Jewel in the Crown (of the British Empire)
the British colony of India— so called because of its importance in the British empire, both as a supplier of raw materials and as a market for British trade goods
The term “Jewel in the Crown” refers to the British colony of India, which was considered to be the most valuable and treasured possession of the British Empire during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The phrase was first coined by the Scottish historian and politician, James Mill, who wrote in his book “The History of British India” in 1817:
“India is the brightest jewel in the British Crown.”
India was a major source of revenue and strategic importance for the British Empire, as it was the world’s largest producer of cotton and tea, and was also home to valuable mineral resources such as coal and iron. The British also used India as a market for their manufactured goods and as a base for their military and naval operations in Asia.
The term “Jewel in the Crown” became widely used in the 20th century and came to represent the cultural as well as economic value of India to the British Empire. However, the Indian independence movement gained momentum in the mid-20th century and India finally gained independence from colonial rule in 1947. Despite this, the legacy of the British Empire in India remains significant, with many aspects of British colonialism still influencing Indian society and culture today.
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