The arrival of the East India Company
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the activities of the East India Company during the 17th century and assess its relationship with the Mughal Empire.
Key learning points
- The East India Company (EIC) was created in 1601 for trade with the East.
- The EIC competed with other Europeans such as the Portuguese and Dutch.
- The EIC constructed factories to support its trade in India.
- The EIC required permission from the Mughal Emperors to conduct its activities in India.
- During Child's War, the Mughal Empire defeated the forces of the EIC.
Keywords
Merchants - merchants are people whose job is to buy and sell goods
Textiles - textiles are fabrics made by weaving materials like cotton
Factories - warehouses and trading posts set up by the East India Company were called factories
Mughal Empire - the Mughal Empire ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent during the 17th century
Common misconception
Europeans were more powerful than other states and social groups in the 17th century.
Although European groups like the EIC were powerful, the Mughal Emperors retained greater power in the 17th century. Aurangzeb comprehensively defeated the EIC's military challenged during Child's War.
Teacher tip
Ask students 'how similar was the EIC to modern companies like Apple' in pairs. Push students to consider similarities like the importance of profits and differences such as the EIC's state-like features. You could also ask students to hypothesise why companies normally lack these extra powers now.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Mughal rule in India was at its strongest in the __________ centuries.
Q2.The Mughal conquest of India began under which leader?
Q3.Which Mughal emperor demonstrated the greatest religious tolerance?
Q4.The Mughal emperors were followers of .
Q5.Which of these best describes the manner in which the Mughals conquered India?
Q6.Under Akbar the Mughals' taxation system __________.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which goods did the first East India Company ships return to England with?
Q2.In its early years, the main trading rivals to the East India Company were the __________.
Q3.The East India Company's trading posts and warehouses were known as .
Q4.Why did Emperor Jahangir agree to the East India Company setting up a factory in Surat?
Q5.When no trading agreements were reached in the area of , the East India Company resorted to war to take power for themselves.
Q6.The East India Company's conflict against the emperor Aurangzeb in Bengal was known as ' War'.
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The arrival of the East India Company, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The arrival of the East India Company, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The East India Company: when did Mughal authority collapse? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.