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1. Portuguese in India

A. Arrival and Founders

• Vasco da Gama was the first Portuguese to arrive in India.
• He arrived at Calicut in 1498 A.D.
• He was welcomed by the Hindu ruler Zamorin of Calicut.
• Although Vasco da Gama arrived first, Albuquerque is considered the real founder of Portuguese power in India.
• The first Portuguese Viceroy in India was Almeida.

B. Establishments and Fortifications

• The Portuguese built their first fortress in India at Cochin.
• Their most significant acquisition was Goa (the data implies it was captured after 1499, not in 1499).
• In Bengal, they established a factory at Hugli (Hooghly).
• The Hugli base was used by the Portuguese for piracy in the Bay of Bengal.

C. Policies

• The “Blue Water Policy” is associated with De Almeida. This policy advocated for naval supremacy over maintaining land territories.

2. Other European Powers

A. Chronology of Arrival

• The Portuguese were the first Europeans to come to India for trade and to set up sea trade centers.

B. The Dutch

• The Dutch established their trading centers in many locations, including:
  • Nagappattinam, Chinsura, Machilipatnam
  • Surat, Bharuch, Agra
  • Cochin, Ahmedabad, Patna
• They were the first to start a joint stock company to trade with India.

C. The English

• The English opened their first factory in South India at Masulipatnam.
• In Eastern India, their first factory was opened in Orissa in 1633.
• Job Charnock is credited as the founder of Calcutta (now Kolkata).

D. The French

• The French, under the leadership of Dupleix, occupied Madras in 1746.
• Regarding Pondicherry (Puducherry):
  • The first European power to occupy it was the Portuguese.
  • The second European power to occupy it was the French.

3. General Facts about Explorers

• Vasco da Gama was from Portugal.
• Christopher Columbus was from Spain.
• Captain Cook was from Great Britain.
• Tasman was from Holland (the Netherlands).

4. Identification of Travelers

• Among the listed visitors, Peter Mundy did not belong to Portugal. He was an English merchant.

European Trading Companies in India

1. The English East India Company (EIC)

• Formation and Charter:
  • The British East India Company was formed in London in 1600.
  • It was the first British company to get a charter permitting it to trade in India.
• Initial Factories (Trading Posts):
  • The EIC established its first factory in India at Surat in 1613.
  • Permission to set up this factory was granted by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.
  • In the first quarter of the 17th century, the EIC also had a factory in Broach.
• Key Figures and Events:
  • Thomas Best was the British official who defeated the Portuguese at Swally (Sowlley).
  • Sir John Child, an English Governor of the EIC in India, was expelled by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
  • The EIC took over Bombay from the Portuguese.

2. The Dutch East India Company

• The Dutch established their factory at Patna in 1632.
• In the context of Kochi (Cochin), the Dutch defeated the Portuguese and built Fort Williams there. It was not a Dutch colony until India’s Independence.

3. The French East India Company

• The French established their earliest factory in India at Surat.
• Joseph Francois Dupleix was the first European to initiate the policy of intervening in the quarrels of Indian princes to acquire territories.

4. The Portuguese

• The Portuguese were the first European trading company to establish a factory at Surat.

Mughal Context

• The Mughal Emperor during the formation of the EIC in London (1600) was Akbar.
• The Mughal Emperor when the EIC established its first factory in India (1613) was Jahangir.
• The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb expelled the EIC Governor Sir John Child.

The Carnatic Wars

• The Carnatic Wars were a series of conflicts fought between the English and the French in India.
• Causes and Key Figures:
  • The First Carnatic War was caused by the Anglo-French rivalry linked to the Austrian War of Succession in Europe.
  • It was ended by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), which also resulted in the English getting back Madras.
  • The Third Carnatic War was ended by the Treaty of Paris.
• Outcomes:
  • The Second Carnatic War was largely inconclusive.
  • The British lost the First Mysore War.

Reasons for EIC’s Success

• The secret of the EIC’s success in India is attributed to a combination of factors:
  • The absence of strong nationalism in India.
  • The EIC’s army received Western training and had modern arms.
  • A lack of absolute fidelity among Indian soldiers, who would serve whoever paid them sufficiently.

European Colonial Powers in India

1. The French East India Company

• Founder: The company is considered to have been founded by Jean-Baptiste Colbert.
• Establishment: It was constituted during the reign of Louis XIV.
• Capital: Their primary settlement and strategic center was Pondicherry.
• Reason for Failure in the Deccan:
  • A key reason for their failure was the naval superiority of the British.
  • The British also gained a significant advantage from the wealth and manpower acquired after the Conquest of Bengal.

2. The Dutch East India Company

• Bengal Settlement: The Dutch established a factory at Chinsurah in Bengal.
• Other Settlements: They also had a settlement at Sadras.

3. The Portuguese

• Headquarters: Their main headquarters in India was Goa.
• Bengal Settlement: They established a factory at Bandel and Hooghly in Bengal.

4. The Danish (Denmark)

• Settlement: Their primary settlement in India was Tranquebar.

5. Chronology of European Arrival

The correct chronological order of European powers entering Indian trade is:

1. Portuguese
2. Dutch
3. English (British)
4. French (They were the last to come to India as traders).

Trade and Commodities

Opium and Saltpetre

• Primary Region: The best quality saltpetre and opium for European trade came from Bihar.
• British Era: During the British rule, Bihar remained famous for the production of opium.

Introductions by the English

• The English are not credited with introducing the following to India:
  • Assessment of land revenue based on soil and crop quality.
  • Use of mobile cannons in warfare.
  • Cultivation of tobacco and red chillies.

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