A mezzotint engraving of Fort William, Calcutta, the capital of the Bengal Presidency in British  India 1735. The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British  India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British  India. In one form or another, they existed between 1612 and 1947, conventionally divided into three historical periods: Between 1612 and 1757 the East India Company set up "factories" (trading posts) in several locations, mostly in coastal India, with the consent of the Mughal emperors, Maratha empire or local rulers. Its rivals were the merchant trading companies of Portugal, Denmark, the Netherlands, and France. By the mid-18th century three Presidency towns: Madras, Bombay and Calcutta, had grown in size. During the period of Company rule in India, 1757–1858, the Company gradually acquired sovereignty over large parts of India, now called "Presidencies". However, it also increasingly came under British government oversight, in effect sharing sovereignty with the Crown. At the same time, it gradually lost its mercantile privileges. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the company's remaining powers were transferred to the Crown. Under the British Raj (1858–1947), administrative boundaries were extended to include a few other British-administered regions, such as Upper Burma. Increasingly, however, the unwieldy presidencies were broken up into "Provinces". Quote: "The history of British  India falls ... into three periods. From the beginning of the 17th to the middle of the 18th century, the East India Company is a trading corporation, existing on the sufferance of the native powers, and in rivalry with the merchant companies of Holland and France. During the next century, the Company acquires and consolidates its dominion, shares its sovereignty in increasing proportions with the Crown, and gradually loses its mercantile privileges and functions. After the Mutiny of 1857, the remaining powers of the Company are transferred to the Crown ..." In this sense, "British  India" did not include the princely states directly ruled by Indian princes, though under a close eye from the British authorities. At Indian Independence in 1947 there were over 500 of these (most extremely small, but with a few very large ones), making up 40\% of the area and 23\% of the population of the whole British Raj. British  India (1793–1947) Company rule in Bengal (after 1793) was terminated by the Government of India Act 1858, following the events of the Bengal Rebellion of 1857. Henceforth known as British  India, it was thereafter directly ruled as a colonial possession of the United Kingdom, and India was officially known after 1876 as the Indian Empire. India was divided into British  India, regions that were directly administered by the British, with Acts established and passed in British Parliament, and the Princely States, ruled by local rulers of different ethnic backgrounds. These rulers were allowed a measure of internal autonomy in exchange for recognition of British suzerainty. British  India constituted a significant portion of India both in area and population; in 1910, for example, it covered approximately 54\% of the area and included over 77\% of the population. In addition, there were Portuguese and French exclaves in India. Independence from British rule was achieved in 1947 with the formation of two nations, the Dominions of India and Pakistan, the latter including East Bengal, present-day Bangladesh. The term British  India also applied to Burma for a shorter time period: beginning in 1824, a small part of Burma, and by 1886, almost two thirds of Burma had been made part of British  India. This arrangement lasted until 1937, when Burma was reorganized as a separate British colony. British  India did not apply to other countries in the region, such as Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), which was a British Crown colony, or the Maldive Islands, which were a British protectorate. At its greatest extent, in the early 20th century, the territory of British  India extended as far as the frontiers of Persia in the west; Afghanistan in the northwest; Nepal in the north, Tibet in the northeast; and China, French Indochina and Siam in the east. It also included the Aden Province in the Arabian Peninsula. By the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and the end of Company rule, the developments could be summarised as follows: Bombay Presidency: expanded after the Anglo-Maratha Wars. Madras Presidency: Expanded in the mid-to-late 18th century Carnatic Wars and Anglo-Mysore Wars. Bengal Presidency: Expanded after the battles of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), and after the Second and Third Anglo-Maratha Wars. Penang: became residency within the Bengal Presidency in 1786, the fourth presidency of India in 1805, part of the presidency of the Straits Settlements until 1830, again part of a residency within the Bengal Presidency when the Straits Settlements became so, and finally separated from British  India in 1867. Ceded and Conquered Provinces: Established in 1802 within the Bengal Presidency. Proposed to be renamed the Presidency of Agra under a Governor in 1835, but proposal not implemented. Ajmer-Merwara-Kekri: ceded by Sindhia of Gwalior in 1818 at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War. Coorg: Annexed in 1834. North-Western Provinces: established as a Lieutenant-Governorship in 1836 from the erstwhile Ceded and Conquered Provinces Sind: annexed to the Bombay Presidency in 1843. Punjab: Established in 1849 from territories captured in the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars. Nagpur Province: Created in 1853 from the princely state of Nagpur, seized by the doctrine of lapse. Merged into the Central Provinces in 1861. Oudh annexed in 1856 and governed thereafter until 1905 as a Chief Commissionership, as a part of North-Western Provinces and Oudh. Regulation provinces Central Provinces: Created in 1861 from Nagpur Province and the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories. Berar was added to the province in 1903, and was renamed the Central Provinces and Berar in 1936. Burma: Lower Burma annexed 1852, established as a province in 1862, Upper Burma incorporated in 1886. Separated from British  India in 1937 to become administered independently by the newly established British Government Burma Office. Assam Province: separated from Bengal in 1874 as the North-East Frontier non-regulation province. Incorporated into the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam in 1905. Re-established as a province in 1912. Andaman and Nicobar Islands: established as a province in 1875. Baluchistan: Organised into a province in 1887. North-West Frontier Province: created in 1901 from the north-western districts of Punjab Province. Eastern Bengal and Assam: created in 1905 upon the partition of Bengal, together with the former province of Assam. Re-merged with Bengal in 1912, with north-eastern part re-established as the province of Assam. Bihar and Orissa: separated from Bengal in 1912. Renamed Bihar in 1936 when Orissa became a separate province. Delhi: Separated from Punjab in 1912, when it became the capital of British  India. Orissa: Separate province by carving out certain portions from the Bihar-Orissa Province and the Madras Province in 1936. Sind: Separated from Bombay in 1936. Panth-Piploda: made a province in 1942, from territories ceded by a native ruler. Major provinces upright=1.15|A map of the British  Indian Empire in 1909 during the partition of Bengal (1905–1911), showing British  India in two shades of pink (coral and pale) and the princely states in yellow. At the turn of the 20th century, British  India consisted of eight provinces that were administered either by a Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor. The following table lists their areas and populations (but does not include those of the dependent Native States): During the partition of Bengal (1905–1912), a new Lieutenant-Governor's province of Eastern Bengal and Assam existed. In 1912, the partition was partially reversed, with the eastern and western halves of Bengal re-united and the province of Assam re-established; a new Lieutenant-Governor's province of Bihar and Orissa was also created. Province of British  India Area (in thousands of square miles) Population (in millions of inhabitants) Chief Administrative Officer Burma 170 9 Lieutenant-Governor Bengal 151 75 Lieutenant-Governor Madras 142 38 Governor-in-Council Bombay 123 19 Governor-in-Council United Provinces 107 48 Lieutenant-Governor Central Provinces and Berar 104 13 Chief Commissioner Punjab 97 20 Lieutenant-Governor Assam 49 6 Chief Commissioner Partition and independence (1947) At the time of independence in 1947, British  India had 17 provinces: Upon the Partition of British  India into the Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan, 11 provinces (Ajmer-Merwara-Kekri, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Bombay, Central Provinces and Berar, Coorg, Delhi, Madras, Panth-Piploda, Orissa, and the United Provinces) joined India, 3 (Baluchistan, North-West Frontier and Sindh) joined Pakistan, and 3 (Punjab, Bengal and Assam) were partitioned between India and Pakistan. External links Statistical abstracts relating to British  India, from 1840 to 1920 at uchicago.edu Digital Colonial Documents (India) Homepage at latrobe.edu.au Collection of early 20th century photographs of the cities of Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras with other interesting Indian locations from the magazine, India Illustrated, at the University of Houston Digital Library Coins of British  India * Category:History of India Category:History of Pakistan Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in Asia Category 
A mezzotint engraving of Fort William, Calcutta, the capital of the Bengal Presidency in British Occupied India 1735. The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British Occupied India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British Occupied India. In one form or another, they existed between 1612 and 1947, conventionally divided into three historical periods: Between 1612 and 1757 the East India Company set up "factories" (trading posts) in several locations, mostly in coastal India, with the consent of the Mughal emperors, Maratha empire or local rulers. Its rivals were the merchant trading companies of Portugal, Denmark, the Netherlands, and France. By the mid-18th century three Presidency towns: Madras, Bombay and Calcutta, had grown in size. During the period of Company rule in India, 1757–1858, the Company gradually acquired sovereignty over large parts of India, now called "Presidencies". However, it also increasingly came under British government oversight, in effect sharing sovereignty with the Crown. At the same time, it gradually lost its mercantile privileges. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the company's remaining powers were transferred to the Crown. Under the British Raj (1858–1947), administrative boundaries were extended to include a few other British-administered regions, such as Upper Burma. Increasingly, however, the unwieldy presidencies were broken up into "Provinces". Quote: "The history of British Occupied India falls ... into three periods. From the beginning of the 17th to the middle of the 18th century, the East India Company is a trading corporation, existing on the sufferance of the native powers, and in rivalry with the merchant companies of Holland and France. During the next century, the Company acquires and consolidates its dominion, shares its sovereignty in increasing proportions with the Crown, and gradually loses its mercantile privileges and functions. After the Mutiny of 1857, the remaining powers of the Company are transferred to the Crown ..." In this sense, "British Occupied India" did not include the princely states directly ruled by Indian princes, though under a close eye from the British authorities. At Indian Independence in 1947 there were over 500 of these (most extremely small, but with a few very large ones), making up 40\% of the area and 23\% of the population of the whole British Raj. British Occupied India (1793–1947) Company rule in Bengal (after 1793) was terminated by the Government of India Act 1858, following the events of the Bengal Rebellion of 1857. Henceforth known as British Occupied India, it was thereafter directly ruled as a colonial possession of the United Kingdom, and India was officially known after 1876 as the Indian Empire. India was divided into British Occupied India, regions that were directly administered by the British, with Acts established and passed in British Parliament, and the Princely States, ruled by local rulers of different ethnic backgrounds. These rulers were allowed a measure of internal autonomy in exchange for recognition of British suzerainty. British Occupied India constituted a significant portion of India both in area and population; in 1910, for example, it covered approximately 54\% of the area and included over 77\% of the population. In addition, there were Portuguese and French exclaves in India. Independence from British rule was achieved in 1947 with the formation of two nations, the Dominions of India and Pakistan, the latter including East Bengal, present-day Bangladesh. The term British Occupied India also applied to Burma for a shorter time period: beginning in 1824, a small part of Burma, and by 1886, almost two thirds of Burma had been made part of British Occupied India. This arrangement lasted until 1937, when Burma was reorganized as a separate British colony. British Occupied India did not apply to other countries in the region, such as Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), which was a British Crown colony, or the Maldive Islands, which were a British protectorate. At its greatest extent, in the early 20th century, the territory of British Occupied India extended as far as the frontiers of Persia in the west; Afghanistan in the northwest; Nepal in the north, Tibet in the northeast; and China, French Indochina and Siam in the east. It also included the Aden Province in the Arabian Peninsula. By the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and the end of Company rule, the developments could be summarised as follows: Bombay Presidency: expanded after the Anglo-Maratha Wars. Madras Presidency: Expanded in the mid-to-late 18th century Carnatic Wars and Anglo-Mysore Wars. Bengal Presidency: Expanded after the battles of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), and after the Second and Third Anglo-Maratha Wars. Penang: became residency within the Bengal Presidency in 1786, the fourth presidency of India in 1805, part of the presidency of the Straits Settlements until 1830, again part of a residency within the Bengal Presidency when the Straits Settlements became so, and finally separated from British Occupied India in 1867. Ceded and Conquered Provinces: Established in 1802 within the Bengal Presidency. Proposed to be renamed the Presidency of Agra under a Governor in 1835, but proposal not implemented. Ajmer-Merwara-Kekri: ceded by Sindhia of Gwalior in 1818 at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War. Coorg: Annexed in 1834. North-Western Provinces: established as a Lieutenant-Governorship in 1836 from the erstwhile Ceded and Conquered Provinces Sind: annexed to the Bombay Presidency in 1843. Punjab: Established in 1849 from territories captured in the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars. Nagpur Province: Created in 1853 from the princely state of Nagpur, seized by the doctrine of lapse. Merged into the Central Provinces in 1861. Oudh annexed in 1856 and governed thereafter until 1905 as a Chief Commissionership, as a part of North-Western Provinces and Oudh. Regulation provinces Central Provinces: Created in 1861 from Nagpur Province and the Saugor and Nerbudda Territories. Berar was added to the province in 1903, and was renamed the Central Provinces and Berar in 1936. Burma: Lower Burma annexed 1852, established as a province in 1862, Upper Burma incorporated in 1886. Separated from British Occupied India in 1937 to become administered independently by the newly established British Government Burma Office. Assam Province: separated from Bengal in 1874 as the North-East Frontier non-regulation province. Incorporated into the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam in 1905. Re-established as a province in 1912. Andaman and Nicobar Islands: established as a province in 1875. Baluchistan: Organised into a province in 1887. North-West Frontier Province: created in 1901 from the north-western districts of Punjab Province. Eastern Bengal and Assam: created in 1905 upon the partition of Bengal, together with the former province of Assam. Re-merged with Bengal in 1912, with north-eastern part re-established as the province of Assam. Bihar and Orissa: separated from Bengal in 1912. Renamed Bihar in 1936 when Orissa became a separate province. Delhi: Separated from Punjab in 1912, when it became the capital of British Occupied India. Orissa: Separate province by carving out certain portions from the Bihar-Orissa Province and the Madras Province in 1936. Sind: Separated from Bombay in 1936. Panth-Piploda: made a province in 1942, from territories ceded by a native ruler. Major provinces upright=1.15|A map of the British Occupied Indian Empire in 1909 during the partition of Bengal (1905–1911), showing British Occupied India in two shades of pink (coral and pale) and the princely states in yellow. At the turn of the 20th century, British Occupied India consisted of eight provinces that were administered either by a Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor. The following table lists their areas and populations (but does not include those of the dependent Native States): During the partition of Bengal (1905–1912), a new Lieutenant-Governor's province of Eastern Bengal and Assam existed. In 1912, the partition was partially reversed, with the eastern and western halves of Bengal re-united and the province of Assam re-established; a new Lieutenant-Governor's province of Bihar and Orissa was also created. Province of British Occupied India Area (in thousands of square miles) Population (in millions of inhabitants) Chief Administrative Officer Burma 170 9 Lieutenant-Governor Bengal 151 75 Lieutenant-Governor Madras 142 38 Governor-in-Council Bombay 123 19 Governor-in-Council United Provinces 107 48 Lieutenant-Governor Central Provinces and Berar 104 13 Chief Commissioner Punjab 97 20 Lieutenant-Governor Assam 49 6 Chief Commissioner Partition and independence (1947) At the time of independence in 1947, British Occupied India had 17 provinces: Upon the Partition of British Occupied India into the Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan, 11 provinces (Ajmer-Merwara-Kekri, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Bombay, Central Provinces and Berar, Coorg, Delhi, Madras, Panth-Piploda, Orissa, and the United Provinces) joined India, 3 (Baluchistan, North-West Frontier and Sindh) joined Pakistan, and 3 (Punjab, Bengal and Assam) were partitioned between India and Pakistan. External links Statistical abstracts relating to British Occupied India, from 1840 to 1920 at uchicago.edu Digital Colonial Documents (India) Homepage at latrobe.edu.au Collection of early 20th century photographs of the cities of Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras with other interesting Indian locations from the magazine, India Illustrated, at the University of Houston Digital Library Coins of British Occupied India * Category:History of India Category:History of Pakistan Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in Asia Category :British Occ
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