2025-01-16
The Advent of European Companies in India
The Europeans who came to India in the chronological order:
The Portuguese
• The Portuguese as a trading European company is considered as the first one to come to India.
• Vasco da Gama with his crew reached India at Calicut on May 17, 1498.
• They discovered spices in plenty in those Indian water region.
• The early trading center of Portuguese were at Calicut, Cochin and Cannanore.
• Cochin was their early capital which got replaced by Goa.
• "Francisco de Almeida" was the "first Portuguese governor".
• He introduced "the Blue Water policy" by issuing "Cartaz system" to regulate the trading through Indian Ocean.
• The second governor, "Alfonso de Albuquerque" "captured Goa" from the ruler of "Bijapur" in 1510.
• He encouraged conversions and forced marriages in India.
• Albuquerque introduced "the Policy of Imperialism" in India.
• "Nino de Chunha" transferred the capital from Cochin to Goa in 1530.
• Martin Alfonso de Souza brought the famous Jesuit saint "Francisco Xavier" along with him.
• Portuguese introduced in India the cultivation of Tobacco, Pineapple, Papaya, Cashew nuts, Potato, Tomato, Maize and Chili.
• By the end of the eighteenth century CE, Portuguese lost all their possessions in India except Goa, Diu and Daman.
The Dutch
• In 1602 CE, the United East India Company of the Netherlands was established.
• The Dutch established their 1st settlements at Masulipattinamin 1605 CE.
• The Dutch was the only European company authorized to declare war and conclude peace and mint the coins.
• The Dutch traded maximum in indigo, textiles (raw silk and cotton), saltpeter and opium.
• It was also known as "Bettavian trade".
• Later as a result of Anglo-Dutch rivalry, the Dutch lost their settlement in India to the British and limited their trade in Indonesia.
The English
• Ralph Fitch(1585) was the first Englishman to visit Akbar’s court.
• Before the East India Company established trade in India, "John Mildenhall" a merchant adventurer, was the Englishman who arrived in India in 1599 by the overland route.
• On 31st December 1600, the Charter of the English East India company was granted by Queen Elizebath I.
• John Watts and George White are two founders of the company.
• In 1608,Captain William Hawkins, the first representative of the Company arrived in the Mughal court of Jahangir.
• British got the permission of Mughal emperor to open trade at Surat.
• Fort St. George was constructed in Madras in 1644.
• In 1684, Madras got the status of a Presidency and William Gyfford appointed as the first President.
• In 1668, Bombay was transferred to the Company by Charles II who had got it from the Portuguese as a dowry for marrying Catherine.
• Hariharpur was the first English settlement in Bengal.
• Job Charnock fortified 3 villages Satanauti, Kalikkattaand Govindpurand city Calcutta was formed.
• In 1700, Fort William was constructed in Kolkata.
• Bengal Presidency was formed with Charles Eyre as first official president.
• Among European Companies, the English had the strongest naval power.
• The English traded maximum in printed textiles (Calicoes) ,cotton, silk, saltpeter, opium, gold, pearls, drugs, porcelain (ceramic utensils) and ebony.
The Danes
• The Danes came to India in 1616,however ,they confined themselves to private trade.
• They established settlements at Tranquebar (in Tamil Nadu) in 1620 and at Serampore (Bengal) in 1676.
• Serampore was their headquarters in India.
• Among all Europeans, they were more committed for promoting Christianity .
• They were forced to sell all their settlements in India to the British in 1854.
The French
• Jean Colbert, the Finance minister of France formed the French East India Company in 1664.
• The first French factory was established at Surat by Francois Caron in 1668.
• A factory at Masulipatnam was set up in 1669.
• The arrival of "Dupleix" as French governor in India in 1742 witnessed the beginning of Anglo-French conflict (Carnatic wars) resulting in their final defeat in India
Anglo-Mughal Relationship
• In 1615, king James I sent his ambassador Thomas Roe to Jahangir’s court to get permission to open trade and factories in different parts of the country.
• Child’s War,1690: fought between Aurangzeb and the English. Aurangzeb defeated the British.
• Golden Farman of Farukh Siyar in 1717: It exempted English from custom duties in Gujrat, Deccanand Bengal. It was granted after Farukh Siyar was treated by Dr. William Hamilton.
Anglo-French Rivalry
First Carnatic war(1746-48):
• It was started with Austrian Succession War (1740) in Europe between England and France .
• Dupleix, the French Governor, defeated the English and captured Fort St. George.
• Treaty of "Aix-la-Chappellewas" concluded in 1748 CE to end the Austrian Succession War and with this the First Carnatic War came to an end.
Second Carnatic war(1749-54):
• It was started with a civil war in Hyderbad after the death of Asaf Jha Nizamul Mulk.
• English supported Nasir Jung (Son of Nizamul Mulk) in Hyderbad and Anwar Uddin in Carnatic.
• French supported Muzaffar Jung (Grandson of Nizamul Mulk) in Hyderbad and Chanda Sahib in Carnatic.
• In the Battle of Amber, Dupleix defeated the allied forces of English and Anwarudheen and made Chanda Sahib the Nawabof Carnatic.
• In 1751, Arcot was captured by British and defeated Chanda Sahib.
• The second Carnatic War came to an end by the treaty of Pondicherry.
• Dupleix was suspended as a part of Pondichery treaty between English and French.
Third battle of Carnatic:
• The outbreak of the Seven Years War in Europe led to the third Carnatic War.
• Count de Lally, a commander of the French troop was defeated by the British General Eyre Coote at the most decisive battle of Wandiwash in 1760.
• As a result of the treaty of Paris,the third Carnatic War came to an end.
• The French were ultimately confined to its activities in
• Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam.