Composed of men of diverse ethnicities and faiths under the flag of the East India Company, the armies of British India conquered or controlled much of the Indian sub-continent by 1850. Four armies fought for ‘John Company’: the three presidency armies of Bengal, Madras and Bombay and the regiments of the British Army rented from the Crown by the Company. Together this collection of European and Native corps—regular and irregular—numbered over 300,000 uniformed men at its height. Peter Stanley traces how they were commanded, how they lived and died, and how they prepared for and fought major wars and faced dozens of insurrections and rebellions. He also examines the distinctive military culture they created that was decisively changed by the 1857 Mutiny.
Peter Stanley is Research Professor in the Australian Centre for the Study of Armed Conflict and Society, University of New South Wales, and was Principal Historian at the Australian War Memorial from 1987-2007. His works on the Indian Army include John Company’s Armies: The Military Forces of British India 1824-1857 (2024); White Mutiny: British Military Culture in India; and Hul! Hul! The Suppression of the Santal Rebellion in British India, 1855.
This online lecture is presented by The British India Historical Trust. For more information and to book tickets, please visit: https://www.britishinindia.org.uk/2024-25-zoom-lectures