Background The company's licences expired in 1780, but this occurred during the American Revolutionary War crisis, postponing a British government decision until 1784. Due to King George III's influence, Charles James Fox proposed a bold effort to shift power from British India to seven commissioners, but it was rebuffed in the House of Lords. However, the next year, the youngest Prime Minister William Pitt's proposed an India Act of 1784 to resolve the situation. Key Feature