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The East India Company
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The East India Company played a central role in the introduction of tea to the British Isles and also to the British colonies in America. At it's peak the East India Company was extremely powerful and had a totalitarian cartel on the trade routes between India and the homeland of England.

The origins of this company were far removed from the grandeur of it's mature years. It was started by a small group of merchants on the 31st of December 1600 who were given the privilege of a monopoly along the trade routes with the East Indies. The first ship owned by the East India Company arrived in India at a port called Surat in 1608. Soon after King James I ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, entered the court of the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir. He negotiated the right to build a factory at Surat, which was the start of Britain's dominance in the area. Their massive expansion pushed the Portuguese out, leading to a huge increase in the volume of trade.

The British established numerous outposts for their trading operations in India, these gradually turned into quite sizeable British settlements. In 1717 the East India Company had a huge stroke of good fortune, they would no longer have to pay customs fees in Bengal. This accelerated their growth substantially to the point that they became a body with ruling power. The East India Company then acquired the right to collect revenues on behalf of the Mughal Emperor. However, the formative years of the arrangement were administered poorly.

This disorganization left the Bengal region in a state of disrepair, the 1769 / 1770 famine only compounded the issue and highlighted the company's malfunctioning policies. It is estimated that up to one third of the population in the Bengal region died as a direct result of the East India Company's negligence. Despite a hefty rise in trading volume, the East India Company found itself neck deep in military commitments, and hence costs - it looked like the end was nigh. With the Regulating Act of 1773 India was put under the control of a Governor-General. Simultaneously, the East India Company was placed under greater parliamentary control, pulling them back from complete and utter disintegration.

The East India Company ceased all operations in 1858 as the governance of India became the sole responsibility of the Crown.

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