Arrival of European Companies in India

Modern India — Complete Notes

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Company Formation / Portuguese Arrival →
🇵🇹
1498
Portuguese arrival (Crown-led)
🇬🇧
1600
English EIC
🇳🇱
1602
Dutch VOC
🇩🇰
1616
Danish
🇫🇷
1664
French
🇸🇪
1731
Swedish
Early Factories in India — Chronology →
🇵🇹
1500
Calicut — Cabral
🇳🇱
1605
Masulipatnam
🇬🇧
1613
Surat
(Permanent)
🇩🇰
1620
Tranquebar
🇫🇷
1668
Surat
Country Est. 1st Factory HQ Exit
🇵🇹 Portuguese 1498 (arrival) Calicut 1500 Goa (HQ 1530) 1961 — remaining enclaves
🇬🇧 English 1600 EIC Surat 1613 Calcutta 1858 — Company rule to Crown
🇳🇱 Dutch 1602 VOC Masulipatnam 1605 Pulicat (1610) 1825 — remaining posts transferred
🇩🇰 Danish 1616 Tranquebar 1620 Serampore 1845 — sold to British
🇫🇷 French 1664 Surat 1668 Pondicherry (1674) 1763 political setback; settlements continued
🇸🇪 Swedish 1731 — China focus India's role was negligible
🇵🇹
Portuguese — most before (1498)
Early expansion led by the Portuguese Crown
Vasco da Gama — Three Arrivals
⛵
May 1498 — 1st arrival: Calicut (Kozhikode). Local king = Zamorin.
⛵
1502 — 2nd arrival (re-arrival).
⛵
1524 — 3rd arrival. died in Cochin.
Key Dates
🏛️
1500 — Cabral established an early Portuguese factory at Calicut; Cochin developed later.
🌍
1505 — first Portuguese arrival in Sri Lanka.
📍
1510 — Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate.
📍
1534 — Bassein acquired; 1535 — Diu fort concession from Bahadur Shah, during Nuno da Cunha’s tenure.
❌
1739 — Salsette + Bassein was captured by the Marathas → Decline.
Governors — Key Facts to Remember
👤
Francisco de Almeida (1505–1509) — 1st Governor. Blue Water Policy (sea dominance, not on land). Cartaz System = Sea Pass system.
⭐
Afonso de Albuquerque (1509–1515) — Real founder of Portuguese power in India. Goa capture 1510. discouraged Sati (local level).
👤
Nuno da Cunha (1529–1538) — Bassein (1534), Diu fort concession (1535); headquarters shifted from Cochin to Goa in 1530.
1st in India 1498 Vasco da Gama → Calicut → Zamorin Calicut = Cabral’s factory 1500 Sri Lanka: Portuguese arrival 1505 Goa: conquest 1510; HQ 1530 Cartaz = Sea Pass Blue Water Policy = Almeida
🇬🇧
English / British EIC (1600)
31 Dec 1600 — Queen Elizabeth I's Royal Charter
Key Dates
📅
Thomas Stephens, an English Jesuit, arrived in Goa in 1579, before the English EIC formed.
🏛️
31 Dec 1600 — East India Company established. Queen Elizabeth I granted a Royal Charter.
👤
William Hawkins (1609) — visited Jahangir's court. Jahangir gave him the title: "English Khan". Surat factory delay occurred — because of Portuguese pressure.
🏛️
1611 — Masulipatnam: first temporary factory (South India).
🏛️
1613 — Surat: first permanent factory. Director: Thomas Aldworth.
👑
Sir Thomas Roe (1615–1619) — James I’s envoy at Jahangir’s court; negotiated trading privileges and factory access, rather than a single blanket empire-wide permission.
EIC = 31 Dec 1600 Hawkins = "English Khan" Masulipatnam 1611 = temporary Surat 1613 = permanent — Aldworth Thomas Roe = James I envoy 1615
🇳🇱
Dutch / Netherlands VOC (1602)
Spice trade — Indonesia focus
Key Dates
⚠️
Houtman (1596) — travelled to Banten, Java (Indonesia), not India! (Common trap)
🏛️
1605 — 1st factory: Masulipatnam → before the English factory at Surat!
🏛️
1610 — Pulicat factory → Dutch HQ. here introduced Pagoda gold coins.
❌
Battle of Bedara (1759) — British victory checked Dutch political ambitions; remaining trading posts transferred in 1825.
Dutch factory 1605 > English 1613 Pulicat = HQ + Pagoda gold coins Bedara 1759 = political setback; posts transferred 1825 Houtman → Indonesia, India not
🇩🇰
Danish / Denmark (1616)
Chhoti scale — South India + Bengal
Key Dates
📅
1616 — Danish company formed in Europe; Indian base at Tranquebar from 1620.
🏛️
1620 — 1st factory: Tranquebar (Tharangambadi), Tanjore, Tamil Nadu.
🏛️
1755 — 2nd factory: Serampore, Bengal.
❌
1845 — sold all its Indian factories to the British. (It was a sale, not a military defeat!)
Tranquebar 1620 = 1st factory Serampore 1755 = Bengal Sold to British 1845
🇫🇷
French (1664)
Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales — state-controlled
Key Dates
📅
1664 — French East India Company established.
🏛️
1668 — 1st factory: Surat. Founder: Francis Caron.
📍
1674 — Pondicherry acquired from Sher Khan Lodi → became the I base.
⚔️
1746–1763 — three Carnatic Wars. First ended with Madras restored in 1748; later British victories checked French political ambitions.
Surat 1668 = 1st factory Founder = Francis Caron Pondicherry 1674 = from Sher Khan Lodi 3 Carnatic Wars 1746–1763 State-controlled company
🇸🇪
Swedish (1731) — Bonus
in the PDF mentioned — In exams low priority
📅
1731 — Swedish East India Company established.
🗺️
Focus: China trade. its role in India was negligible.
1731 est. focused on China, not India
📝 Exam Note

1731 is the Swedish company’s formation year, not an Indian arrival date. Its trade focused on China and its Indian role was negligible.

⚠ Trap #1 — Establishment vs Factory in India
The Dutch VOC was founded in 1602, after the English EIC in 1600. However, the Dutch established a factory in India 1605, before the English factory of 1613. This is a common source of confusion.
⚠ Trap #2 — Portuguese = State, Not a Company
Early Portuguese expansion was Crown-led. EIC, VOC, French and Danish entries refer to companies; 1498 is the Portuguese arrival date, not a company’s formation year.
⚠ Trap #3 — Houtman India not
The Dutch traveller Houtman visited Banten, Java (Indonesia) in 1596, not India. This distinction is often answered incorrectly.
⚠ Trap #4 — 1st Factory in India who Si?
Early Portuguese factory = Calicut, 1500 (Cabral).
English temporary factory = Masulipatnam 1611.
English permanent factory = Surat 1613 (Thomas Aldworth).
⚠ Trap #5 — Vasco da Gama's three Trips
1st visit: 1498 — Calicut (Zamorin received from). 2nd visit: 1502 — re-arrival. 3rd visit: 1524 — died in Cochin.
⚠ Trap #6 — Carnatic Wars's Count
French vs British = three Carnatic Wars, 1746–1763. The first ended with restoration of Madras; later British victories checked French political ambitions. French settlements continued.
⚠ Trap #7 — Danish's Exit
The Danish sold their Indian factories to Britain in 1845. Dutch defeat at Bedara (1759) checked political ambitions; remaining Dutch posts were transferred in 1825.
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