In 750, Gopala became the first ruler of the Pala Dynasty, the
first independent Buddhist dynasty of Bangladesh. It prevailed
for four centuries, providing an era of stability and prosperity.
Vijay Sen annihilated the final Pala emperor during the 12th
century, and re-introduced Hinduism to the region; Sufi
missionaries arrived a short time thereafter, introducing Islam.
Numerous dynasties fought for control through the next
several hundred years including the Turks, Hussain Shahis and
Mughals, and then Murshid Quli Khan abolished the Mughal's
in 1717, opening the door for Islamic dynasties to gain control.
In 1757, the British East India Company took over following
the Battle of Plassey, and transformed the region into a
trading post for bamboo, tea, sugar cane, spices, cotton,
muslin and jute. Power was transferred completely to the
British crown after the bloody Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, and
Bangladesh fell into a downward spiral.
Adding to the increasingly weakened state, famine struck
South Asia hard in the following decades, with the Great
Bengal famine in 1943 - claiming the lives of more than three
million.
Bangladesh was ruled by Britain throughout the 19th and 20th
centuries. In 1947 the country was partitioned along religious
lines after the British retreated. Western territory was
relinquished to the newly created India , while the eastern side
became a province of Pakistan.
It wasn't long before dissatisfaction of Pakistan's ruling
emerged, and throughout the 1950s and 1960s Bangladesh
pushed for autonomy.
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