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The East India Company, the problem of “piracy”, and the rise of the first Saudi state
Faced with the rise of a new power on land and an increase in attacks at sea, the British response at the start of the nineteenth century would lead to a new era of political and military intervention.
The East India Company, the problem of “piracy”, and the rise of the first Saudi state
Pirates or Patriots?
Behind the label of piracy lies a hidden history of empire and ambition in the Gulf.
Pirates or Patriots?
The Accidental Explorer: George Sadleir and Britain’s entry into Central Arabia, 1819
The first crossing of the Arabian Peninsula by a European, revealed in glimpses by the early correspondence of the Bushire Residency, was indicative of the East India Company beginning to look beyond the Gulf littoral and into Central Arabia.
The Accidental Explorer: George Sadleir and Britain’s entry into Central Arabia, 1819
“Piracy” in the India Office Records: some historical context
Britain’s historical presence in the Gulf was based on a claim to be fighting “piracy”. But what did British officials mean by this, and how was it interpreted by the region’s residents?
“Piracy” in the India Office Records: some historical context
Francis Loch and the British quest to eradicate “piracy” in the Gulf
When Captain Francis Erskine Loch arrived in the Gulf, he very quickly made an impact that would continue to have implications for British attitudes to the Gulf for over 200 years.
Francis Loch and the British quest to eradicate “piracy” in the Gulf
The Legacy of ‘The General Treaty’
The 1820 treaty between Britain and ten tribal rulers of the eastern Arabian coast marked the beginning of 150 years of British hegemony in the region, reshaping its political map in a way that is still evident today.
The Legacy of ‘The General Treaty’
The Manuscript Journals of John Bax (Mss Eur F377)
The remarkable travel journals of an Indian civil servant, who was an eyewitness to the military action at Ra’s al-Khaymah in 1819.
The Manuscript Journals of John Bax (Mss Eur F377)