BEGINNING OF EUROPEAN COMMERCE
BEGINNING OF EUROPEAN COMMERCE
The Portuguese :
- The Cape route or a new sea-route to India was discovered by Vasco da gama who reached the port of Calicut in 1498.
- His second trip in 1502 led to the establishment of trading stations at Claicut, Cochin & Cannore, with support form Pedro A Cabral.
- The First governor of Poruguese in India was Francisco Almeida (1505 - 1509)
- Alfonso de Albuquerque (1509 - 1515) was the second & he captured Goa form the ruler of Bijapur in 1510.
- Nino-da-Cunha transferred the Portuguese capital in India form Cochin to Goa in 1530 & acquired Diu & Bassein from Bhadur Shah of Gujrat.
- Portuguese lost Hugli in 1631 to Qasim Khan a noble under Shah Jahan.
- 1661-the Portuguese king gave Bombay to Charles II of England for marrying his sister.
- 1739 - Marathas capured Salsette & Bassien.
- 1661 - Goa, Diu & Daman were freed finally.
- Causes for the decline of Portuguese in India were their religious intolerance piracy & clandestine practices in trade & discovery of Brazil.
The Dutch:
- 1602 - the formation of Vereenidge Dostindisch compainie of Dutch East India company.
- 1605 - Their first factory at Machilipatnam.
- 1610 - Pulicat their main centre.
- 1616 - Surat
- 1641 - Bhimilipatnam
- 1658 - Nagapatnam - replaced Pulicat as the trade centre.
- 1663 - Cochin
- They managed to displace the Portuguese, but their final collapse came about with the Battle of Bedera in 1759 against the English, who expelled them out of India in 1795.
The English :
- English East India company was ormed by a group of merchants called. 'The Mechant Adventures' in 1599.
- Sir Thomas Roe was an ambassador of James I to Jahangir's Court, He got the firman to trade & erect factories in the empire.
- The company acquired Bombay from Charles II on lease at an annual rental of 10 pounds in 1688.
- Bombay became the head quarters of the company on the West Cost.
- 1639 - Francis Day obtained the site of Madras from Raja of Chandragiri. Which was named 'Fort St. George'.
- Madras soon replaced Masulipatnam as their Head Quarters on the Coromandal Coast.
- 1690 - a factory was established at Sutanati by job Charnock & the Zamindari of three villages of Sutpanati Kalikota & Govindput was acquired in 1698 these villages later grew into the city of Calcutta.
- This fortified settlement at Sutanauti was named Fort William.
- 1715 - John Surman. Governor of Calcutta & William Hamilton cured Farukh Shiyar of a disease & gained a fireman in 1717 called the 'Magnacarta' of the Company .
- A long drawn rivalry between different groups of merchants form 1635 onwards finally ended in 1708 through their amalgalmation by the Early of Goldolphin under the title of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies', which continued to exist till 1858. When it ended through the Queen's Proclamation.
The French :
- Colbert, the Minister of Louis XIV created the 'Compagnie des Indes Orientales' in 1664.
- 1668 - Francis Caron set up the first French factory at Surat.
- 1669 - at Masulipatnam by Maracara.
- First governor of Pondicherry was Francois Martin.
- Chandernagore in Bengal was acquired form Shaista Khan, Mughat governor in 1690.
- Arrival of Dupleix as French governon in India in 1742 saw the beginning of Anglo - Frnch conflict (Carnatic Wars) resulting in their final defeat in India.
The Danes:
- 1616 - Formation of the East India Company of Danes. 1620
- Settlement at Tranquebar. Tamil Nadu. 1676 - at Serampore (Bengal) which was their Head Quarters in India. 1845 - They were forced to sell all their settlements in India to the British.