Feeding the East India Company: Troops and Configuration of Power in Eighteenth-Century Deccan

Summary

The article examines the East India Company's (EIC) rise to power in the Deccan during the eighteenth century, emphasizing food grains as a critical factor in its political and military dominance. It argues that the EIC's control over agricultural surplus, particularly food grains stored in granaries, enabled it to sustain troops and maintain influence during crises. The study challenges traditional narratives of British rule, highlighting instead how the EIC adapted through negotiations, alliances, and resource management rather than outright conquest. The Deccan's political landscape, marked by rivalries between the Marathas, Asaf Jah rulers, French, and Carnatic and Mysore states, provided opportunities for the EIC to assert control. By securing key regions like the Northern Sarkar through treaties such as the 1768 agreement, the EIC strategically limited the Nizam's territory and consolidated its authority. The analysis draws on archival sources, including EIC letters and official records, to trace how grain supply chains and local intermediaries facilitated the Company's transition from a trading entity to a dominant power. The study underscores the material dimensions of colonial state formation, revealing how control over resources like food grains underpinned the EIC's political and military strategies in a region marked by instability and competition.