Who was britain's main rival for control of india before the 1800s?
a. china
b. russia
c. france
d. spain

Britain's main rival for control of India before the 1800's was c)France. The French had established a colony in Pondicherry, a colony which was fought over by the Portuguese and the Dutch before it was passed on to French hands and then to the British. However, this was only a small portion of the Indian colony and the British eventually had full control over the Indian subcontinent.