James Lees is a Research Advisor at Karlstad University in Sweden. He holds an MA and a PhD in Imperial and South Asian History from King’s College London. Dr Lees’s research has examined power relations and bureaucratic culture among the European civil servants of the East India Company state in the 18th and 19th century, with a particular focus on the use of armed force in a colonial context. He has worked in research administration and policy roles at universities and funding bodies, and also taught at universities in the UK and Asia.

• 1. Introduction 2. The Company State after 1765 3. ‘The Essence of the State Itself’: Reputation and the Company’s Government 4. ‘A Gendarmerie of Last Resort’? The Roles of Armed Force, 1760–1820 5. Rangpur District, 1770–c. 1800 6. Chittagong District, 1760–c. 1800 7. The Company State in the 1820s 8. Conclusion

James Lees is a Research Advisor at Karlstad University in Sweden. He holds an MA and a PhD in Imperial and South Asian History from King’s College London. Dr Lees’s research has examined power relations and bureaucratic culture among the European civil servants of the East India Company state in the 18th and 19th century, with a particular focus on the use of armed force in a colonial context. He has worked in research administration and policy roles at universities and funding bodies, and also taught at universities in the UK and Asia.

• 1. Introduction 2. The Company State after 1765 3. ‘The Essence of the State Itself’: Reputation and the Company’s Government 4. ‘A Gendarmerie of Last Resort’? The Roles of Armed Force, 1760–1820 5. Rangpur District, 1770–c. 1800 6. Chittagong District, 1760–c. 1800 7. The Company State in the 1820s 8. Conclusion