Advent of Europeans

European Trading Companies in India

Note: The Danish East India Company sold all its Indian settlements to the British in 1845.

Portuguese

Arrival in India

• Vasco da Gama discovered the Cape Route from Europe to India and reached Calicut on 17 May 1498.
• He was welcomed by the Hindu ruler of Calicut, known by the title Zamorin.
• His arrival led to the establishment of Portuguese trading centres at Calicut, Cochin, and Cannanore.

Portuguese Capitals

• Cochin served as the first capital of the Portuguese in India.
• In 1530, Goa replaced Cochin as the capital.

Governors and Their Contributions

    Francisco de Almeida (1505–1509)

• • Served as the first Governor of Portuguese India.
  • Introduced the Policy of Blue Water, aimed at establishing Portuguese naval supremacy in the Indian Ocean.

    Alfonso de Albuquerque (1509–1515)

• • Succeeded Almeida as the second Governor.
  • Introduced the Policy of Imperialism, focusing on territorial expansion.
  • Captured Goa from the ruler of Bijapur in 1510.

    Nino da Cunha (1529–1538)

• • Shifted the Portuguese capital from Cochin to Goa (1530).
  • Acquired Diu and Bassein from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1534.

    Martin Afonso de Souza (1542–1545)

• • During his tenure, the famous Jesuit missionary St. Francis Xavier arrived in India.

Decline of Portuguese Power

• Portuguese supremacy began to decline by the end of the 16th century.
• They lost Hugli (1631) after being defeated by Qasim Khan, a Mughal noble under Shah Jahan.
• In 1661, the King of Portugal gave Bombay to Charles II of England as part of the dowry for his marriage to the Portuguese princess.
• The Marathas captured Salsette and Bassein in 1739.
• By the end of their rule, the Portuguese retained only Goa, Diu, and Daman, which remained under Portuguese control until 1961.

Dutch

Formation of the Dutch East India Company

• The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established in March 1602 through a charter granted by the Dutch Parliament.
• The company was empowered to wage wars, conclude treaties, acquire territories, and build forts.

Major Trading Centres

The Dutch established factories at:

• • Masulipatnam – 1605
  • Pulicat – 1610
  • Surat – 1616
  • Bimilipatnam – 1641
  • Karikal – 1645
  • Chinsurah – 1653
  • Kasimbazar, Baranagar, Patna, Balasore, and Negapatam – 1658
  • Cochin – 1663

Achievements

• The Dutch replaced the Portuguese as the dominant European trading power in the East, including India.
• Pulicat served as the chief Dutch settlement in India until 1690, after which Negapatam became their principal headquarters.

Decline

• Following their defeat in the Battle of Bedera (1759), the Dutch accepted British supremacy in India.

English

Early English Contact with India

• Before the establishment of the English East India Company, John Mildenhall became the first Englishman to reach India via the overland route in 1599 for trade with Indian merchants.

Formation of the English East India Company

• The Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies, popularly known as the English East India Company, was established in 1600.

Establishment of English Factories

    Captain William Hawkins (1609)

• • Captain William Hawkins arrived at the court of Emperor Jahangir in 1609.
  • He sought permission to establish an English factory at Surat.
  • In 1613, Jahangir issued a Farman permitting the English to set up a factory at Surat.

    Sir Thomas Roe (1615)

• • Sir Thomas Roe, ambassador of King James I of England, arrived at Jahangir’s court in 1615.
  • He obtained permission for the English to trade freely and establish factories in different parts of the Mughal Empire.

Acquisition of Bombay

• The English East India Company obtained Bombay from King Charles II of England on lease.
• Gerald Aungier served as the first Governor of Bombay from 1669 to 1677.

Foundation of Calcutta

• In 1690, Job Charnock established an English factory at Sutanuti.
• The English acquired the zamindari rights of the villages Sutanuti, Kalikata, and Govindpur in 1698.
• These three villages were later merged to form the city of Calcutta.
• The English fortified Sutanuti in 1696, and the fortified settlement became Fort William in 1700.

Reorganisation of the Company

• In 1694, the British Parliament granted equal trading rights to all English merchants in the East.
• Consequently, a rival company called the English Company of Merchants Trading to the East Indies was established in 1698.
• In 1708, both companies were merged to form the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies.
• The reorganised English East India Company continued its existence until 1858.

French

Formation of the French East India Company

• The French East India Company was established in 1664 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert under the patronage of the French Government.

Establishment of French Factories

• The first French factory in India was established at Surat by Francis Caron in 1668.
• Another factory was founded at Masulipatnam in 1669.

Revival of French Power

• French influence in India reached its peak under the Governors Lenoir and Dumas between 1720 and 1742.
• During this period, the French occupied:
  
  • Mahé on the Malabar Coast
  • Yanam on the Coromandel Coast
  • Karaikal in Tamil Nadu (1739)

Dupleix and French Expansion

• The appointment of Joseph François Dupleix as Governor-General of French India in 1742 marked the beginning of Anglo-French rivalry in India.
• His expansionist policy eventually led to the Carnatic (Anglo-French) Wars.

Anglo-French Conflict (Carnatic Wars)

First Anglo-French War (1746–1748)

• The war was an extension of the War of Austrian Succession in Europe.
• The French captured Madras.
• At the Battle of St. Thomé, Dupleix defeated the army of the Nawab of Carnatic.
• The war ended with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), under which Madras was restored to the British.

Second Anglo-French War (1749–1754)

• Dupleix supported Muzaffar Jung (Hyderabad) and Chanda Sahib (Carnatic) in the succession disputes.
• The British, under Robert Clive, gradually reversed French gains and emerged victorious.
• The conflict ended with the Treaty of Pondicherry (Treaty of Godeheu) (1754).
• Under the treaty, Godeheu replaced Dupleix as the French Governor and both powers agreed to avoid political interference in Indian affairs.

Third Anglo-French War (1756–1763)

• During the war, Count de Lally captured Fort St. David.
• The decisive Battle of Wandiwash (1760) ended in a British victory, effectively destroying French political ambitions in India.
• The war concluded with the Treaty of Paris (1763).
• Although Pondicherry was returned to the French, they were not permitted to maintain military fortifications or engage in political activities, restricting them mainly to commercial pursuits.