![]() ![]() But, with eleven wars fought during the first quarter of her reign alone, Victoria soon began to take a keen interest in British affairs abroad. These territories were only partly administered by government, with chartered companies such as the East India Company holding significant power.Īt her accession, the inexperienced Queen was initially content to follow the instruction of her advisors when it came to matters of foreign policy. ![]() Imperial expansion had been haphazard, and predominately the result of victory in military conflicts or settlements founded by Britons seeking new lives abroad.Īt the start of the 19th century, most of Britain’s jumbled collection of territories – such as Canada, South Africa and Guiana – had been unintentionally acquired by previous monarchs, rather than as a result of a deliberate programme of expansion. When Victoria ascended the throne in 1837, few would have predicted how far British influence would spread during her reign. (Photo by Felice A Beato/Getty Images) Early empire General Wheeler’s entrenchment at Cawnpore, scene of the worst massacre during the Indian Mutiny of June 1857. Fifteen years later, the EIC had become the main political power in India, with direct control over around two thirds of the subcontinent. Huge military expenditure saw the EIC run into serious financial difficulties, and in 1773, the British government was forced to step in and help the ailing company, with William Pitt’s India Act of 1784 seeking to bring it under closer parliamentary supervision, namely through the rule of a governor-general.īut the EIC continued to expand and by 1803, its reach extended up the Ganges valley to Delhi and across most of the peninsula of southern India. Victoria’s expansion of trade with India made products such as tea cheaper and more plentiful. Indian tea culture gave rise to the tradition of afternoon tea, together with the establishment of tea shops and tea rooms. London’s first Indian restaurant opened in 1810, but it was Victoria’s love of curry that made its popularity spread. Once Indian spices were widely available in Britain, curries and chillies featured regularly in the British diet. Indian-inspired patterns such as paisley also became popular in fashion. Materials such as cotton and silk, accessed through trade with India, were increasingly used in British clothing. The sport was later popularised by the British upper classes. The modern game of polo originated in northeast India in circa AD 33, and was adopted by English plantation owners in Assam from c1854. ![]() ‘Pyjamas’ comes from the Urdu word payjamah, meaning leg garment, while ‘shampoo’ is from the Hindi word čāmpo, meaning to press and knead. Words of Hindi and Urdu origin soon infiltrated the English language. ![]()
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