Portugal was the first European power to establish factories and trading settlements in India in the early 16th century. Portuguese were followed by Dutch, British, Danes and French. In the 18th century with the downfall of the Mughal Empire, these Europeans countries began to take greater interest in Indian politics. By the early 19th century the British East Indian Company had outsmarted its rivals and held sway over most of the Indian sub-continent.
The ease with which the British became the master of India is a measure of the political decadence of the country at the time. By the middle of the 19th century the whole of India came under either the direct control of the British or petty princes being supported by them.
The British rule came to an end in 1947 when India became independent.