The East India Company: The Corporation That Conquered Nations — Fexingo History

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the East India Company's reliance on Persian as the language of diplomacy and administration in India long after the Mughal Empire's decline. They discuss how Company officials like William Jones and John Richardson studied Persian, compiled dictionaries, and even attempted to standardize the language for legal and political use. The episode covers the role of Persian in the Treaty of Allahabad (1765), the establishment of Fort William College in Calcutta (1800) to train British civil servants in Persian and local languages, and the eventual decline of Persian with the rise of English and Urdu under Lord William Bentinck in the 1830s. Lucas brings in the story of Mirza Muhammad Hasan Qatil, a Persian poet who bitterly lamented the language's fading status. The conversation reveals a less-known facet of Company rule: its deep entanglement with Persianate culture, which shaped everything from legal codes to personal correspondence. #EastIndiaCompany #PersianLanguage #WilliamJones #FortWilliamCollege #TreatyOfAllahabad #MirzaMuhammadHasanQatil #CompanyDiplomacy #MughalEmpire #Urdu #LordWilliamBentinck #BengalPresidency #18thCentury #19thCentury #Linguistics #ColonialIndia #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the career of Sir John Malcolm, a key figure in the East India Company's diplomatic and intelligence operations in Persia and India. They discuss Malcolm's missions to the Qajar court in 1800 and 1810, his rivalry with French and Russian envoys, and the Treaty of Finkenstein that threatened British India. The episode covers the Battle of Kermanshah (or rather the threat of it), the role of Persian auxiliaries, and the secret intelligence network Malcolm built. Lucas explains how Malcolm's ambitious schemes were undercut by his superiors in London, leading to the humiliating Treaty of Tehran in 1814. The conversation also touches on Malcolm's later career as Governor of Bombay and his presidency of the Royal Asiatic Society, and draws on his own memoirs and Persian chronicles like the Ma'asir-i Sultaniyya. #JohnMalcolm #QajarDynasty #AngloPersianRelations #EastIndiaCompany #Spymaster #Intelligence #Diplomacy #TreatyOfTehran #FathAliShah #NapoleonicWars #Persia #Bombay #RoyalAsiaticSociety #MaasirSultaniyya #CompanyBahadur #History #FexingoHistory #Empire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Before the British could tax Bengal, they had to know where it was. In the 1760s, the East India Company hired a young surveyor named James Rennell to map the newly acquired Diwani territories. Over two decades, Rennell produced the first scientifically accurate maps of Bengal and northern India, defining borders, rivercourses, and roads that shaped colonial administration and military campaigns. This episode follows Rennell's extraordinary career: from his apprenticeship under Captain John Knight on the frigate 'America', to his survey of the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems, to the publication of his landmark 'Bengal Atlas' in 1779. We explore how Rennell combined Mughal-era revenue records (the 'ain' of Abul Fazl) with his own trigonometrical surveys, the challenges of mapping monsoon-flooded deltas, and the political uses of his maps during the Rohilla War and the First Anglo-Maratha War. Along the way, we meet the Indian surveyors—pundits and qanungos—who did much of the ground work, and reflect on how mapping is never neutral. #JamesRennell #SurveyOfBengal #EastIndiaCompany #BengalAtlas #Cartography #MughalEmpire #RobertClive #WarrenHastings #RohillaWar #AngloMarathaWar #Ganges #Brahmaputra #Pundit #Qanungo #AbulFazl #AinIAkbari #ColonialScience #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1767, the East India Company launched a secret mission to smuggle cinnamon trees out of Dutch-controlled Ceylon. This episode follows the covert operation led by botanist John Williams, the establishment of a clandestine plantation in the hills of Kerala, and the Company's attempt to break the Dutch monopoly on this lucrative spice. We explore the science of bark peeling, the politics of colonial botany, and the surprising role of Indian laborers in cultivating what was once worth more than gold. #EastIndiaCompany #Cinnamon #Ceylon #DutchEastIndiaCompany #SpiceTrade #JohnWilliams #Kerala #Anjarakandy #Botany #Colonialism #Monopoly #1767 #Smuggling #SpiceIslands #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #HiddenHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In Episode 134 of The East India Company: The Corporation That Conquered Nations, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten world of the East Indiaman — the mighty merchant ships that were the literal engines of the Company's trade and empire. These vessels, built in Bombay's dockyards by Parsi master shipwrights like the Wadias, were among the largest and most advanced ships of their age, yet they remain overshadowed by warships and naval battles. Lucas reveals the grueling six-month voyages from England to India, the dangers of scurvy, pirates, and storms, and the surprising economics of private trade that made officers wealthy. He discusses the design innovations that allowed East Indiamen to carry massive cargoes of tea, silk, and spices while defending themselves with cannons. The episode also covers a little-known mutiny aboard the ship 'Kent' in 1800, where Lascar sailors revolted against brutal conditions. Throughout, Luna's sharp questions draw out details about life at sea, the role of the Bombay Marine in convoying these ships, and the eventual decline of the East Indiaman as steam power and the Suez Canal changed global shipping. A concise, vivid look at the vessels that built the Company's global network. #EastIndiaCompany #EastIndiaman #BombayDockyard #ParsiShipwrights #LowjiNasarvanjiWadia #KentMutiny #LascarSailors #Scurvy #TeaTrade #IndianOcean #Convoy #BombayMarine #AgeOfSail #MaritimeHistory #GlobalTrade #BritishEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

This episode uncovers the shadowy world of East India Company intelligence in 18th-century India. While the Company's armies and navies are well-documented, its network of spies, informants, and double agents was just as crucial. We focus on Jaswant Rao, a Marathi-speaking Brahmin who served as a key informant for the British in the 1770s. Operating out of Pune, he fed intelligence on Maratha troop movements, court intrigues, and French contacts to Company officials in Bombay. His reports, preserved in the Maharashtra State Archives, reveal a sophisticated system of coded letters, dead drops, and bribery. We explore how the Company used local intermediaries to gather intelligence on rivals like the Marathas, Mysore under Hyder Ali, and the French. This episode challenges the notion that British military superiority alone won India — it was also won through whispers, gold, and betrayal. We also touch on the moral complexities of collaboration and the risks faced by Indian spies caught between empires. #EastIndiaCompany #Espionage #JaswantRao #MarathaEmpire #Pune #BritishIntelligence #HyderAli #Mysore #18thCentury #ColonialIndia #Spies #IndiaHistory #CompanyBahadur #BombayPresidency #MarathaHistory #FrenchInIndia #HistoryPodcast #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Before the Great Rebellion of 1857, another revolt shook Company rule in Bengal: the Sanyasi Uprising. In the 1760s and 1770s, bands of Hindu ascetics—sannyasis—took up arms against the East India Company's revenue collectors, sparking a guerrilla war that terrified British officials. Lucas and Luna explore who these rebels were: a motley mix of pilgrims, dispossessed peasants, and wandering monks led by figures like Bhawani Pathak and Devi Chaudhurani. They discuss how the Company's ruthless tax farming after the Diwani of 1765 created a perfect storm of famine and exploitation, turning spiritual seekers into armed insurgents. The episode digs into the blurred line between religion and rebellion, the brutal counterinsurgency tactics of Warren Hastings, and how Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay later immortalised the sannyasis in his novel 'Anandamath'. A forgotten story of resistance that challenges the narrative of passive Indian submission to colonial rule. #SanyasiUprising #Bengal #EastIndiaCompany #WarrenHastings #BhawaniPathak #DeviChaudhurani #Anandamath #GuerrillaWarfare #CompanyRule #Diwani #1760s #1770s #IndianHistory #ColonialHistory #Rebellion #FexingoHistory #History #EIC Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the overlooked role of Western artists in the East India Company's empire. They focus on Tilly Kettle, the first British portrait painter to work in India, who arrived in Madras in 1769. Kettle painted Company officials, nawabs, and even the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, blending European oil painting with Mughal miniature traditions. The episode discusses the social world of Company painting, the challenges of shipping portraits back to England, and how these artworks served as tools of diplomacy and status. Luna asks about the cultural exchange involved, and they touch on later artists like Johann Zoffany. The conversation reveals how art documented and shaped the Company's presence in India, offering a visual record of a complex colonial encounter. Tilly Kettle's career in India ended in debt, but his paintings remain a window into the period. The episode ends with a reflection on how art can illuminate hidden layers of history. #TillyKettle #EastIndiaCompany #CompanyPainting #Madras #ShahAlamII #MughalEmpire #BritishIndia #PortraitPainting #JohannZoffany #ArtHistory #ColonialArt #OilPainting #MughalMiniature #18thCentury #IndiaArt #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1829, the Governor-General of Bengal, Lord William Bentinck, banned sati — the Hindu practice of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre. This episode dives into how the East India Company finally took a stand on a practice it had tolerated for decades. We trace the campaign of Bengali reformer Ram Mohan Roy, the legal wrangling over whether Company courts could intervene, and the shocking case of a twelve-year-old widow in 1824 that galvanized public opinion. We also examine the hypocrisy: Company officials had long profited from pilgrim taxes at temples like Puri's Jagannath Temple, where sati was sometimes performed. Bentinck's decision was a watershed — but it also revealed the limits of Company power, as conservative Hindus petitioned the Privy Council to overturn the ban. A story of religious custom, colonial reform, and the uneasy birth of modern Indian feminism. #LordWilliamBentinck #Sati #RamMohanRoy #EastIndiaCompany #Bengal #PrivyCouncil #JagannathTemple #Puri #HinduReform #ColonialIndia #1829 #Suttee #CompanyBahadur #FexingoHistory #History #India #BritishEmpire #SocialReform Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode of The East India Company: The Corporation That Conquered Nations, Lucas and Luna explore the life and legacy of Lowji Nasarvanji Wadia, the Parsi master shipwright who transformed Bombay's dockyard into the finest in Asia. From his first commission — the 32-gun frigate HMS Bombay — to the legendary Bengal-built ships that outlasted their British counterparts, Lowji's innovations in teak construction and design gave the Company a strategic edge. They discuss the Wadia family shipbuilding dynasty, the Duncan Dock, and how a small community of Parsi carpenters and caulkers from Surat built vessels that held together an empire. Along the way, they touch on Bombay's transformation under Company rule, the relationship between the Parsi merchant elite and the British, and the shipwreck of the Britannia that proved Lowji's ships were tougher than any built in London. A story of skill, patronage, and the quiet power of naval architecture. #EastIndiaCompany #LowjiNasarvanji #WadiaDynasty #BombayDockyard #ParsiShipwrights #CompanyBahadur #BombayMarine #Surat #HMSBombay #Teak #DuncanDock #Britannia #NavalArchitecture #18thCentury #Shipbuilding #IndianShipwrights #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1757, a decisive battle changed the course of Indian history — but the real story of Plassey is less about muskets and cannons and more about treachery, ambition, and a massive rainstorm. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the conspiracy between Robert Clive and Mir Jafar, the greed that drove the East India Company's first major territorial grab, and the staggering loot that followed. They discuss how a small force of 3,000 men defeated an army of 50,000, the role of the monsoon in the battle's outcome, and the lasting consequences of the 'Black Hole of Calcutta' myth. Along the way, they touch on the jagirdari system, the nawabs of Bengal, and the financial windfall that turned a trading company into a colonial power. A story of ambition, betrayal, and the birth of an empire. #Plassey #BattleOfPlassey #RobertClive #MirJafar #SirajUdDaulah #Bengal #Nawab #EastIndiaCompany #CompanyBahadur #BlackHoleOfCalcutta #Jagirdari #1757 #ColonialHistory #BritishEmpire #IndianHistory #FexingoHistory #History #MilitaryHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1746, the French East India Company launched a daring assault on Madras, the English Company's most prosperous settlement. This episode follows the siege of Fort St. George, a desperate defense that nearly ended British rule in India. We meet Nicholas Morse, the embattled governor; Mahé de La Bourdonnais, the French admiral who captured the fort; and the shadowy Nawab of Arcot, whose shifting alliances shaped the outcome. The siege set the stage for the Carnatic Wars and the rise of Robert Clive. We explore the fort's design, the brutal artillery duel, the controversial surrender, and the uneasy truce that ultimately left Madras in English hands. A tale of courage, betrayal, and the fragile nature of empire. #FortStGeorge #SiegeOfMadras #EastIndiaCompany #FrenchEastIndiaCompany #NicholasMorse #MaheDeLaBourdonnais #NawabOfArcot #CarnaticWars #RobertClive #Madras #1746 #ColonialIndia #BritishEmpire #FrenchColonial #MilitaryHistory #MughalIndia #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Before Robert Clive became a household name, there was Major General Stringer Lawrence — the rough-edged Irish soldier who drilled the East India Company's first standing army and turned a ragtag collection of guards into a disciplined fighting force. In this episode, Lucas and Luna follow Lawrence from his early service in the British Army to the mud forts of the Carnatic, where he faced the French under Dupleix and the armies of the Nawab of Arcot. They explore his role in the defense of Cuddalore, the siege of Trichinopoly, and his mentorship of a young Clive. Lawrence's tactics — combining European drill with native sepoys — set the template for the Company's military expansion. But his story also holds a darker thread: the plunder, the broken promises, and the slow machinery of conquest that Lawrence helped build. The episode ends with Lawrence's neglected grave in London and a question about how we remember the men who made empire possible. #StringerLawrence #EastIndiaCompany #CompanyArmy #CarnaticWars #RobertClive #Dupleix #Trichinopoly #Cuddalore #Sepoy #BritishIndia #MilitaryHistory #MughalEmpire #FrenchEastIndiaCompany #NawabOfArcot #FortStGeorge #ColonialHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Before Bombay was a megacity, it was a swampy Portuguese outpost. When the East India Company acquired it in 1661 as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry, they almost gave it up. This episode tells the story of Gerald Aungier, the Company governor who transformed seven malarial islands into a fortified commercial hub. We explore how Aungier lured Parsi shipbuilders, Hindu merchants, and Jewish traders with religious tolerance and tax breaks, creating a cosmopolitan port that would eventually eclipse Surat. We also look at the 1689 siege by the Siddi of Janjira, which nearly wiped out the settlement, and the ingenious defenses Aungier built, including the Bombay Castle. The episode touches on the Kasturi Dargah, a Muslim shrine that became a symbol of Aungier's inclusive policy, and the legacy of the 'Bombay spirit' that persists today. A story of urban planning, diplomacy, and the birth of a city from mud and ambition. #GeraldAungier #BombayCastle #SiddiOfJanjira #CatherineOfBraganza #ParsiShipbuilders #Bombay #EastIndiaCompany #MumbaiHistory #PortugueseBombay #KasturiDargah #ReligiousTolerance #17thCentury #ColonialIndia #UrbanHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Empire #MarathaEmpire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the East India Company's transformation into the world's largest drug trafficking organization. They trace the origins of the opium trade from the Company's early monopoly in Bengal to the smuggling networks that circumvented Qing Dynasty bans. The conversation covers key figures like Warren Hastings, who formalized the opium monopoly in 1773, and the Jardine and Matheson merchant houses that later dominated the trade. They discuss the devastating social impact in China, the shift from silver to opium as payment for tea, and how this trade led directly to the Opium Wars of 1839-1842. Along the way, they touch on the infamous 'country trade,' the role of Indian farmers forced to cultivate poppies, and the British government's eventual takeover of the monopoly after 1858. The episode reveals how a corporation's pursuit of profit created a century-long public health catastrophe. #EastIndiaCompany #OpiumTrade #WarrenHastings #QingDynasty #OpiumWars #Bengal #Canton #TeaTrade #CountryTrade #JardineMatheson #PoppyCultivation #Addiction #18thCentury #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #Imperialism #DrugTrafficking Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten world of the Company's peons — the armed guards, messengers, and enforcers who were the everyday face of East India Company power in Indian towns and villages. From the peon's distinctive lathi (bamboo staff) and uniform to their role in revenue collection, policing, and even intelligence gathering, we trace how these low-paid, often illiterate men became the backbone of Company control before the more formal police forces existed. We discuss the origins of the word 'peon', the infamous 'peon's lash' as a tool of discipline, and how the system evolved from Mughal-era chowkidars to the Company's own establishment. We also touch on the 1857 Rebellion and how peons were sometimes the first to switch sides. A microhistory of imperial power at ground level. #Peon #EastIndiaCompany #CompanyBahadur #Lathi #Chowkidar #IndianHistory #ColonialIndia #MughalEmpire #BritishRaj #1857Rebellion #Policing #RevenueCollection #Calcutta #Madras #Bombay #ImperialLabor #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode of The East India Company: The Corporation That Conquered Nations, Lucas and Luna explore how smallpox shaped Company rule in 18th-century India. They trace the arrival of variolation and Jennerian vaccination via Indian practitioners and British surgeons like John Shoolbred and William Anderson. The conversation covers the 1767 Madras outbreak that decimated the Company army, the role of Indian 'tikadars' (variolators) in rural Bengal, and the controversial 1802 Poona Vaccination Scheme that blended coercion and collaboration. Lucas explains how the Company used inoculation as both a humanitarian tool and a mechanism of control, while native resistance sparked rebellions. The episode also touches on debates over cowpox vs. variolation in the Bombay Presidency, and the global links between EIC trade routes and the spread of vaccine lymph. A nuanced look at empire, medicine, and the human cost of disease. #EastIndiaCompany #Smallpox #HistoryOfMedicine #ColonialIndia #Variolation #EdwardJenner #JohnShoolbred #WilliamAnderson #Tikadars #PoonaVaccinationScheme #MadrasOutbreak #BombayPresidency #EmpireAndDisease #18thCentury #BritishEmpire #History #FexingoHistory #VaccineHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In July 1806, sepoys of the 1st and 23rd Madras Native Infantry rose up in the Vellore Fort, killing over a hundred British soldiers before being crushed by reinforcements from Arcot. The immediate cause was new dress regulations banning caste marks and requiring a turban shape that looked like a hat—an affront to Hindu and Muslim soldiers alike. But tensions had been building for years: missionary influence, heavy-handed reforms by Commander-in-Chief Sir John Craddock, and the ghost of Tipu Sultan's family, imprisoned in the same fort. This episode unpacks the mutiny, the brutal reprisals, the official cover-up that blamed Mysore royals, and why this revolt—two years before the better-known 1857 Rebellion—is almost forgotten. Along the way we meet the Vellore fort's architecture, the doomed Colonel St. John Fancourt, and the investigating officer Sir John Malcolm. A story of uniform design, religious grievance, and imperial amnesia. #VelloreMutiny #EastIndiaCompany #Sepoy #MadrasArmy #TipuSultan #SirJohnCraddock #ColonelFancourt #VelloreFort #IndianHistory #BritishEmpire #1806 #CasteMarks #TurbanRegulation #MilitaryRebellion #ColonialIndia #MadrasNativeInfantry #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

How did the East India Company feed its armies and its cities? This episode looks beyond the usual story of spices and tea to ask what the Company's soldiers, merchants, and clerks actually ate. We trace the origins of the first 'curry' exported to Britain, the massive rice shipments from Bengal that sustained Madras and Bombay, and the strange case of the Company's failed breadfruit scheme. Along the way we meet the nameless Indian cooks who ran the Company's kitchens, the famines that shadowed its rule, and the surprising role of food in shaping colonial power. A concrete, human-centred look at the logistics and culture of eating in empire. #EastIndiaCompany #Bengal #Curry #RiceTrade #HistoryOfFood #BritishEmpire #Famine #CompanyBahadur #ShipsBiscuit #PilotBiscuit #Breadfruit #Madras #Bombay #Mumbai #18thCentury #19thCentury #GlobalFoodHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the little-known story of Surat Castle, the East India Company's first fortified stronghold in India, built in 1612 to protect its trade against the Portuguese and the Marathas. They discuss how the castle became the seat of the Company's presidency before Bombay, its role in the Mughal decline, and its eventual transformation into a jail during the 1857 Rebellion. The conversation covers the castle's construction under William Aldworth, the treaty with Mughal officials, the Siddi of Janjira, and the castle's rediscovery as a heritage site in modern Gujarat. #EastIndiaCompany #SuratCastle #MughalEmpire #WilliamAldworth #SiddiOfJanjira #PortugueseIndia #Surat #Gujarat #17thCentury #CompanyPresidency #AngloMarathaWars #BombayMarine #Heritage #Fort #TradeHistory #ColonialIndia #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna uncover the hidden role of Indian moneylenders, or shroffs, in powering the East India Company's expansion. While Company histories focus on battles and governors, it was often local bankers who financed armies, collected taxes, and kept the wheels of commerce turning. We trace how shroffs like the Jagat Seth of Bengal bankrolled the Company's conquests, how their hundi credit system moved money across India without coins, and how the British eventually turned on their financiers after the Battle of Plassey. We also touch on the curious case of the Palanpur shroffs and the fate of the Jagat Seth family after the Company tightened its grip. Featuring terms like shroff, hundi, Jagat Seth, Mir Jafar, Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Battle of Plassey, this episode sheds light on a forgotten pillar of empire. #EastIndiaCompany #IndianMoneylenders #Shroffs #JagatSeth #Hundi #BattleOfPlassey #MirJafar #SirajUdDaulah #Bengal #CompanyBahadur #18thCentury #EconomicHistory #ColonialIndia #BankingHistory #Trade #Empire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

When the French seized Madras in 1746, the East India Company lost its most valuable Indian possession — and got it back not by force, but by treaty. This episode walks through the Siege of Madras, the role of Fort St. George, the leadership of Governor Nicholas Morse, and the decisive intervention of the Royal Navy under Admiral Edward Boscawen. We explore how the First Carnatic War exposed the vulnerability of Company settlements, the fraught relationship between the British and the Nawab of Arcot, Anwar-ud-Din Khan, and how the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle restored Madras in 1748. The episode also touches on the legendary figure of Robert Clive, who was taken prisoner at Madras and later escaped to become a key player in the Company's military rise. A story of imperial fragility, diplomatic bargaining, and the early sparks of Anglo-French rivalry in India. #SiegeOfMadras #FortStGeorge #NicholasMorse #EdwardBoscawen #AnwarUdDinKhan #NawabOfArcot #FirstCarnaticWar #RobertClive #EastIndiaCompany #FrenchEastIndiaCompany #MahéDeLaBourdonnais #TreatyOfAixLaChapelle #Madras #Chennai #BritishIndia #AngloFrenchRivalry #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a crucial but overlooked piece of the East India Company's machinery: its mints. From the 1640s onward, the Company didn't just trade — it minted coins. In Surat, Bombay, and Madras, Company workshops struck silver rupees, gold pagodas, and copper dams that circulated alongside Mughal and local currencies. Lucas explains how the Company obtained bullion from the New World — silver from Potosí via Manila galleons and Acapulco — and why it had to produce high-quality coinage to win the trust of Indian merchants. The conversation covers the Surat mint under the Mughal farman, the copper shortage in 17th-century Bombay, and the Madras pagoda with its iconic deity figure. Luna asks about counterfeiting, seigniorage, and the transition from Mughal to Company currency after Plassey. The episode reveals how control of the mint was as important as control of the sea — and how the Company's coins quietly announced its transformation from merchant to sovereign. #EastIndiaCompany #MughalEmpire #Coinage #Numismatics #Surat #Bombay #Madras #SilverRupee #Pagoda #Potosí #ManilaGalleon #Seigniorage #Counterfeiting #17thCentury #18thCentury #EconomicHistory #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the history of Bombay Castle, the fortified headquarters of the East India Company in western India. They trace its origins from a Portuguese manor house to a formidable stronghold that protected the fledgling Bombay settlement. The conversation covers the castle's strategic role during the Anglo-Maratha conflicts, its evolution into a naval base for the Bombay Marine, and the everyday life of soldiers and merchants within its walls. Key figures like Gerald Aungier and Commodore William James are discussed, along with the castle's eventual decline as Bombay expanded beyond its walls. The episode also touches on the castle's architectural remnants in modern Mumbai and the broader significance of fortified trading posts in Company history. #BombayCastle #EastIndiaCompany #BombayMarine #GeraldAungier #Fortification #MarathaEmpire #Severndroog #BombayHistory #MumbaiHistory #ColonialArchitecture #MilitaryHistory #AngloMarathaWars #TradeDefence #IndianHistory #CompanyBahadur #17thCentury #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Lucas and Luna dive into the story of the Bombay Marine — the East India Company's own navy that protected trade routes, fought pirates, and battled European rivals long before the Royal Navy dominated the Indian Ocean. From the capture of the Ganj-i-Sawai by pirate Henry Every to the Bombardment of Algiers in 1816, they explore how this small, privately-funded force evolved from a handful of armed boats into a strategic asset that shaped empire. Along the way, they discuss the Marine's role in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, its clashes with the Portuguese and Marathas, and the fascinating figure of Commodore William James. They also touch on the Marine's legacy as the precursor to the modern Indian Navy. #BombayMarine #EastIndiaCompany #IndianNavy #HenryEvery #Piracy #AngloMysoreWars #WilliamJames #BombardmentOfAlgiers #MarathaEmpire #PortugueseIndia #Ganj-i-Sawai #NavalHistory #IndianOcean #CompanyNavy #History #FexingoHistory #ColonialIndia #NavalWarfare Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode of The East India Company: The Corporation That Conquered Nations, Lucas and Luna explore a little-known institution: the Bombay Lunatic Asylum. Established in the 1740s, it was one of the earliest mental health facilities in British India. They discuss the asylum's founding within the Bombay Castle complex, its role in Company policy, and the harsh treatments of the era. Key figures include Governor William Hornby and surgeon John McLennan. The episode touches on the 1857 Rebellion's impact on patient demographics, the shift from custodial to moral management, and the eventual transition to the Colaba Asylum. Comparisons are drawn to contemporary asylums in England, like Bethlem (Bedlam). The conversation also highlights the clash between European psychiatric ideas and Indian cultural understandings of mental illness, including the case of a Brahmin patient who claimed possession. This episode sheds light on a neglected aspect of Company rule and the history of psychiatry in colonial contexts. #EastIndiaCompany #BombayLunaticAsylum #ColonialPsychiatry #BombayCastle #WilliamHornby #JohnMcLennan #1857Rebellion #MoralManagement #BethlemHospital #ColabaAsylum #MentalHealthHistory #BritishRaj #Bombay #CompanyRaj #History #FexingoHistory #India #Psychiatry Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1699, the East India Company sent Sir William Norris on a desperate diplomatic mission to the court of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The stakes could not have been higher: the Company had lost its trading privileges, its factories were under threat, and a rival English interloper had poisoned the well. Norris, a man with no diplomatic experience, was tasked with securing a new imperial farman — a decree that would guarantee the Company's right to trade. What followed was a grueling two-year journey across the Indian Ocean, up the Coromandel Coast, and into the heart of the Mughal Empire. At Aurangzeb's camp in the Deccan, Norris found himself entangled in a web of protocol, bribery, and imperial disdain. He endured debilitating illness, bitter infighting among Company officials, and the emperor's deliberate neglect. Norris finally secured the farman — but at a cost that broke him. This episode explores the drama of pre-imperial Company diplomacy, the fragility of Mughal favor, and the personal price of a single piece of paper that kept the EIC alive. #EastIndiaCompany #MughalEmpire #Aurangzeb #SirWilliamNorris #farman #Surat #Gombroon #BombayMarine #EnglishEastIndiaCompany #Deccan #MughalEmperor #CompanyTrade #17thCentury #ColonialIndia #History #FexingoHistory #TradeHistory #Diplomacy Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode of The East India Company, Lucas and Luna dive into the overlooked career of Vice-Admiral Charles Watson, the naval commander who helped Robert Clive secure Bengal after Plassey. Watson's Royal Navy squadron bombarded the Mughal fort at Chandernagore, crippling French power in the region. His capture of the French ship Le Duc de Penthièvre and his role in the siege of Calcutta in 1756 set the stage for Company dominance. But Watson's greatest achievement was his diplomatic finesse: he negotiated with the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, and later with Mir Jafar, ensuring British naval supremacy on the Hooghly River. The episode also explores the forgotten fate of Watson's flagship, the HMS Kent, and the controversy surrounding his sudden death in 1757—was it natural causes or something more sinister? Join us as we uncover the story of the man who controlled the waves that carried the Company to empire. #CharlesWatson #RoyalNavy #BattleOfPlassey #Chandernagore #SirajUdDaulah #MirJafar #HooghlyRiver #HMSKent #EastIndiaCompany #Bengal #FrenchEastIndiaCompany #NavalHistory #1756 #1757 #Kolkata #Calcutta #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1775, a high-stakes drama unfolded in Calcutta that exposed the dark underbelly of East India Company power. Maharaja Nanda Kumar, a respected Brahmin and former zamindar, accused Warren Hastings of accepting bribes — only to be himself arrested, tried for forgery by a court packed with Hastings's allies, and hanged within weeks. This episode explores the trial of Nanda Kumar as a pivotal moment that tested the Company's claim to rule by law. We follow the accusations and counter-accusations, the role of Sir Elijah Impey (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), and the infamous 'Grand Rebellion' of the Bengal Council. Through this forgotten legal battle, we see how the Company manipulated justice to silence dissent and consolidate power on the eve of the Regulating Act. A story of political intrigue, judicial overreach, and one man's fateful gamble against an emerging empire. #EastIndiaCompany #NandaKumar #WarrenHastings #ElijahImpey #SupremeCourtCalcutta #ForgeryTrial #CompanyJustice #BengalCouncil #GrandRebellion #RegulatingAct #BritishEmpire #LegalHistory #18thCentury #Calcutta #India #ColonialHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1782, the East Indiaman Grosvenor set sail from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) with a cargo of treasure, silver, and passengers including British officers and Indian women. It never made it to England. Wrecked on the treacherous coast of Pondoland in South Africa, the survivors faced a brutal 115-day trek through hostile terrain. Only 14 of the original 132 made it to safety. This episode follows the Grosvenor shipwreck and the desperate journey of its survivors through what is now the Eastern Cape, encountering the Mpondo people and Xhosa clans. We explore the recovery efforts, the fate of the treasure, and the legacy of the wreck in South African history. A story of survival, colonial hubris, and the dark fate of those who washed up on Africa's wild coast. #EastIndiaman #Grosvenor #Shipwreck #Pondoland #Mpondo #Xhosa #CapeOfGoodHope #Ceylon #Survival #Treasure #EastIndiaCompany #EIC #18thCentury #SouthAfrica #MaritimeHistory #ColonialHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

While the East India Company is famous for its armies, tea, and trade, its secret intelligence network was equally vital to maintaining power in India. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy world of Company spies, focusing on the little-known figure of Ross Daniels, a Scottish agent who operated in the Deccan and Mysore during the 1770s and 1780s. They discuss how the Company's intelligence-gathering evolved from casual reports to a structured system under Governor-General Warren Hastings, with agents like Daniels infiltrating the courts of Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan. The episode also touches on the use of coded messages, double agents, and the moral ambiguities of espionage. Lucas explains how the Company's spy network compared to contemporary European intelligence, and how information from spies like Daniels influenced key decisions in the Anglo-Mysore Wars. The conversation reveals a lesser-known aspect of the Company's operations, showing how intelligence was as crucial as gunpowder in the conquest of India. #EastIndiaCompany #RossDaniels #Spy #Intelligence #Mysore #HaidarAli #TipuSultan #WarrenHastings #Deccan #Espionage #CodedMessages #DoubleAgent #BombayMarine #AngloMysoreWars #18thCentury #BritishEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1782, the East Indiaman Grosvenor wrecked on the coast of South Africa, stranding over 100 survivors in a harsh, unfamiliar land. This episode explores the harrowing aftermath: the long march toward civilization, the breakdown of authority, and the cultural encounter with local Xhosa communities. We follow the stories of survivors like William Hynes and John Baird, examine the scandal of the rescue effort, and reflect on how the tragedy fed British colonial fantasies. A forgotten episode of imperial disaster and human endurance. #Grosvenor #EastIndiaman #Shipwreck #SouthAfrica #18thCentury #Xhosa #BritishEmpire #EastIndiaCompany #EIC #SurvivalStory #ColonialDisaster #IndianOcean #CapeOfGoodHope #MaritimeHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #Empire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In the late 18th century, the East India Company undertook one of the most ambitious cartographic projects in history: the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. But before that, a young surveyor named James Rennell was tasked with mapping Bengal and Bihar after the Battle of Plassey. This episode follows Rennell from his early career as a midshipman to his appointment as Surveyor General of Bengal, and explores how his Atlas of Bengal (1779) and Bengal Atlas (1781) became the foundation of British knowledge of the subcontinent. We touch on his use of astronomical observations, the challenges of surveying in monsoon terrain, and how his maps were used for revenue collection, military campaigns, and administrative control. Rennell's work represents a quiet but transformative episode in the Company's history—the weaponization of geography. #JamesRennell #SurveyOfIndia #EastIndiaCompany #Cartography #Bengal #Bihar #GreatTrigSurvey #AtlasOfBengal #CompanyBahadur #SurveyorGeneral #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #ColonialScience #Mapping #Empire #Geography #Enlightenment Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In the early 1800s, the East India Company sent a relatively unknown civil servant, Sir John Wood, on a mission to the remote Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim. The result was the Treaty of Titalia of 1817, which secured Company influence in a strategically vital region bordering Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan. This episode unpacks the treaty's terms, the geopolitical chess game between the Company, the Gurkhas, and the Chinese Qing dynasty, and how Wood's diplomatic maneuvering shaped British policy in the Himalayas for decades. We also explore the curious figure of the Sikkimese Rajah and the role of the Lepcha people, whose lands were caught in the middle. It's a story of maps, marches, and the quiet expansion of empire through ink rather than gunpowder. #EastIndiaCompany #SirJohnWood #TreatyOfTitalia #Sikkim #Himalayas #GurkhaWar #AngloNepaleseWar #Lepcha #QingDynasty #CompanyBahadur #Diplomacy #Nepal #Tibet #Bhutan #History #FexingoHistory #BritishEmpire #19thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1816, the British East India Company joined forces with the Dutch navy to bombard Algiers, the capital of the Barbary state that had long terrorized Mediterranean shipping with piracy and enslavement. This episode follows the unlikely alliance between the Company, fresh from its wars in India, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, against a common enemy. We explore the brutal history of Barbary corsairs, the failed diplomacy of earlier missions, the spectacular naval bombardment under Admiral Lord Exmouth, and the aftermath that saw thousands of Christian slaves freed. Along the way, we meet figures like the Dey of Algirs, Omar Agha, and the Company's own Bombay Marine, whose ships played a key role. This is a story of naval power, imperial ambition, and the fight against a state-sponsored extortion racket that had lasted for centuries. #EastIndiaCompany #BarbaryPirates #Algiers #BombayMarine #AdmiralExmouth #OmarAgha #BarbarySlaves #NapoleonicWars #DutchNavy #19thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #Mediterranean #NavalHistory #BritishEmpire #Piracy #Slavery #BombardmentOfAlgiers Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Battle of Buxar in 1764, a pivotal but often overlooked conflict that transformed the East India Company from a trading corporation into a territorial power. They discuss the key players: Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal who rebelled against Company control; Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh; and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II, who allied against the British. The conversation covers the immediate causes of the war, including Mir Qasim's attempts to curb private trade and the massacre at Patna. The battle itself, fought near the town of Buxar on the Ganges, saw Major Hector Munro's disciplined sepoys defeat the combined Indian armies despite being outnumbered. Lucas explains the far-reaching consequences: the Treaty of Allahabad, which granted the Company the Diwani (right to collect revenue) of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, effectively making it the sovereign power in the region. They also touch on the East India Company Act of 1773, which imposed parliamentary oversight. The episode ends with a reflection on how a single battle set the stage for British rule in India. #BattleOfBuxar #MirQasim #ShujaUdDaula #ShahAlamII #HectorMunro #EastIndiaCompany #Diwani #TreatyOfAllahabad #EastIndiaCompanyAct #BritishIndia #IndianHistory #18thCentury #ColonialHistory #MilitaryHistory #History #FexingoHistory #Asia #Empire Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Battle of Buxar, fought on October 22, 1764, was the decisive conflict that transformed the East India Company from a trading corporation into a sovereign power in India. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how a military engagement involving just 7,000 Company troops against a combined Mughal, Nawab of Awadh, and Nawab of Bengal army of over 40,000 led to the Treaty of Allahabad and the Diwani of Bengal. They discuss the key figures — Major Hector Munro, Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daula, and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II — and how the battle set the stage for British colonial rule. The episode also examines the controversial East India Company Act of 1773, which sought to regulate the Company's newfound power. Drawing on primary sources like the letters of Robert Clive and the Mughal chronicles, this episode reveals how Buxar was the true founding moment of the British Raj. #BattleOfBuxar #EastIndiaCompany #HectorMunro #MirQasim #ShujaUdDaula #ShahAlamII #RobertClive #TreatyOfAllahabad #Diwani #Bengal #Awadh #MughalEmpire #CompanyBahadur #BritishRaj #1764 #History #FexingoHistory #ColonialIndia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into a lesser-known but pivotal chapter of the East India Company's history: its fraught and transformative relationship with China. From the early silver-for-tea trade that drained British coffers to the Company's disastrous diplomatic mission led by Lord Macartney in 1793, they explore how the EIC's desperate need to balance its books drove it into the opium trade. Lucas explains the mechanics of the Canton System, the role of the hong merchants, and how the Company's cultivation of opium in Bengal created a smuggling network that eventually led to the Opium Wars. They also touch on the cultural clash between the Qing Empire's tribute system and British free-trade ideology, and the lasting impact on global commerce. This episode offers a fresh angle on the Company's global reach, moving beyond India to reveal how its China trade shaped modern history. #EastIndiaCompany #OpiumTrade #CantonSystem #LordMacartney #QingDynasty #TeaTrade #HongMerchants #BengalOpium #OpiumWars #BritishEmpire #ChinaTrade #SilverTrade #GeorgeIII #Qianlong #Cohong #FexingoHistory #History #18thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

For Episode 100 of The East India Company: The Corporation That Conquered Nations, we turn to the decisive clash that broke French power in India: the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760. While Robert Clive gets most of the glory, it was Sir Eyre Coote who outmaneuvered the legendary Comte de Lally at Wandiwash, capturing the French standard and cementing British supremacy in the Carnatic. We explore Coote's early career, his rivalry with Stringer Lawrence, the tactical details of the battle—where British sepoy firepower shattered French columns—and the aftermath that left the French confined to Pondicherry. We also look at the forgotten role of the Madras Army's sepoy regiments, who fought under Coote with remarkable discipline. Plus, a brief look at the controversial end of Lally, executed in Paris for losing France's empire. This episode digs into a pivotal but often overlooked turning point in the Seven Years' War and the EIC's rise. #EyreCoote #BattleOfWandiwash #ComteDeLally #CarnaticWars #MadrasArmy #SevenYearsWar #FrenchEastIndiaCompany #Pondicherry #Sepoy #CompanyBahadur #18thCentury #India #ColonialHistory #MilitaryHistory #BritishEmpire #History #FexingoHistory #EastIndiaCompany Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the Anglo-Mysore Wars, a brutal series of conflicts that shaped British India in the late 18th century. They focus on Tipu Sultan, the 'Tiger of Mysore', and his innovations in warfare, including the use of Mysorean rockets, which were precursors to modern artillery. Lucas explains how Tipu's father, Haidar Ali, built a formidable state through military and economic reforms, challenging the East India Company's expansion. The conversation covers key battles like Pollilur, where the Company suffered a rare defeat, and the final siege of Srirangapatna in 1799. They discuss Tipu's alliance with the French, his diplomatic overtures to the Ottoman Empire, and the controversial discovery of his treasure. The episode also touches on the legend of Tipu's dream and his tiger motifs, exploring how he became a symbol of resistance. Lucas and Luna examine the aftermath: the partition of Mysore, the restoration of the Wodeyar dynasty, and the Company's consolidation of power. A nuanced portrait emerges of a complex ruler, both admired and feared. #TipuSultan #AngloMysoreWars #MysoreanRockets #HaidarAli #Pollilur #Srirangapatna #CompanyBahadur #BritishIndia #EastIndiaCompany #Mysore #HyderAli #RocketArtillery #SecondAngloMysoreWar #ThirdAngloMysoreWar #TipuReforms #Wodeyar #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

This episode explores the transformative governorship of Gerald Aungier, the EIC leader who turned a scattered collection of malarial islands into the thriving city of Bombay. We cover his negotiations with the Maratha Empire, his fortification of Bombay Castle, his attack on piracy along the Malabar Coast, and his visionary urban planning—including the first English common law court in India and the establishment of a naval dockyard. We also discuss his rivalry with the Surat Presidency and his use of the Company's newfound autonomy after the 1668 charter from Charles II. Aungier's legacy is the Bombay we know today: a commercial hub and naval stronghold that outlasted Surat. #GeraldAungier #BombayCastle #EastIndiaCompany #BombayMarine #MalabarCoast #MarathaEmpire #Shivaji #SuratPresidency #BombayDockyard #CustomeHouse #CommonLaw #Mahim #Mazagaon #Worli #Sion #CharlesII #1668Charter #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

When the East India Company transformed from a trading corporation into a territorial power, it needed a seat befitting its new status. This episode explores the construction of Government House in Calcutta — not just a building, but a deliberate statement of imperial authority. We trace its origins from the modest Fort William to Richard Wellesley's grand vision after the Battle of Plassey. The house became the nerve center of Company rule, hosting durbars, signing treaties, and projecting British power across India. We discuss Wellesley's insistence on European neoclassical design, the discomfort it caused among traditional Indian elites, and how it set the stage for the Raj. Along the way, we touch on the architects — Charles Wyatt and John Garstin — and the house's later life as the residence of Viceroys. This episode also includes a brief, sincere note on listener support for the show. #EastIndiaCompany #GovernmentHouse #Calcutta #RichardWellesley #BritishRaj #FortWilliam #NeoclassicalArchitecture #CharlesWyatt #JohnGarstin #ImperialPalace #Kolkata #Durbar #BattleOfPlassey #CompanyRule #History #FexingoHistory #ArchitectureHistory #ColonialIndia Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the East India Company's first permanent settlement in India: the Surat factory, established in 1612. They delve into the diplomatic negotiations with Mughal Emperor Jahangir, the role of Sir Thomas Roe as ambassador, and the delicate balance of trade in textiles, indigo, and saltpeter. The conversation covers the factory's layout, its multicultural workforce of merchants, scribes, and artisans, and the challenges of navigating Mughal bureaucracy. They also examine the factory's decline after the Company shifted focus to Bombay and Madras, and its legacy as the prototype for later colonial outposts. Specific terms like 'kothi', 'farman', and 'parwana' are discussed in context. #EastIndiaCompany #SuratFactory #MughalEmpire #SirThomasRoe #Jahangir #textiletrade #indigo #saltpeter #kothi #farman #parwana #CompanyTrade #colonialhistory #Indianhistory #17thcentury #BritishEmpire #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode of The East India Company: The Corporation That Conquered Nations, Lucas and Luna explore the Company's surprising role in currency. After the Diwani of 1757, the EIC took over the Surat Mint and began minting its own rupees. But the Company's coins didn't just bear the Mughal emperor's name—they subtly signaled a shift in power. Lucas explains how the Company's silver rupees, stamped with the name of Shah Alam II, became the dominant currency across India, undermining local mints and enriching the Corporation. The episode delves into the mechanics of coinage, the symbolism of the Alampanah rupee, and the quiet revolution of a corporation controlling the money supply. It's a story of power, economics, and the slow erosion of Mughal authority, one coin at a time. #EastIndiaCompany #Rupee #SuratMint #MughalEmpire #Diwani #Coinage #EconomicHistory #ShahAlamII #Alampanah #CompanyBahadur #BritishEmpire #India #18thCentury #Currency #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #Colonialism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the intersection of art and empire through the life of Tilly Kettle, the first British portraitist to work in India. Kettle arrived in Madras in 1769, at a time when the East India Company was consolidating power after the Battle of Plassey. He painted Mughal nobles, Company officials, and nawabs, creating a visual record of a shifting world. The episode delves into how Kettle's work documented figures like Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula of Awadh and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, and how his paintings reveal the cultural hybridity of the period — Indian patrons adopting European oil portraiture, and British sitters incorporating Mughal styles. It also touches on the fragile economics of being an artist in India, the fate of Kettle's works, and what his career tells us about the Company's cultural footprint. A natural bridge leads into a brief listener-support segment, then the conversation returns to the legacy of Company painting and the later decline of this early artistic exchange. #TillyKettle #CompanyPainting #EastIndiaCompany #Shuja-ud-Daula #ShahAlamII #Awadh #Madras #Lucknow #Portraiture #MughalEmpire #BritishRaj #18thCenturyArt #OilPainting #India #Colonialism #CulturalHybridity #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the life and legacy of Stringer Lawrence, the often-overlooked father of the Madras Army. Lawrence's military reforms and leadership during the Carnatic Wars laid the groundwork for the East India Company's territorial expansion in India. From the siege of Trichinopoly to the battle of Golden Rock, Lawrence's tactics and mentorship of Robert Clive shaped the Company's military might. The conversation explores Lawrence's early career, his role in securing the Carnatic for the Company's ally Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah, and the lasting impact of his sepoy army. Along the way, they discuss the controversial Black Hole of Calcutta, the rivalry with Dupleix, and the personal costs of empire. This episode offers a fresh perspective on a key figure in British Indian history, revealing how one man's discipline and strategy turned a trading company into a conquering force. #StringerLawrence #MadrasArmy #CarnaticWars #Trichinopoly #GoldenRock #RobertClive #Dupleix #MuhammadAliKhanWallajah #ChandaSahib #Sepoy #FortStDavid #BlackHoleOfCalcutta #EastIndiaCompany #CompanyBahadur #18thCentury #India #BritishEmpire #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode, Lucas walks Luna through the career of Major General Stringer Lawrence, the often-overlooked father of the Madras Army. Lawrence arrived in India in 1748 as a seasoned mercenary and took command of the Company's ragtag forces at Fort St. David. Through the Siege of Trichinopoly and the Battle of Golden Rock in 1753, he turned local sepoys into a disciplined fighting force using European drill adapted to Indian conditions. Lucas contrasts his methods with the more famous Robert Clive, noting how Lawrence mentored Clive in his early years. The episode explores the hybrid nature of the early Company army — British officers, Indian soldiers, combined arms tactics — and the crucial role of the Madras sepoys in the Carnatic Wars. Lucas also touches on Lawrence's strained relationship with the Madras Council and his eventual return to England, where he died in obscurity despite being a key architect of Company military power. #StringerLawrence #MadrasArmy #CarnaticWars #SiegeOfTrichinopoly #BattleOfGoldenRock #RobertClive #EastIndiaCompany #FortStDavid #Sepoys #CompanyArmy #Trichinopoly #Dupleix #MuhammadAliKhanWallajah #ChandaSahib #Madras #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In 1788, the most powerful man in British India, Warren Hastings, former Governor-General of the East India Company, stood trial before the House of Lords on charges of high crimes and misdemeanors. The impeachment, led by Edmund Burke, lasted seven years and became a landmark in the history of imperial accountability. This episode explores the charges against Hastings: his dealings with the Nawab of Awadh, the Rohilla War, and the notorious Cheyte Singh affair. It also examines the legal and moral arguments of the prosecution and defense, the role of the Company's directors in shaping policy, and how the trial reflected shifting British attitudes toward empire. We discuss key figures like Sir Elijah Impey, the Chief Justice of Bengal, and the complex legacy of Hastings—both as an imperial administrator and as the subject of history's first trial of a colonial governor. #WarrenHastings #EdmundBurke #Impeachment #EastIndiaCompany #HouseOfLords #RohillaWar #CheyteSingh #SirElijahImpey #NawabOfAwadh #Bengal #1788 #BritishHistory #ImperialHistory #Trial #ColonialIndia #GovernorGeneral #CompanyBahadur #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Long before Singapore, the East India Company pinned its hopes on a swampy settlement on Sumatra's west coast: Bencoolen (now Bengkulu). For over 150 years, this backwater outpost was the Company's only direct source of pepper, a spice that drove European expansion long before tea or opium. Lucas and Luna explore how the British ended up there in 1685, the brutal climate that killed half of every garrison, the fort they built—Fort Marlborough—and the uneasy trade relationships with local rulers like the Sultan of Bencoolen. They also touch on the enduring legacy of the settlement, which remained in British hands until the 1824 Anglo-Dutch Treaty, when it was swapped for the Dutch colony of Malacca. This episode digs into a neglected chapter of Company history: the gritty, disease-ridden reality of a single-commodity colony that never turned a profit but stubbornly refused to die. #EastIndiaCompany #Bencoolen #Sumatra #PepperTrade #FortMarlborough #BritishEmpire #AngloDutchTreaty1824 #SpiceTrade #ColonialHistory #Bengkulu #IndonesiaHistory #17thCentury #18thCentury #StamfordRaffles #SultanOfBencoolen #CompanyBahadur #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In the 1770s, the British East India Company faced a fiscal crisis after the famine of 1770 devastated Bengal. To shore up revenue, Warren Hastings introduced the khas tariq, a direct assessment of land revenue that bypassed traditional zamindars. This episode explores the khas tariq system: how it worked, why it failed, and its role in shaping the Permanent Settlement of 1793. We follow the story of a young revenue officer, John Shore, who later became Governor-General and implemented the controversial settlement. Along the way, we discuss the Famine of 1770, the dual government of Clive, the role of the zamindars, and the philosophical divide between Hastings and Philip Francis. The episode reveals how a desperate tax experiment laid the groundwork for a century of colonial land policy in India. #EastIndiaCompany #WarrenHastings #KhasTariq #PermanentSettlement #BengalFamine #JohnShore #PhilipFrancis #Zamindar #LandRevenue #BritishIndia #Colonialism #RevenueSystem #18thCentury #CompanyRule #DualGovernment #History #FexingoHistory #SouthAsianHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo