ambassador Sir Thomas established a trading post. The East India company started to interfere with international affairs of Indian rulers and to acquire territory. Due to the very favorably trade conditions it led to military and territorial control. This expansion was due to the collapse of India's ruler, Mughal. England wasn't impactful in the Indian politics until 1748 and 1749 when the leaders of Hyderabad and Carnatic died. From 1725-1774 Robert Clive showed how the British army could defeat the larger Indian armies with the use of the European weaponry. Clive was sent to Bengal to venge an attack on the British. This lead to the death of 123 British soldiers. Later in 1757 the Battle of Plassey is considered to be the original start of the British Empire in India. With the rapid growth and momentum following the colonization of Bengal led to the desire for more expansion. From 1774-1849 the British empire was taking complete control over southern Asia winning a number of battles and an abundance of territory. Until Asia's independence in 1947, India was the centerpiece of the British Empire in Asia.
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The Middle East
Considering their involvement overseas and with parts of Asia farther west, it may come as a surprise that the British Empire had no formal involvement with the Middle East until the 19th century. Part of the reason for this was that the Middle East was a delicate area in terms of outside power. During the Middle Ages, the Islam people had threatened the very existence of European Christianity. When they finally became involved, the Ottoman Empire was controlling the area. There was no trade between these two great Empires until the rule of Queen Elizabeth, who was a Protestant, decided that the common enemy Spain was more of a threat, and created bonds between the two lands. Eventually, the Venice Company would merge with the more recent Turkey Company to form the Levant Company. This made many things much easier for the British, because it allowed them to skip the boat ride around Africa and access the Orient goods quite easily. When the Ottoman Empire lost some control, being a land route to more western parts of Asia quickly became the primary use for the section of the empire. The control of the Persian Gulf became vital to the ease of their travel and trade. However, because of the religious tension, they preferred to avoid using their power in obvious ways. During the 1870's and 1880's, tension began to build in this section. This would cause a lot of problems for their structure. It would leave India basically defenseless, and take away their quite simple and easy ship trips. They would also lose a lot of their valuable trade. A Sultan named Muhammad Ali (not the boxer) and his forces tried to oppose the remaining Ottoman rule. The British helped the Ottoman fight against many enemies, largely contributing to their continued control in the land. They helped stop the Russian, French, and Muhammad Ali's advancements. For this, they were given Cyprus by a local Sultan. Cyprus would be very useful as positioning in the region. The discovery of oil in Persia also contributed to the importance of their continued control. In the 1920's, things became quite violent, having only 5 peaceful years between 1919 and 1936. At this point, it was decided that the bonds should be broken. Thus was the end of Britain's reign in the Middle East.