Advent of Europeans in India Short Notes in English PDF For Competitive Exams (Prelims)
Europeans came to India mainly for the spice trade and profits.
Portuguese in India
• Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in India by sea.
• Vasco da Gama reached Calicut(Kozhikode) in 1498 during the rule of the Zamorin.
• His arrival opened a new sea route to India via the Cape of Good Hope.
• Pedro Álvares Cabral established the first Portuguese factory at Calicut in 1500.
• Due to conflict with the Zamorin, the Portuguese shifted their base to Cochin in 1503.
• They built a fort at Cochin, which became the first European fort in India.
• Francisco de Almeida became the first Viceroy of Portuguese India in 1505.
• Almeida introduced the Blue Water Policy.
• Blue Water Policy aimed at naval supremacy by:
• Protecting Portuguese ships
• Controlling key sea routes
• Defeating rival naval powers
• Establishing dominance in the Indian Ocean
• Afonso de Albuquerque, the second governor, expanded Portuguese power in India.
• Albuquerque introduced the permit system (Cartaz) for ships.
• He captured Goa in 1510 from the Bijapur Sultanate.
• Goa became the capital of Portuguese India.
• Albuquerque encouraged marriages between Portuguese men and Indian women.
• Portuguese introduced European-style coins.
• Portuguese issued gold & silver coins from Goa; copper, tin & lead coins from Cochin, Diu & Damão.
• Gold coins → Cruzado / Manoel:
• Same size, value & weight
• Cross on one side, royal arms on the other
• Silver coins → Meia-espera and Espera.
• Copper coins → Bazaruco, Leal, Tanga, Pardau, Real.
• Copper coins bore symbols like castle, lion, crown, cross, and king’s name.
• They controlled Diu (1535) and Daman (1559).
• Portuguese monopoly mainly focused on:
• Spice trade
• Horse trade
• Slave trade
• They introduced tobacco, potatoes, tomatoes, and cashew to India.
• Saint Francis Xavier led major missionary activities in Goa.
• Portuguese promoted Christianity through Jesuit missionaries.
• The Goa Inquisition was introduced in 1560 to enforce Christianity.
• Decline began after defeat in the Battle of Chaul (1508).
• Battle of Chaul (1508) was a naval battle in which the Mamluk–Gujarat fleet defeated the Portuguese.
• A major setback came after the Battle of Swally (1612) against the English.
• Battle of Swally (1612):
• English defeated Portuguese navy
• English gained Mughal trading rights
• Marked the beginning of English naval dominance in India
• Portuguese faced strong competition from the Dutch and the English.
• Their naval power declined due to outdated ships and corruption.
• By the 17th century, Portuguese influence was limited mainly to:
• Goa
• Daman
• Diu
• Portuguese rule in Goa lasted until 1961, when it was annexed by India.
British in India
• English East India Company was established in 1600 by a Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I.
• The Company received monopoly trade rights for 15 years in the East.
• First English voyage to India (1608) was led by Captain William Hawkins.
• William Hawkins was the first English captain to reach the Mughal court.
• Hawkins visited Jahangir’s court and received the title “Khan”.
• Hawkins failed to secure permanent trade rights.
• First English factory in India was set up at Surat (1613).
• Battle of Swally (1612):
• English defeated Portuguese
• Gained Mughal confidence
• Jahangir allowed English trade
• Sir Thomas Roe visited Jahangir’s court (1615–1619).
• Roe secured farmans (duty-free trade rights) for the English.
• English factories were later established at:
• Masulipatnam
• Madras
• Hooghly
• Madras (Fort St. George) became the first English fortified settlement (1639).
• Madras was obtained from the Nayak of Chandragiri.
• Bombay was given to England by Portugal (1661) as dowry to Charles II. It was part of the marriage treaty between King Charles II and Catherine of Braganza.
• Bombay Presidency was established in 1687.The East India Company moved its headquarters from Surat to Bombay in 1687.
• Calcutta was founded in 1690 by Job Charnock.
• Fort William was constructed at Calcutta.
• By 1700, Calcutta became the capital of Bengal Presidency.
• Amboyna Massacre (1623) ended English–Dutch rivalry:
• Dutch dominated Indonesia
• English focused on India
• English–French rivalry intensified during the Carnatic Wars (1746–1763).
• Battle of Wandiwash (1760):
• English defeated French
• Ended French political ambitions in India
• First Anglo-Mughal conflict (1686) occurred under Aurangzeb at Hooghly.
• English were defeated and forced to pay heavy indemnity.
• Company profits came from trade in:
• Calico
• Silk
• Saltpeter
• Indigo
• Tea
• Spices
• Sir Josiah Child (1670s–80s) played a key role in early expansion.
• Company established three Presidencies:
• Bengal
• Bombay
• Madras
• Battle of Plassey (1757):
• English defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah
• Secured control over Bengal
• Robert Clive laid the political foundation of British rule after Plassey.
• Battle of Buxar (1764) gave the British decisive victory.
• Diwani rights of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa granted in 1765 by Shah Alam II.
• British expansion used:
• Wars
• Diplomacy
• Treaties
• Annexations
• Regulating Act (1773): Brought Company under British parliamentary control.
• Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of Bengal (1773) under the Regulating Act and is credited with laying the groundwork for British administration.
• Act of Settlement (1781) clarified judicial powers.
• Pitt’s India Act (1784):Created Board of Control
• British later used Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse.
• By the late 18th century, British became the most dominant European power in India.
• Presidency cities had:
• White Towns (Europeans)
• Black Towns (Indians)
• British rule evolved from trade → diplomacy → war → political control.
• Tea plantations were introduced later in Assam and Nilgiris.
• The Company issued its own currency coins in Bengal.
• Charles Eyre consolidated British power in Bengal.Sir Charles Eyre was appointed the first President and Governor of Fort William in Bengal in 1699.
• Robert Clive emerged as the first effective British statesman in India.Clive is widely regarded as the founder of British rule in India, laying the foundation through the Battle of Plassey (1757).
British–French Rivalry
- Three Carnatic Wars (1746–63) fought between British and French.
- French general Dupleix expanded French influence.
- Battle of Wandiwash (1760): Decisive British victory led by Eyre Coote, crippling French power in India.
- Treaty of Paris (1763)- this treaty concluded the Third Carnatic War and effectively ended French political aspirations
Dutch in India
• The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established in 1602.
• Main aim: control the spice trade in the East Indies and India.
• Dutch were strong competitors of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean.
• Dutch were the first to break through the monopoly of the Portuguese in East Asia.
• Their first factory in India was set up at Masulipatnam in Andhra Pradesh in 1605.
• Dutch took Nagapadam from the Portuguese near Madras. They made this region their major stronghold in South India.
• Dutch erected factories on the Coromandel coast and in areas of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, and Bihar.
• Dutch trading centres included Pulicat, Surat, Nagapattinam, Chinsurah, Cochin, Karaikal, Kasimbazar, Balasore, Patna.
• Pulicat served as their main headquarters in India (1609–1690).
• Later, Nagapattinam became their headquarters.
• Dutch traded mainly in Indigo, textiles, silk, saltpeter, opium, and rice from the Ganga Valley.
• Dutch established controlled plantation systems for nutmeg, mace, and cloves in regions they conquered in the 17th century.
• Dutch power in India was mainly commercial, not political.
• Dutch defeated the Portuguese in several early naval battles.
• Major conflict with the English occurred in the Anglo-Dutch Wars in Europe.
• 1623 Amboyna Massacre in Indonesia caused the English to abandon most of their interests in the Spice Islands (Indonesia) and shift their focus entirely to the Indian subcontinent.
• Dutch lost Ceylon to the British in 1795-1796 during the Napoleonic Wars.
• They lost Malacca to the British in 1795.
• Their Indian settlements slowly declined due to English competition.
• Battle of Colachel in 1741 (against the Travancore army) is often cited as the beginning of the end of Dutch power in South India.
• The Battle of Bedara (Chinsurah) in 1759 between the English and the Dutch marked the end of Dutch military ambitions in India.
• After defeat at Bedara, Dutch influence remained only commercial and limited.
• Dutch finally transferred their Indian possessions to the British under various treaties in the late 18th century.
• The Dutch never became a political power in India.
French in India
• French Arrival & Company Formation
• The French East India Company was founded in 1664 under Jean-Baptiste Colbert, minister of Louis XIV.
• The French Company was called “Compagnie des Indes Orientales.”
• Funded by the French Crown and private merchants.
• Aim: Compete with British and Dutch in Asian trade.
• First French voyage to India reached Surat in 1667.
French Settlements in India
• First French factory established at Surat (1668) by Francis Caron.
• Major French settlements: Pondicherry, Chandernagore, Mahe, Karaikal, Yanam.
• Pondicherry became the capital of French India, acquired in 1673 Sher Khan Lodi, governor of Valikondapuram, under the Sultan of Bijapur, granted land to François Martin (which led to the establishment of Pondicherry in 1674).
• François Martin developed Pondicherry into a major French center.
• Governors Lenoir and Dumas (1720-1742): Pierre Christophe Lenoir and Pierre Benoît Dumas were pivotal in strengthening the French position in India, acquiring territories like Mahe (1720s), Yanam (1731), and Karaikal (1739).
• Mahe was obtained from the Zamorins of Calicut.
• Karaikal was acquired from the Raja of Tanjore (1739).
• Chandernagore prospered due to Bengal’s textile trade.
• Chandernagore was established in West Bengal for Bengal trade.
• French missionaries also came and converted some Indians to Christianity.
Trade Activities
• French traded in silk, indigo, saltpetre, spices(pepper), cotton, and luxury goods.
• Their main rivals were the British and Dutch.
Military & Political Notes
• French introduced trained European officers to Indian armies (Nawabs and Nizams).
• French were pioneers in training Indian troops (sepoys) in European warfare tactics, a strategy heavily used by Governor-General Joseph Francois Dupleix.
• French officers trained Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan’s army in Mysore.
• French supported Nizam of Hyderabad in several succession struggles.
• French soldiers in India were called “Sepoys” by the French even before the British popularized the term
French–English Rivalry
• French–English rivalry became intense during Carnatic Wars (1746–63).
• The rivalry was part of global Anglo-French conflict for world power.
First Carnatic War (1746–48)
• Triggered by War of Austrian Succession in Europe.
• French, under La Bourdonnais, captured Madras (1746) from the British.
• Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) returned Madras to the British.
Second Carnatic War (1749–54)
• Involved succession disputes in Carnatic and Hyderabad.
• French Governor Dupleix supported Chanda Sahib and Muzaffar Jang.
• British supported Muhammad Ali and Nizam Nasir Jung.
• British victory ended Dupleix’s ambitions; he was recalled in 1754.
Third Carnatic War (1757–63)
• Connected to the Seven Years’ War in Europe.
• British defeated French decisively in the Battle of Wandiwash (1760).
• The victory ended French political ambitions in India.
• General Eyre Coote led British forces at Wandiwash.
• Treaty of Paris (1763) restored French factories but banned fortification or maintaining troops, ending their political ambitions.
Key French Governors
• Dupleix (Joseph François Dupleix): Most ambitious French Governor; expanded influence.
• François Martin: Founder of French Pondicherry.
• Lally (Count de Lally/ Thomas Arthur): Final commander who lost Wandiwash.
Decline of French Power
• French failed due to lack of naval strength, poor support from France, and stronger British diplomacy.
• After 1763, French territories remained only trading posts.
• French retained Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe, Yanam, Chandernagore until 1954, later merged with India.
• French pockets merged with India in 1954, de jure (legal) transfer completed in 1962.
Key Note :
Chandernagore was actually transferred to India earlier, on May 2, 1950 (de facto), and officially merged with West Bengal in 1954, whereas the other four (Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe, Yanam) merged together on November 1, 1954.
Danish (Denmark)
• Danish East India Company was established in 1616 (King Christian IV).
• First Danish settlement in India: Tranquebar (Tamil Nadu) in 1620.
• Founded with permission from Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore.
• Second major Danish settlement: Serampore (Bengal) in 1755.
• Danes were mainly traders in cloth, spices, and saltpetre.
• Danish established the famous Serampore Mission Press (1800).
• They sold all Indian settlements to the British in 1845.
Swedish
• Swedish East India Company (Svenska Ostindiska Companiet or SOIC) was granted its first Royal Charter on June 14, 1731, to conduct trade with the East Indies.
• Focused mainly on China trade, limited activity in India.
• Not a major political or commercial power in India. Their brief attempt to establish a factory at Porto Novo in 1733 was destroyed within a month by combined Anglo-French forces.
• Only a small fraction of the expeditions sent to India (specifically Surat or Bengal).
• They did not establish any permanent colonies or major trading posts.
Austrian (Ostend Company)
• Imperial Ostend Company (Austria) founded in 1722.
• Established factories at Bankibazar in Bengal, another at at Cabelon (Covelong) on the Coromandel Coast.
• Strongly opposed by British and Dutch due to trade rivalry.
• The company was closed by Austria in 1731 under diplomatic pressure.
TEST YOURSELF
FILL IN THE BLANKS (TEST)
1. The first European to reach India by sea was __________ in __________.
2. Vasco da Gama reached __________ on the Malabar Coast.
3. The Portuguese sea route to India was discovered via the __________.
4. The first Portuguese factory in India was set up at __________ in __________.
5. The first European fort in India was built at __________ by the Portuguese.
6. The first Viceroy of Portuguese India was __________.
7. The policy aimed at Portuguese naval supremacy was called the __________ Policy.
8. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was established in the year __________.
9. The first Dutch factory in India was established at __________ in __________.
10. __________ served as the headquarters of the Dutch in India from 1609 to 1690.
11. The English East India Company was founded in __________ by a charter of __________.
12. The first English factory in India was established at __________ in __________.
13. The Battle of __________ (1612) gave the English trading rights from the Mughal Emperor.
14. Sir __________ secured farmans from Jahangir for the English East India Company.
15. Madras became the first English fortified settlement with the establishment of __________.
16. Bombay was transferred to the English by __________ as dowry in __________.
17. The French East India Company was founded in __________ under __________.
18. The capital of French India was __________.
19. The Battle of __________ (1760) ended French political ambitions in India.
20. The Danish settlement of __________ was established in India in 1620.
ANSWER KEY
1. Vasco da Gama – 1498
2. Calicut (Kozhikode)
3. Cape of Good Hope
4. Calicut – 1500
5. Cochin
6. Francisco de Almeida
7. Blue Water
8. 1602
9. Masulipatnam – 1605
10. Pulicat
11. 1600 – Queen Elizabeth I
12. Surat – 1613
13. Swally
14. Thomas Roe
15. Fort St. George
16. Portugal – 1661
17. 1664 – Jean-Baptiste Colbert
18. Pondicherry
19. Wandiwash
20. Tranquebar