Silver medal commemorating the acquisition of Bombay on the marriage of King Charles II, 1670 (c)

England acquired Bombay in 1668 as part of the marriage settlement of the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza to King Charles II. Charles then made it over to the East India Company. It gave the Company a far more secure base on the north-west coast of India than their leased factory in Surat. Bombay soon became an important port, shipbuilding centre and trading city.