The Birth of Empire: The East India Company is a 2014 English-language show. Using the letters and diaries of the men and women who were there, this documentary tells the story of the East India Company, which revolutionized the British lifestyle, sparked a new age of speculation and profit and by accident created one of the most powerful empires in history. Using the letters and diaries of the men and women who were there, this documentary tells the story of the East India Company, which revolutionized the British lifestyle, sparked a new age of speculation and profit and by accident created one of the most powerful empires in history.