After a series of battles with the French Company of the Indies, the East India Company gained dominance in India. Moreover, the explorations of Captain James Cook in the 1770s and the discovery of Australia were very important for the British, because of the strategic position offered in East Asia. Also, in the years following the American Revolution, the British government tried to consolidate control over India and Canada. India Act of 1785 submitted that the East India Company ruled in charge of the Ministry of Control and Canada Act of 1791 which tried to minimize tensions between French and British residents.
Great Britain was challenged by Napoleon in a war that also became a contest of ideologies between the two countries. French ports were blocked by the Royal Navy, which gained a major victory against the French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. French overseas colonies were attacked and occupied and France was finally defeated in 1815 by a coalition of European armies. The acquisition of the Dutch Cape Colony during the Napoleonic Wars allowed the British a strong presence in South Africa. In India, the British attempted to westernize them but Indians rejected this action and thus, they rebelled. It took six months to suppress the Indian rebellion with heavy losses on both sides. Then the British government took control of India, leading to the period known as the British Raj, where an appointed governor-general administered India and Queen Victoria was crowned Empress of India. The East India Company was dissolved the following year, in 1858. Throughout the 19th century, Britain used the armies of India to extend its dominance in Southeast Asia. Konbaung's dynasty expanded the borders of Burma (now Myanmar) until they began to attack British India. Burmese invasions into India resulted in the first Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826), after which the Burmese were defeated and forced to cede some coastal regions.