When did British Raj exist?

British Raj existed 1858 – 1947. On this map it is drawn 1859–1947.

How large was British Raj?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, British Raj covered about 5 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

South Asia · Company and Raj

British Raj

Colonial administration · 1858 – 1947

The Raj was instituted by the Government of India Act 1858 (2 August), which transferred rule from the East India Company to the Crown after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (begun 10 May 1857). Queen Victoria's proclamation of 1 November 1858 promised non-interference in religion; in 1876 she was proclaimed Empress of India.

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Type: Colonial administration — territory of the British Empire under direct Crown rule plus ~560 princely states under paramountcy
Existed: 1858 – 1947
Shown on the map: 1859–1947
Heartland: population 389 million in 1941; the whole Indian subcontinent and, at various times, Aden, Burma, British Somaliland and the Straits Settlements
Peak area: 4,993,650 km² in 1897 (~5.0M km² including Burma at peak, ~4.4M without)
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

Capitals and territory

Calcutta was the capital (1858–1911, with Simla as summer capital), replaced by New Delhi (proclaimed 1911, inaugurated 1931). British India comprised directly ruled presidencies and provinces; princely states from Hyderabad to Kashmir acknowledged the Crown as paramount.

Major rulers and key events

Monarchs Victoria (1858–1901), Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI ruled through viceroys from Canning to Mountbatten. Key events: post-1857 army reorganisation around "loyal" groups (Sikhs, Baluchis); the Ilbert Bill controversy (1883); founding of the Indian National Congress (1885) and All-India Muslim League (1906); Curzon's Partition of Bengal (1905) and the Swadeshi movement; the Morley–Minto reforms (1909) with separate Muslim electorates; the 1911 Delhi Durbar and capital move; 1.4 million Indian soldiers in World War I; the Lucknow Pact (1916); the Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh massacre and non-cooperation (1919–22); the Government of India Act 1935; World War II and the Quit India movement; and finally the Indian Independence Act (18 July 1947) and Partition (14–15 August 1947).

Government, economy and culture

A constitutional monarchy administered by the Indian Civil Service and, later, the Imperial Legislative Council. The era built the world's fourth-largest railway network, canals and telegraphs — at Indian taxpayers' risk (~£50 million) — intertwined India's economy with Britain's, and saw devastating famines (tens of millions of deaths cumulatively) answered by the Famine Codes of 1880. English and Hindustani/Urdu were official languages; English education spawned a nationalist middle class.

Decline and end

The mass nationalism of Gandhi's Congress, Muslim separatism under the League, and Britain's post-1945 exhaustion led to independence and partition in August 1947, creating the Dominions of India and Pakistan.

Legacy and significance

The Raj unified the subcontinent administratively, bequeathed its successors railways, bureaucracy, law and the English language — and also partition's borders, the Kashmir dispute, and a bitter debate over colonial "drain of wealth." As "India" it was a founding member of both the League of Nations and the United Nations.

Common questions

What was British Raj?: The Raj was instituted by the Government of India Act 1858 (2 August), which transferred rule from the East India Company to the Crown after the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (begun 10 May 1857). Queen Victoria's proclamation of 1 November 1858 promised non-interference in religion; in 1876 she was proclaimed Empress of India.
When did British Raj exist?: British Raj existed 1858 – 1947. On this map it is drawn 1859–1947.
How large was British Raj?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, British Raj covered about 5 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Where was British Raj?: Calcutta was the capital (1858–1911, with Simla as summer capital), replaced by New Delhi (proclaimed 1911, inaugurated 1931). British India comprised directly ruled presidencies and provinces; princely states from Hyderabad to Kashmir acknowledged the Crown as paramount.
Who ruled British Raj?: Monarchs Victoria (1858–1901), Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI ruled through viceroys from Canning to Mountbatten.
How did British Raj end?: The mass nationalism of Gandhi's Congress, Muslim separatism under the League, and Britain's post-1945 exhaustion led to independence and partition in August 1947, creating the Dominions of India and Pakistan.
How was British Raj governed?: A constitutional monarchy administered by the Indian Civil Service and, later, the Imperial Legislative Council.
Why does British Raj still matter?: The Raj unified the subcontinent administratively, bequeathed its successors railways, bureaucracy, law and the English language — and also partition's borders, the Kashmir dispute, and a bitter debate over colonial "drain of wealth." As "India" it was a founding member of both the League of Nations and the United Nations.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: British Raj en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Raj

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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