Arrival of European Companies in India

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.