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Meeting the Mughals: England’s disastrous first embassy to India

The first English ambassador arrived in Mughal India in 1616, desperate to establish a trade treaty. But, as Nandini Das reveals, England’s hopes would soon be shattered

Published: March 6, 2023 at 4:04 PM

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In 1616, when the first English embassy was installed in Mughal India, England was a minor player on the global stage rather than a leading actor. Nandini Das explores what the challenges of this embassy can tell us about England’s unequal relationship with India at the time – and reveals how the future dominance of the British empire was far from a foregone conclusion

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Nandini Das is the author of Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire (Bloomsbury, 2023)

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Authors

Rhiannon DaviesFreelance journalist

A former BBC History Magazine section editor, Rhiannon has long been fascinated by history and continues to write for HistoryExtra.com. She has appeared on the award-winning HistoryExtra podcast, interviewing experts on a variety of subjects, from Lucy Worsley discussing Agatha Christie to Sir Ranulph Fiennes on the perils of polar exploration

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