British Expansion — Key Changes

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
Regulating Act	1773	First major parliamentary intervention to control the East India Company's affairs in India and Britain. It established the Governor-General of Bengal and a Council, and brought Bombay and Madras under Bengal's supervision.	Attempted to curb Company corruption and mismanagement, centralized British administration in India, and laid the foundation for parliamentary oversight of Company rule.
Pitt's India Act	1784	Established the Board of Control in Britain to oversee the Company's political and military affairs, separating commercial and political functions. The Governor-General's power was increased.	Further strengthened parliamentary control over the Company, creating a dual system of control (Company and Crown). It asserted the Crown's ultimate authority over Company territories in India.
Charter Act	1813	Ended the East India Company's monopoly on trade with India, except for tea and trade with China. It also asserted the sovereignty of the British Crown over Company territories in India.	Opened India to free trade for all British merchants, increasing British economic penetration. It also allocated funds for the education of Indians, marking a shift in British policy.
Charter Act	1833	Abolished the Company's commercial functions entirely, making it purely an administrative and political body. The Governor-General of Bengal became the Governor-General of India (Lord William Bentinck).	Centralized British administration further, removed the last vestiges of the Company's trading role, and formally established the concept of a 'Government of India' under British authority.
Charter Act	1853	Renewed the Company's charter indefinitely, but stipulated that Indian territories were held 'in trust for Her Majesty, her heirs and successors.' It introduced open competition for the Indian Civil Service.	Signaled the impending end of Company rule, as the charter was not renewed for a specific period. The introduction of merit-based civil service recruitment was a significant administrative reform.