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Guru Tegh Bahadur was the leader of the new religion Sikhism. Sikhism rejected the caste system and polytheism associated with Hinduism. Ruler Aurangzeb has him captured, tortured and killed when he refused to convert to Islam. This lead to a more militant form of Sikhism.
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Aurangzeb ruled the Mughal Empire at the height of its territorial reach. Agricultural trade and industry were the foundations of the empire's economy. However, Aurangzeb was very religiously intolerant, and wasn't remembered fondly by Hindus and Sikhs. He died in 1707 with his empire crumbling.
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Maratha leaders were unhappy with Aurangzeb's intolerance. They lead a rebellion that, through the use of guerrilla tactics and knowledge of the landscape, proved to be hard for impossible for Aurangzeb to overcome.
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The English East India Company was permitted to settle and trade duty-free in Bengal. This gave them the edge on their Indian and European competitors. Cotton cloth, opium, raw silk, sugar, pepper and key ingredients to gun powder was most popular to trade.
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Following the Iranian invasion, European agents and provincial rulers in India alike expanded their enterprises and retained more of their profits. Individual men laid the foundations for British rule.
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Nader Shah took command and declared himself "Shah," establishing a new Iranian dynasty after expelling Russian and Ottoman forces. The Mughal emperor handed over his treasury and the "Peacock Throne" before Shah finally withdrew. This was effectively the end of the Mughal Empire, but neither the Marathis, the Iranians or the Afghanis were strong enough to rule India.
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Bengali and British forces faced off at the Battle of Plassey, resulting in a British victory, and control of Bengal.
Siraj ud-Daulah's uncle was appointed nawab, but the English East India Company stole most of his treasury. -
Roy was an Indian religious, social, and educational reformer who challenged traditional Hindu culture and indicated lines of progress for Indian society under British rule. He advocated for schools to teach English in Bengal so Bengali people could become more "enlightened."
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The British used a combination of British and South Asian legal proceedings. Hindu and Muslim advisers were used to guide the creation of a multi-layered judicial system. In 1818, the Maratha were defeated and the British moved towards control of all South Asia. The British now controlled one of the most populous and productive regions in the world.
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This was the attempt by the British Parliament to compensate for their lack of assistance in the famine in Bengal and other short comings. Lord Charles Cornwallis, a British governor-general, believed that colonial rule in India could be fair and just.
