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

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

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

By: Fexingo
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How did a London trading company become the de facto ruler of India? The East India Company started as a joint-stock venture in 1600, chasing spices, but by the mid-18th century it ran armies, minted coins, and governed millions. Lucas and Luna trace the Company's transformation from merchant fleet to imperial machine: the battle of Plassey (1757) where Robert Clive bent Bengal to Company will; the scandalous 'nabobs' who returned with fortunes; the opium trades that forced open China; and the Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 that finally brought Crown rule. They explore how a corporation waged war (Anglo-Mysore conflicts, Anglo-Maratha wars), administered justice (Warren Hastings' impeachment), and reshaped global trade—tea, silk, saltpeter. Along the way, they question whether the Company was a rogue state or just capitalism ahead of its time. This is the story of how profit and power fused to build an empire that still echoes in today's debates over corporate influence and colonial legacies. #EastIndiaCompany #BritishEmpire #RobertClive #BattleOfPlassey #WarrenHastings #SepoyRebellion #OpiumWars #Nabobs #AngloMysoreWars #AngloMarathaWars #Imperialism #ColonialIndia #JointStock #CorporatePower #TeaTrade #History #WorldHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo© 2026 Fexingo. All rights reserved. Hourly Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • The EIC's Forgotten Spy: Jaswant Rao and the Network of Informants

    The EIC's Forgotten Spy: Jaswant Rao and the Network of Informants
    Jul 4 2026
    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
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    6 mins
  • The EIC's Forgotten Rebel: The Sanyasi Uprising of Bengal

    The EIC's Forgotten Rebel: The Sanyasi Uprising of Bengal
    Jul 3 2026
    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
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    9 mins
  • The EIC's Forgotten Artist: Tilly Kettle and Company Painting

    The EIC's Forgotten Artist: Tilly Kettle and Company Painting
    Jul 3 2026
    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
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    7 mins
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