Advice on tax dodging and bribery from an 18th-century East India Company merchant

Notes from John Pybus on negotiating the ports of the Indian Ocean.

Dan McKee

· May 15, 2023 · 01:30 pm

How the Dutch East India Company sank as its corrupt officials made their fortunes in Bengal

Illegal trade and the zamindari of three villages turned the Dutch into local elites until the British East India Company ended their reign in 1825.

Byapti Sur

· Sep 04, 2022 · 11:30 am

How hostilities between the US and Britain affected the whale oil trade in the 19th century

Whales provided lubricant for machinery during the industrial revolution, fuel for lamps and their baleen was used in items such as corsets and umbrellas.

Jessica Gregory

· Jul 13, 2022 · 01:30 pm

Nom-dom status and other imperial policies that still influence life in Britain today

A new generation of international elites is using relics of the empire for its gain.

Hunter Harris, The Conversation

· May 16, 2022 · 09:30 pm

Before Suez Canal, the British had considered another trade route to Asia

In 1836, the Empire’s quest to explore an overland route linking the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean through the Euphrates river met with a tragic end.

Matt Griffin

· Apr 01, 2021 · 07:30 pm

A woman’s account from 1800s reveals the plight of Indian indentured labour in the Caribbean

Bibee Zuhoorun’s testimony paints a picture of deception, ill-treatment and injustice.

Purba Hossain

· Jan 18, 2021 · 01:30 pm

How a Bombay merchant’s letter set off the British military campaign to dominate the Persian Gulf

The General Maritime Treaty of 1820 between the empire and tribal rulers of the eastern Arabian coast was a decisive moment in the modern history of the region.

Sultan Muhammad al-Qasimi

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David Woodbridge

· Dec 26, 2020 · 01:30 pm

Europe’s scramble for a lucrative spice market began in Southeast Asia, not India

Documents from the 17th century show fierce rivalry between English and Dutch merchants.

Margaret Makepeace

· May 16, 2020 · 08:30 pm