The Raj and the Indian sub-continent

The British first arrived in India in the 1600s, establishing trading posts through the East India Company. By the mid 18th Century, the company's power and influence meant that a majority of India was controlled by Britain. By the 1700s, English was established as the language of administration and government. The British Raj (taken from the Hindi word Raj, meaning rule) officially began in 1858, when governance was transferred to the Crown with Queen Victoria being proclaimed the Empress of India in 1876. By the mid 19th Century, universities had been established in Kolkata and Mumbai and one of the largest railway networks was underway. Following growing discontent and uprisings, India gained its independence from Britain in 1947. It was partitioned into the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the eastern part of which would become the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The partition created one of the largest mass migrations in history to date.