The honourable East India Company was "often inglorious and almost never honourable". Yet it came to trade and ended up by establishing an empire. There were a number of milestones during its 250 year journey, from 1612 to 1849. There were triumphs and tragedies; acts of great valour and dignity as well as acts of disrepute and disgrace. The empire was acquired mainly by military force. The native rulers were subjugated by conquests. They were shackled ...
