Britain in the Indian Ocean Region

Abstract

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the British established themselves as the major power in the Indian Ocean Region, a position won by aggressive commercial activity, maritime power, and incessant fighting against indigenous polities and European ‘great power’ rivals. This article examines the sinews of Britain's growing regional dominance, which encompassed the land masses on the Ocean's rim, many of its island groups, and the major sea lanes of communication.