The British started to gain power over India during the eighteenth century their influence began when the East India Company established commercial interests in India. The British were able to take control of India mainly because instead of uniting as a whole they were a bunch of separate states. The British signed treaties, made military and trading alliances with many of the independent states that made up India. They often left the local princes in charge of the various parts of India, because they were good at maintaining British rule and gained much from being loyal. The British called India the jewel in the British crown because it provided so many raw goods. The largest rebellion against British rule took place in 1857-58, it was known as the Sepoy Rebellion and was also called the Indian Mutiny in Britain. This was because it began with a rebellion by Indian troops, also known as sepoys, serving in the army of the British East India Company, which handled the British rule in India. Once some of the Indian troops revolted, the rebellion against British included many local Indian leaders who had a lot of complaints against British rule. British rule from the time after the mutiny is often called the Raj. During this period a small number of British officials and troops ruled over 300 million Indians and they could not have controlled India without them. Increasingly, Indians were getting tired of their second-class status and worked for their independence. World War I and World War II helped further India’s push for independence, since Britain had to rely heavily on Indian recruits to fill its ranks. In return, Britain promised more political concessions, weakening its hold on India, and that encouraged more demand by the Indians.. The Indian Independence Act 1947 separated British India into the two new independent regions India and Pakistan.