Advent of Europeans-II

Dutch
• Cornelis de Houtman was the first Dutchman to reach Sumatra and Bantam in
1596. In 1602, the States- General of the Netherlands amalgamated many
trading companies into the East India Company of the Netherlands.

• This company was also empowered to carry on war, to conclude treaties, to

take possession of territory and to erect fortresses.

• After their arrival in India, the Dutch founded their first factory in
Masulipatnam in 1605. They went on to establish trading centres in different
parts of India and thus became a threat to the Portuguese. They captured
Nagapatam near Madras (Chennai) from the Portuguese and made it their
main stronghold in South India.
The Dutch established
factories on the In 1609,they opened a
Their otherprincipal
Coromandel coast, in factory in Pulicat, north
factories in India were at
Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, of Madras.
Bengal and Bihar.

Surat (1616), Bimlipatam(1641) Karaikal (1645)

Kasimbazar (near
Chinsura (1653) Murshidabad), Balasore,
Cochin (1663)
Baranagar, Patna, Nagapatam
(1658)
• They carried indigo manufactured in the Yamuna valley and Central India,
textiles and silk from Bengal, Gujarat and the Coromandel, saltpetre from
Bihar and opium and rice from the Ganga valley.

• They conquered Ceylon from the Portuguese in 1658.

• Ceylon was lost at the Congress of Vienna in the aftermath of the

Napoleonic Wars, where the Dutch having fallen subject to France, saw their
colonies raided by Britain.
 Anglo-Dutch Rivalry
• The English were also at this time rising to prominence in he Eastern trade, and this
posed a serious challenge to the commercial interests of the Dutch.

• The climax of the enmity between the Dutch and the English in the East was reached
at Amboyna (a place in present-day Indonesia, which the Dutch had captured from
the Portuguese in 1605) where they massacred ten Englishmen and nine Japanese
in 1623.

• 1759: Defeat of the Dutch, in the Battle of Hooghly/Battle of Bedara- (dealt a

crushing blow to Dutch ambitions in India).

• The Dutch later became less involved in India, as they had the Dutch East Indies as
their prized possession. The Dutch were not much interested in empire building in
India; their concerns were trade.(Monopolized trade in black pepper & spices)
 The English

1579: Thomas Stevens ,a

refugee Jesuit was the 1st
1590’s: Ralph Fitch came to India 1599: John Mildenhall came to
Englishman sail around the Cape
during the reign of Akbar. India via land route
of Good Hope to India. He
landed in Goa.

A new trading body was formed

by a group of merchants known
Dec 31,1600: Queen Elizabeth I as the ‘Merchant Adventures’
It was given a monopoly of
issues Charter to East India under the charter called “The
Eastern trade for 15 years.
Company Governor & the Company of
Merchants of London trading into
the East Indies”.
 The English

1608: Visit of Captain 1609: Fresh charter (even 1613: Jahangir issued
William Hawkins to before the expiry of the 1st Monopoly continued till Farman (eg. order for free
Jahangir’s Court to seek charter) was granted by 1813 when the rights were trade & exemption from
trade concessions. But due King James I giving it terminated by a famous Inland Toll) to build a
to Portuguese pressure at monopoly for an indefinite charter act factory at Surat under
the court refused the same. period. Thomas Aldworth.

1611: Captain Middleton 1612: Captain Best

1611-15: British defeated
defeated Portuguese at defeated Portuguese fleet
the Portuguese twice
Bombay at Swally (near Surat)
 The English

Bombay had been gifted to King

In 1640’s: the English built the
1639: Francis Day obtained the Charles II by the King of Portugal
fort of St. George in Madras
site of Chennai (Madras) from as dowry when Charlesmarried
which became the headquarters
the Ruler of Chandragiri. the Portuguese princess
of English on the eastern coast.
Catherine in 1662.

Bombay was given over to the

1698 :3 villages (Sutanuti,
East India Company on an
Kalikata & Govindpur) was
annual payment of ten pounds
acquired by Job Charnock. These
only in 1668. Later Bombay was
villages later grew into Calcutta.
made the headquarters by
The factory at Sutanauti was later
shifting the seat of the Western
fortified & renamed as Fort
Presidencyfrom Surat to Bombay
William.
in 1687.
 The English

The English company’s position was

On a payment of 500 pagodas a year,
improved by the ‘Golden Farman’
they earned the privilege of trading
issued to them by the Sultan of
freely in the ports of Golconda.
Golconda in 1632.

A member of the Masulipatnam

council, the British merchant Francis
Day in 1639 received from the ruler of
Chandragiri permission to build a
fortified factory at Madras which later
became the Fort St. George and
replaced Masulipatnam as the
headquarters of the English
settlements in south India.
Summary of Mughal-British Relationship
• As a result of these 2 defeats of the Portuguese, Jahangir gave concessions to the British
by two farmans in 1613 & 1615.

• 1613: English were permitted to start a factory at Surat & to post an ambassador at the
Mughal court. - Thus , 1st Factory of Company set up at Surat.

• 1615: Sir Thomas Roe came to Jahangir’s court as the ambassador of James I. The
English were permitted to set up factories at Agra, Ahmedabad, Broach & Masulipatnam.
(Roe stayed till 1618 end. Departed to England in Feb 1619).

• 1651: Ist English factory in Bengal was established at Hugli with the permission (nishan -
issued by governors) of Shah Shuja (S/o Shah Jahan & Nawab of Bengal). They were also
granted privileges of free trade for a payment of Rs.3000/pa.
Aurangzeb:
1686: English sacked Hugli & declared war on Aurangzeb.
1687: Mughals in retaliation captured all English settlements in Bengal.
1688-89: Under John Child the British seized Mughal ships & harassed Haj
pilgrims on the west coast. Mughals captured factories all over the empire
(Bombay, Surat, Masulipatnam; John was released only after a payment of
Rs.1.5 lakh as compensation).
1690: British pardoned by the emperor.
1691: Farman granted by Aurangzeb exempting the company from payment
of customs duties in Bengal in return for an annual payment. (thus,
confirming the concessions given earlier by Shah Shuja nishan)
Farrukhsiyar:
In 1715, an English mission led by John Surman to the court of the
Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar secured three famous farmans, giving the
Company many valuable privileges in Bengal, Gujarat and Hyderabad.
The farmans thus obtained were regarded the Magna Carta of the
Company. Their important terms were—
In Bengal, the Company’s
imports and exports were The Company was permitted
The Company was permitted
exempted from additional to issue dastaks (passes) for
to rent more lands around
customs duties excepting the the transportation of such
Calcutta.
annual payment of 3,000 goods.
rupees as settled earlier.

In Hyderabad, the Company

In Surat, for an annual It was decreed that the coins
retained its existing privilege
payment of 10,000 rupees, of the Company minted at
of freedom from duties in
the East India Company was Bombay were to have
trade and had to pay the
exempted from the levy of all currency throughout the
prevailing rent only for
duties. Mughal empire.
Madras.
 Timeline
1611 : Captain
1613 : A permanent
1600 : The East India 1609 : William Middleton obtains the
factory of East India
Company is Hawkins arrives at permission of the
Company is established
established. Jahangir’s court. Mughal governor of
at Surat.
Surat to trade there.

By 1618, the
1615 : Sir Thomas Roe, Prince Khurram) 1616 : The Company
ambassador succeeds
the ambassador of King confirming free trade establishes its first
in obtaining two
James I, arrives at with exemption from factory in the south in
farmans (one each
Jahangir’s court. inland tolls. Masulipatnam.
from the emperor and

1632 : The Company

gets the golden farman
from the Sultan of
Golconda ensuring
safety and prosperity of
their trade.
 Timeline
1632 : The Company
1633 : The Company
gets the golden farman 1639 : The Company 1651 : The Company is
establishes its first
from the Sultan of gets the lease of given permission to
factory in east India in
Golconda ensuring Madras from a local trade at Hooghly
Hariharpur, Balasore
safety and prosperity of king. (Bengal).
(Odisha).
their trade.

1661 : The British King, 1691 : The Company

1717 : The Mughal
Charles II, is given 1667 : Aurangzeb gets the imperial order
emperor Farrukhsiyar
Bombay as dowry for gives the English a to continue their trade
issues a farman, called
marrying a Portuguese farman for trade in in Bengal in lieu of
Magna Carta of the
princess (Catherine of Bengal. payment of Rs 3,000 a
Company,
Braganza). year.
 Danish
• Formed an East India company & arrived in India in 1616.
• Denmark was a minor colonial power to set foot in India.
• It established trading outposts in Tranquebar (1620 1st factory) ,Serampore (HQ
1755), Calicut (1752) & Nicobar Islands (1750s).
• At one time, the main Danish & Swedish East Asia companies together imported
more tea to Europe than the British did.
• Their outposts lost economic & strategic importance, & Tranquebar, the last
outpost, was sold to the British in 1845.
• They were more concerned with missionary works.
 The French
• 1664: Formation of the Compagnie des Indes Orientales (French East India
Company) by Louis XIV on the advise of Finance Minister Colbert.

• French company was created ,financed & controlled by the state & it differed
from the English company which was a private commercial venture.

• But it was counterproductive because the company was organized by the

government & there were no private capitalists. Colbert asked for
subscription from big dignitaries who contributed only to please the king.

• They were attracted by the growing demand for Indian textiles in European
markets & wanted a share of the profits.
1668: 1st factory established at Surat by Francois Caron.

1669: 2nd factory established at Masulipatam by Mercara-1st on the East

coast.

1674:Trading center was established in Pondicherry. 1st Governor of

Pondicherry - Francois Martin (1674-93;1697-1706).

Pondicherry was captured by the Dutch in 1693 but handed back to the
French in 1697 (Treaty of Ryswick).

1673: Chandernagore (was acquired from Shaista Khan, Mughal governor

of Bengal).
Pondicherry

• In 1673, Sher Khan Lodi, the governor of Valikondapuram (under the Bijapur
Sultan), granted Francois Martin, the director of the Masulipatnam factory, a site
for a settlement. Pondicherry was founded in 1674.

• In the same year, Francois Martin replaced Caron as the French governor.

• The French company established its factories in other parts of India also,
particularly in the coastal regions. Mahe, Karaikal, Balasore and Qasim Bazar
were a few importanttrading centres of the French East India Company.

• After taking charge of Pondicherry in 1674, Francois Martin developed it as a

place of importance. It was indeed, the stronghold of the French in India.
• In 1720, the French company was reorganised as the ‘Perpetual Company of the Indies’
which revived its strength.

• This was further enhanced by the stewardship of two active and wise governors, Lenoir
and Dumas, between 1720 and 1742. Further, the French India was backed by the
French possession of Mauritius and Reunion in the southern Indian Ocean.

1720-42: Lenoir & Dumas (governors) revived French power in India. They occupied Mahe
(1725), Yanam (1723) & Karaikal (1739). 1721: Mauritius

1742: Lord Dupleix becomes the governor at Pondicherry.

They were constantly in conflict with the Dutch & later on mainly with the British in India.
Change in objective from commercial motive to imperial expansion.
 French Governors

Francois Count
Lenoir Dumas Dupleix
Martin de Lally
Summary
Summary
Summary