The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company by William Dalrymple

Wowee, what a book. I read this in preparation for my trip to India. Originally I had planned to fly into Delhi because that’s where the plane went. I’d have a look around and then move on. Now I know I will be visiting the hub of the Mughal Empire. Before this book I knew nothing about the Mughals, this proud dynasty of Muslim warrior emperors with their vast wealth and political and battle prowess. Nor did I know much more than the name of the British East India Company. Tom Hardy’s TV series Taboo hinted at their dark dealings but that was about it. Little did I know: this was the world’s first stock holders company, a company that used its financial and political influence to gain a trading monopoly in India, where they essentially bankrupted the entire country to satisfy the greed of their shareholders. Bengal has been the richest region in the world, home to the wealthiest man in the world, responsible for something around thirty percent or more of the world’s wealth. England was responsible for less than 5 per cent. Through political influence, the raising of armies, warfare, betrayal and corruption, the EIC completely turned the tables. William Dalrymple tells all this in his fabulously conversational story-telling style. Not only do we learn about the action-facts, but there is also a load of detail about the daily lives and predilections of the people we meet. For my tastes there’s altogether too much detail about the wars, blow by blow in all their gory misery, but for true history buffs that’s probably essential. This was a great preparation for India and I’ll be looking at the Red Fort in Delhi through entirely different eyes because of it.