The East India Company's expansion is explained through its survival of the Mughal Empire's collapse and its ability to exploit the resulting disorder. Debt gave the company a route to territorial control, while the doctrine of lapse supplied another mechanism for claiming a ruler's possessions. The example offered is a prince whose heir was considered incompetent or too young to rule, allowing the company to assert control. A comparison with Littlefinger in Game of Thrones illustrates an organization that rose through chaos and had reasons to encourage it.
Notable Point · 1:30:08-1:31:09
Debt and political collapse in the East India Company's expansion
The company's expansion is interpreted through Mughal decline, debt, and succession claims, with Littlefinger illustrating its exploitation of disorder.