In 1786, Lord Cornwallis became British governor of Inida. He strengthened the sepoy armies that the East India Company had raised. Also, under Cornwallis and his successor Lord Wellesley, the British slowly expanded their holdings. In 1813, the monopoly of the English East India Company was broken and all British citizens were allowed to trade with India. Over the next 30 years, the British continued to acquire new lands and strengthen their grip on those already under their rule.
From 1838 until 1857, however, the British were weakened by the failure of their attempts to keep Russia out of Afghanistan. The defeat of the British in the First Afghan War caused the Indians to become aware that the British were not invincible. However, the British continued to annex more Indian territory throughout the 1850's.
The British also aggravated the Hindu population of India during this time period. They made English, instead of Persian, the official language. They prohibited suttee (in which Hindu widows threw themselves on their husbands' funeral pyres) and infanticide. They also allowed Hindu widows to remarry and sanctioned missionary activity.