Bombay Presidency

Bombay Presidency was a former province of British India. At its greatest extent, Bombay Presidency comprised the present-day state of Gujarat, the western two-thirds of Maharashtra state, including the regions of Konkan, Desh, and Kandesh, and northwestern Karnataka state of India; It also included Pakistan's Sind state and the British territory of Aden in Yemen. It consisted partly of districts, which were directly under British rule, and partly of native or princely states, which were ruled by local rulers under the administration of a governor.

Early history

The first British settlement in the Bombay Presidency was in 1618, when the East India Company established a factory at Surat in present-day Gujarat, protected by a charter obtained from the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. In 1626 the Dutch and British made an unsuccessful attempt to gain possession of the island of Bombay in the coastal Konkan region from Portugal, and in 1653 proposals were suggested for its purchase from the Portuguese. In 1661 it was ceded to the British crown, as part of the dowry of the infanta Catherine of Braganza on her marriage with Charles II of England. So lightly was the acquisition esteemed in England, and so unsuccessful was the administration of the crown officers, that in 1668 Bombay was transferred to the East India Company for an annual payment of £10. At the time of the transfer, powers for its defence and for the administration of justice were also conferred; a European regiment was enrolled; and the fortifications erected proved sufficient to deter the Dutch from their intended attack in 1673. In 1687 Bombay was placed at the head of all the Company's possessions in India; but in 1753 the government of Bombay became subordinate to that of Calcutta.

Related Topics:
British - 1618 - Surat - Gujarat - Mughal Emperor - Jahangir - 1626 - Dutch - Bombay - Konkan - Portugal - 1653 - 1661 - Catherine of Braganza - Charles II of England - 1668 - 1673 - 1687 - 1753 - Calcutta

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