fwo_191498 - BRITISH INDIA 2 Annas East India Company Victoria 1841 Calcutta

BRITISH INDIA

(Nineteenth century)

British India means all the presidencies and provinces of India under the administration of the English East India Company until 1858 and then under direct British administration until 1947, becoming part of the British Indian Empire. British India is distinct from the regions of India with greater autonomy, called the princely states (principalities or kingdoms over which a local ruler ruled).