How then did they come to …

British became the masters of a vast (Indian) empire over several centuries. With a process that initially started with trade and ended up with colonial regime, the British used the situations to their advantage in the following ways:

• They initially came to trade with India but internal instability presented before them, a good opportunity to conquer
• Small kingdoms posed little threat to the British and the lack of unity amongst the kingdoms served a great advantage to them.
• The British with several well thought of manipulative strategies like Doctrine of Lapse and Divide and Rule, ensured that they overcome every opposition from Indian rulers, the best possible way
• The British were a military might and had much bigger and modernized army than those of Indian rulers
• In 1651, they had asked only for permission to set up a factory near Hugli. However, after they were granted the same, they started pressing for more and more privileges and ensured that they accessed them, whichever ways.