Indian Monarchs
A history of Indian monarchs.
Lots and lots of actual Indian history
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Mughal Empire
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Shah Alam II faced a series of invasions in which Delhi was sacked. The British East India Company propped up his reign by force. It already had a large presence in the country by way of the coastal factories and the 'Presidency towns' of Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta. It largely operated out of Fort William in Calcutta. As part of the company's puppet rule, Shah Alam II granted it revenue rights over the subah of Bengal in 1765, and then judicial rights in 1793.
The company was in decline by the 1770s, and reforming it became a priority for successive PMs. In his first term, North passed the Regulating Act in 1773 to established a governor-generalship. With power centralizing in Bengal, it became known as the presidency of Fort William in Bengal, or sometimes just the Bengal Presidency. There were largely independent governors in each city however. The 1783 defeat of the East India Bill was central to his resignation. The next year, Pitt passed the India Act to restructure the company under a board by royal appointment. He also centralized the power of the presidency, placing it above governorships.
The Indian Rebellion began in 1857 with the proclamation of Bahadur Shah II as emperor over all of India. The war was largely fought in the cities, such as the months-long Siege of Delhi. There were devastating casualties and acts of mass violence, including massacres as each city was retaken by the British. Bahadur Shah II was forced into exile in Yangon and the empire was formally dissolved.
British Raj
The Government of India Act in 1858 re-established the governor-generalship as a viceroyalty.
India more generally was reorganized into hundreds of princely states and thousands of zamindari estates and jagirs.