<P> By 1803 , at the height of its rule in India , the British East India company had a private army of about 260,000 -- twice the size of the British Army , with Indian revenues of £ 13,464,561 , and expenses of £ 14,017,473 . The company eventually came to rule large areas of India with its private armies , exercising military power and assuming administrative functions . Company rule in India effectively began in 1757 and lasted until 1858 , when , following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 , the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown 's assuming direct control of the Indian subcontinent in the form of the new British Raj . </P>
when did the east india company take control of india
1757