The Royal Archives have released a cache of 17th-century Mughal news reports, known as *akhbarat*, shedding new light on the earliest formal trade relations between Britain and the Mughal Empire. The documents, dated between 1615 and 1625, detail diplomatic exchanges between Emperor Jahangir and representatives of King James I. The reports confirm that the East India Company secured trading rights in Surat, Gujarat, as part of a reciprocal agreement involving British naval support against Portuguese incursions.
Dr. Ananya Sharma, a historian at the University of Cambridge, said the findings challenge the prevailing narrative that British influence in India was solely a product of later colonial force. “These records show a period of mutual recognition and diplomacy, not mere exploitation,” she stated.
The archives have prompted calls for a reassessment of early Anglo-Indian relations, with implications for understanding the roots of globalisation. The documents will be displayed at the British Museum from March.
