Arrival of European Companies in India

Company Established in Europe →

🇵🇹

1498

Portuguese
(State, not co.)

🇬🇧

1600

English EIC

🇳🇱

1602

Dutch VOC

🇩🇰

1616

Danish

🇫🇷

1664

French

🇸🇪

1731

Swedish

First Factory in India — Arrival Order →

🇵🇹

1503

Cochin
1st European!

🇳🇱

1605

Masulipatnam

🇬🇧

1613

Surat
(Permanent)

🇩🇰

1620

Tranquebar

🇫🇷

1668

Surat

Country	Est.	1st Factory	HQ	Exit
🇵🇹 Portuguese	1498 (arrival)	Cochin 1503	Goa (1510)	1739 — Marathas
🇬🇧 English	1600 EIC	Surat 1613	Calcutta	Stayed → British Raj
🇳🇱 Dutch	1602 VOC	Masulipatnam 1605	Pulicat (1610)	1759 — Bedara
🇩🇰 Danish	1616	Tranquebar 1620	Serampore	1845 — sold to British
🇫🇷 French	1664	Surat 1668	Pondicherry (1674)	1763 — Carnatic Wars
🇸🇪 Swedish	1731	—	China focus	India's role was negligible

🇵🇹

Portuguese — most before (1498)

State power, not a company

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

🏛️

1503 — 1st factory: Cochin → first European factory in India!

🌍

1505 — discovered Sri Lanka.

📍

1510 — captured Goa — Yusuf Adil Shah (Sultan of Bijapur) from.

📍

1534 — Bassein (Vasai) conquered. 1535 — Diu conquered. (Nino da Cunha during the tenure of)

❌

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).

👤

Nino da Cunha (1529–1538) — Bassein (1534) + Diu (1535). shifted the headquarters from Cochin to Goa.

1st in India 1498 Vasco da Gama → Calicut → Zamorin Cochin = 1st factory 1503 Sri Lanka discover 1505 Goa HQ 1510 Cartaz = Sea Pass Blue Water Policy = Almeida

🇬🇧

English / British EIC (1600)

31 Dec 1600 — Queen Elizabeth I's Royal Charter

Key Dates

📅

1579 — Thomas Stephens (Jesuit priest) — earliest Englishman in India.

🏛️

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) — James I's envoy. Jahangir from permission li: to trade throughout the Mughal Empire.

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 Indonesia (Sumatra), 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/Biderra (1759) — were defeated by the British → left India.

Dutch factory 1605 > English 1613 Pulicat = HQ + Pagoda gold coins Battle of Bedara 1759 = Dutch exit Houtman → Indonesia, India not

🇩🇰

Danish / Denmark (1616)

Chhoti scale — South India + Bengal

Key Dates

📅

1616 — India arrival.

🏛️

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 vs British → the French lost all three wars.

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

Swedish's BPSC/BSSC in directly to be asked unlikely is — but if "which European company last came" or comparison question arrived then remember: Swedish 1731 most last arrived in.

⚠ 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

Portuguese was a state power, not a trading company. remaining all (EIC, VOC, French, Danish) were formal companies. Portuguese's "est." = 1498 arrival, not a company-formation date.

⚠ Trap #3 — Houtman India not

The Dutch traveller Houtman visited Indonesia (Sumatra) in 1596, not India. This distinction is often answered incorrectly.

⚠ Trap #4 — 1st Factory in India who Si?

1st European factory = Portuguese, Cochin, 1503.
1st English temporary factory = Masulipatnam 1611.
1st 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 (3) Carnatic Wars, 1746–1763. the French lost all three wars. Count do not get this wrong.

⚠ Trap #7 — Danish's Exit

The Danish were not defeated in battle; they sold their factories to the British in 1845. The Dutch lost the Battle of Bedara in 1759, whereas the Danish withdrew peacefully.