Description
Book SynopsisIn 1747, the city of Kerman in Persia burned amidst chaos, destruction and death perpetrated by the city's own overlord, Nader Shah. After the violent overthrow of the Safavid dynasty in 1722 and subsequent foreign invasions from all sides, Persia had been in constant turmoil. One well-appointed house that belonged to the East India Company had been saved from destruction by the ingenuity of a Company servant, Danvers Graves, and his knowledge of the Company's privileges in Persia. This book explores the lived experience of the Company and its trade in Persia and how it interacted with power structures and the local environment in a time of great upheaval in Persian history. Using East India Company records and other sources, it charts the role of the Navy and commercial fleet in the Gulf, trade agreements, and the experience of Company staff, British and non-British living in and navigating conditions in 18th-century Persia. By examining the social, commercial and diplomatic history o
Trade ReviewA delight to read for anyone interested in eighteenth-century Europeans interactions with non-Europeans, whether or not the reader is particularly interested in either Persia or the East India Company. * International Review of Social History *
The East India Company in Persia provides a much needed intervention into an under-explored topic and will act as a basis for further exploration into the history of the British-Persian relationship. * The New Arab *
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Trade's Increase: The Commercial Bias of Company Power in the Gulf 2. A Navy for Hire: The Continuing Maritime Operations of the East India Company in the Persian Gulf 1727-1743 3. Governance, Information Management, Reporting, Communication and Control 4. Bandar Abbas, Climate, Environment, Natural Disasters, Health and Wellbeing and the Adoption and Adaption of Local Customs 5. Brokers, Khwajas and Country Christians: The Company's Employment of Non-Europeans in Persia Conclusion
