Signature of King Edward VIII The 'R' and 'I' after his name indicate 'king' and 'emperor' in Latin ('Rex' and 'Imperator', respectively).
The title Empress of India was given to Queen Victoria in 1877 when India was formally incorporated into the British Empire. It is said Victoria's desire for such a title was motivated partially out of jealousy of the Imperial titles of some of her royal cousins in Germany and Russia. Prime ministerBenjamin Disraeli is usually credited with creating the title for her.
When Victoria died and her son Edward VII ascended the throne, his title became Emperor of India. The title continued until India and Pakistan became independent from the United Kingdom at midnight on 14/15 August1947. The title was given up in 1948 by George VI, then King of the United Kingdom, with retrospective effect to August 15, 1947.
When signing their name for Indian business, a King-Emperor or Queen-Empress used the initials R I (Rex/Regina Imperator/Imperatrix) or the abbreviation Ind. Imp. (Indiae Imperator/Imperatrix) after their name. This was also used on many British coins, including some 1948 coins of George VI.
When a male monarch held the title, his Queen consort assumed the title Queen Empress, but unlike Queen Victoria, they themselves were not reigning monarchs but the consorts of reigning monarchs.
Each prince, with his suite, was met at the entrance to the camp, and conducted up the street to the durbar tent by mounted officers, the salute to which he was entitled being fired while the procession moved on.
His Excellency took his seat upon the throne, arrayed in his robes as Grand Master of the Star of India, the National Anthem was played, the guards of honor presented arms while the whole of the vast assemblage rose as one man. The chief herald was then commanded to read the proclamation.
A flourish of trumpets was again sounded, and Her Majesty was proclaimed Empress of India.
India’s rainfall, which depends upon the monsoon, is variable; it is heavy in Assam and West Bengal and along the southern coasts, moderate in the inland peninsular regions, and scanty in the arid northwest, especially in Rajasthan and Punjab.
The holy cities of India attract pilgrims from throughout the East: Varanasi (formerly Benares), Allahabad, Puri, and Nashik are religious centers for the Hindus; Amritsar is the holy city of the Sikhs; and Satrunjaya Hill near Palitana is sacred to the Jains.
In NW India, beyond the reach of the medieval dynasties, the Rajputs had grown strong and were able to resist the rising forces of Islam.
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