Question

i. british expand control over india
how did india benefit great britain?
the once powerful mughal empire of india had fallen into decline by the early 1700s. following a number of military skirmishes in the important trading city of calcutta in 1756 - 57, wealthy british investors wanted to assert more control over indian trade. without strong centralized indian rule, a foreign joint stock company known as the british east india trading company soon became the most important power in india. the company held huge amounts of land along the valuable indian coastlines. the company even had its own army to defend its economic interests and enforce company regulations. this army was led by british officers, but was staffed by indian born soldiers known as sepoys. these mercenaries soldiers for hire remained loyal to the british as long as they continued to receive pay from the prosperous british east india trading company. to the british this expensive arrangement was well worth the cost because india was the main supplier of raw materials for british industries. queen victoria referred to india as the \jewel in the crown\ because india had become britain’s most valuable colony.

1. why did the indian sepoy’s fight for the british east india company?
2. why was india considered to be the \crown jewel\ most valuable colony of the vast british empire?

Explanation:

1. For the first question: The text states that Sepoys were mercenaries (soldiers for hire) who remained loyal to the British East India Company as long as they received pay from the prosperous company.
2. For the second question: The text explains that India was the main supplier of raw materials for British industries, making it Britain's most valuable colony, hence the "jewel in the crown".

Answer:

1. The Indian Sepoys fought for the British East India Company because they were mercenaries (soldiers for hire) and remained loyal as long as they received pay from the prosperous company.
2. India was considered the "crown jewel" (most valuable colony) of the British Empire because it was the main supplier of raw materials for British industries, making it extremely economically valuable to Britain.