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====Why were Indians frustrated with the East India Company and British rule before the Indian Mutiny?====
[[File: Mutiny 3.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The last Mughal]]
India was not formerly a colony of Britain in 1857, but in fact, it was dominated by the British. The East India Company received a Royal Charter from Elizabeth I in 1600. Initially, the company sought to increase trade with the Indian subcontinent. [[Why was Britain able to establish an Empire in India?|Over time it morphed from a trading company into the ruler of India. ]]
This transformation included the creation of a large army that was supported by the British government. The East Company managed India, and it was essentially the sovereign power in the territories. <ref> Bandyopadhyay, Sekhara (2004), From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India, New Delhi: Orient Longman, p. 523</ref>