The civilization of India existed for many centuries under a variety political configurations and empires. Until around 1000 A.D., it enjoyed self-rule. But it would soon be subjected to violent domination by a foreign power. Historian William Duiker writes:
Beginning in the eleventh century, much of northern India fell under the rule of Turkic-speaking people who penetrated into the subcontinent from the northwest and introduced the Islamic religion.
The Muslim armies eventually occupied the entire territory we know as India. The Indians themselves desired to keep their own Hindu religion. Despite Islamic attempts to force the Hindus to give up their faith,
Indian society, however, was not entirely receptive to the new faith.
The Turkic invaders were soon joined by another wave of Muslim soldiers, who formed the Mughal Empire and controlled India for several centuries. But the Indians continued their resistance. Instead of surrendering to the religious demands of the occupying Islamic armies, they increased their drive toward independence. The Mughal Empire could not keep the Hindus under control:
the dynasty began to weaken as Hindu forces in southern India sought to challenge the authority of the Mughal court in Delhi.
The British, who had not yet established a significant presence in the region, began to place pressure on the Mughal Empire as well. Thus the native Hindu population was aided by a very unlikely source: the English.
