Arrival Of European In India
Introduction
The arrival of the Europeans to India is considered the beginning of modern Indian history. The Oxus Valley, Syria, and Egypt were all stops along the lengthy and meandering trade routes that connected India and Europe. Following Vasco da Gama's 1498 discovery of a new maritime route via the Cape of Good Hope, trade increased, and numerous commercial enterprises arrived in India to set up trading hubs. All of the present European superpowers the Dutch, English, French, Danish, etc. gradually built economic ties with the Indian Subcontinent.
Portuguese In India
• Portuguese colonists were the first Europeans to enter India and the last to leave.
• In the fifteenth century, Europe was enthralled by the spirit of the Renaissance and its thirst for adventure.
• Europe made important advancements in navigation and shipbuilding during this time. As a result, there was a considerable interest in Europe for perilous maritime expeditions to the uncharted regions of the East.
• According to historians, finding an ocean passage to India had been Prince Henry of Portugal, also known as the "Navigator’s passion and a way to avoid Muslim control of the eastern Mediterranean and all the roads leading from India to Europe.
• In accordance with the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), the kings of Portugal and Spain divided the non-Christian world between them in 1497 along a fictitious line in the Atlantic Ocean, some 1,300 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands.
• According to the deal, Spain could claim everything west of the line, while Portugal could claim and occupy whatever to the east of the line.
• The stage was therefore set for Portuguese incursions into the waters of the Indian Ocean.
• A Portuguese navigator named Bartholomew Dias passed Africa's Cape of Good Hope in 1487 and proceeded along the eastern coast, thinking he had found the long-sought sea route to India.
• However, an expedition of Portuguese ships left for India about ten years later (in 1497) and arrived there in May 1498 after travelling for less than 11 months.
Indian Administration Under The Portuguese
• In the Deccan, the Bahmani Kingdom was breaking apart into smaller kingdoms.
• None of the powers had a notable fleet, and they had no intentions to increase their marine might.
• The imperial proclamation of the Chinese emperor restricted the range of Chinese ships in the Far East.
• The Portuguese were more organized and coherent than the Arab traders and ship-owners who had previously dominated trade in the Indian Ocean.
• On their ships, the Portuguese also placed guns.
• The administration was overseen by the viceroy, who presided for three years, together with his secretary and a council afterwards.
• The Vedor da Fazenda, in control of revenue, cargoes, and fleet dispatch, was the next insignificant official.
Significance of The Portuguese
• The majority of historians concur that the Portuguese presence not only marked the start of the European era but also the expansion of naval power.
• For instance, the Cholas were a maritime power, but this was the first invasion of India by a foreign nation.
• The cannons on the Portuguese ships were the first step in securing a monopoly over trade by intimidation or coercion.
• In the 16th century, the Portuguese utilized body armor, matchlock troops, and weaponry that were brought in by ships from the Malabar.
• On the other hand, the system of drilling infantry groups, which was instituted in the 1630s as a response to Dutch pressure and was fashioned after the Spanish model, was an important military contribution made by the Portuguese ashore.
• The Portuguese were experts in cutting-edge marine strategy.
• They were able to carry more armaments since their multi-decked ships were well-built and designed to withstand Atlantic gales rather than sail in advance of the typical monsoon.
• As the silversmith and goldsmith trades flourished, Goa became a mecca for intricate filigree work, fretted foliage work, and metalwork containing diamonds.
• The interiors of churches constructed during the Portuguese era frequently have elaborate woodwork and artwork in addition to painted ceilings, while the architectural designs are frequently simple.
Vasco Da Gama
• The arrival in Calicut in May 1498 of three ships commanded by Vasco Da Gama and piloted by a Gujarati named Abdul Majid had a profound effect on Indian history.
• Vasco da Gama visited India for three months.
• He brought significant cargo with him when he left Portugal, and he successfully sold the commodities on the European market.
• Vasco de Gama visited India once more in 1501.
• The Zamorin refused to shun Arab traders in favor of the Portuguese when Vasco Da Gama combined commercial greed with murderous animosity and exacted retribution on Arab trade everywhere he could.
• Vasco da Gama constructed a trading facility at Cannanore.
• Francisco De Almeida Over time, Calicut, Cannanore, and Cochin became into important Portuguese commercial hubs.
• In order to protect Portuguese interests, King Ferdinand I of Portugal appointed a three-year governor in India and provided him with sufficient troops in 1505.
• By capturing Aden, Ormuz, and Malacca, the newly appointed governor, Francisco De Almeida, was given the job of strengthening the Portuguese position in India and obliterating Muslim trade.
• Almeida's son was killed when the Portuguese squadron was defeated by the combined Egyptian and Gujarati navies off the coast of Diu in 1507.
• Almeida destroyed both ships the next year to exact revenge for his loss. Portuguese dominance over the Indian Ocean was Almeida's ultimate goal.
• His guiding principle was the Blue Water Policy (cartage system).
Alfonso de Albuquerque
• The actual founder of Portuguese rule in the East was Albuquerque, who succeeded Almeida as governor of Portugal in India and completed that task before passing away.
• He guaranteed Portugal's strategic domination over the Indian Ocean by building castles commanding all of the sea's entrances.
• The Portuguese reinforced their hold during Albuquerque's rule by establishing a permission system for other ships and taking control of the major shipbuilding hubs in the area.
• One notable aspect of his rule was the elimination of sati.
Nino da Cunha
• Nino da Cunha was named governor of Portuguese interests in India in November 1529, and nearly a year later, the Portuguese administration in India relocated its administrative center from Cochin to Goa.
• Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, who was fighting the Mughal ruler Humayun, gained the Portuguese' assistance by giving them the island of Bassein in 1534, along with its inhabitants and income.
• He also suggested that they set up camp in Diu.
• By settling many Portuguese nationals in the city of Hooghly, Da Cunha also wanted to increase Portuguese influence in Bengal.
The Portuguese People's Decline
• The Portuguese Empire in India eventually broke up due to the weak and ineffective leadership of the governors who replaced Afonso de Albuquerque.
• The Portuguese were intolerance and fanaticism in matters of religion. The indigenous people were coerced into accepting Christianity.
• In India, where religious tolerance was the norm, people strongly disagreed with their approach in this regard.
• The Portuguese government further alienated the Indian populace by prioritizing its own wealth accumulation.
• They also disobeyed the law and committed horrific acts. Even yet, they didn't think twice about engaging in piracy and plunder. An anti-Portuguese feeling was the result of all of these measures.
• The Portuguese and Spanish had far outpaced the English and the Dutch during the 15th and early 16th centuries.
• But in the latter half of the 16th century, rising economic and naval powers England, Holland, and later France began a fierce campaign against the Spanish and Portuguese duopoly on world trade.
• In this encounter, the latter were victorious. This also resulted in a decline in their authority in India. It was also challenging for the Portuguese to sustain their commercial monopoly in India for an extended period of time due to the growing power of the Marathas and the Mughal Empire. For instance, in c. They fought the Mughal rulers in Bengal in 1631 CE and were ultimately driven from their town of Hughli.
• The Portuguese established Brazil in Latin America, and they started focusing far more on there than on their Indian territories.
• Spanish interests prevailed over Portuguese ones when Portugal was annexed by Spain in 1580 CE, these interests were eventually disregarded.
The Dutch
• In or around 1602 CE, the Dutch East India Company was established under the name Vereenigde Oost Indische Compagnie (VOC).
• The first facility built by the Dutch was in Masulipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. As well as Gujarat (Surat, Broach, Cambay, and Ahmedabad), Kerala (Cochin), Bengal (Chinsurah), Bihar (Patna), and Uttar Pradesh (Agra), they built commercial ports in each of those states.
• Their main base in India was Pulicat (Tamil Nadu), but Nagapattinam eventually took its place.
• In the 17th century, they overcame the Portuguese and rose to become the dominant force in European trade with the East.
• They prevented English attempts to settle there in 1623 and drove the Portuguese out of the Indonesian islands and the Malay straits.
Dutch-English rivalry
• At this time, the English were also becoming more significant in the Eastern trade, which posed a serious danger to the economic interests of the Netherlands.
• The commercial rivalry turned violent very quickly.
• Following years of conflict, both sides came to an agreement in 1667, when the British committed to renounce all claims to Indonesia and the Dutch agreed to withdraw from India in order to concentrate on their more lucrative trade in Indonesia.
• They controlled the trade in spices and black pepper. The most prominent Indian items exported by the Dutch were opium, silk, cotton, indigo, rice, and indigo dye.
• The Anglo-Dutch rivalry lasted for almost seven years during which the Dutch lost each of their possessions to the British, until the English ultimately defeated the Dutch in the Battle of Bedara in c. 1759.
Decline of Dutch
• The Dutch ambitions in India were put an end by the English reprisal, which resulted in the Dutch being crushed at the Battle of Hooghly (November 1759).
• The Dutch were more concerned with trade than with creating an empire in India.
• They made a lot of money from the Indonesian Spice Islands, which was their main commercial concern.
The English
• Approximately 1599 CE saw the founding of the English Association or Company to Trade with the East by a group of businessmen known as "The Merchant Adventurers."
• On December 31, 1600 CE, Queen Elizabeth handed the company a royal charter and the sole authority to trade in the East as a result, it came to be known as the East India Company.
Rise of English
• In 1609 CE, Captain William Hawkins arrived at the Mughal Emperor Jahangir's court to ask for approval to establish an English trading post in Surat.
• However, due to pressure from the Portuguese, the Emperor turned it down.
• Jahangir later authorized the East India Company to construct a factory at Surat in 1612 CE.
• As a representative of James I, King of England, Sir Thomas Roe came at the Mughal court in c. In 1615 CE, he was successful in getting an Imperial Farman, which allowed him to trade and build factories in different parts of India.
• By 1619 CE, the English had built factories at Agra, Baroda, Ahmedabad, and Broach.
• The English built their first plant in the south in Masulipatnam.
• In 1639 CE, Francis Day acquired Madras from the Raja of Chandragiri and built Fort St. George, a tiny fort around their business.
• Masulipatnam was swiftly replaced as the English capital on the Coromandel Coast by Madras.
• Bombay was acquired by the English East India Company in 1668 CE from Charles II, the country's ruler at the time, and it was used as the company's west coast headquarters.
• In the year 1690 CE, Job Charnock established an English workshop in Sutanuti.
• It eventually developed into the city of Calcutta, which housed Fort William and later served as the seat of British India's government.
• In Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, British settlements developed into bustling metropolises.
• The British East India Company was on the verge of assuming the status of a sovereign state in India as its notoriety increased.
• Three famous Farman’s were obtained by an English mission led by John Surman to the Mughal court of Farrukhsiyar in 1715, giving the Company various significant rights in Bengal, Gujarat, and Hyderabad.
The French
• In 1664 CE, Colbert, a minister serving Louis XIV, founded the French East India Company.
• Around 1668 CE, Francis Caron founded the first French factory in Surat. In 1669 CE, Maracara constructed a factory in Masulipatnam.
• Pondicherry (Fort Louis) was founded by Francois Martin. He was the colony's first governor when it was founded in 1673 CE and later served as the headquarters of French holdings in India.
• In 1690 CE, the French captured Chandranagore, which lies close to Calcutta, from the governor Shaista Khan. The French built industries in Karaikal, Balasore, Mahe, and Qasim Bazar.
• Anglo-French conflict began with the arrival of French administrator Joseph François Dupleix in India around 1742 CE, and it culminated in the fabled Carnatic wars.
The Nerve Centre of French: Pondicherry
• Sher Khan Lodi, the governor of Valikandapuram (under the Bijapur Sultan), gave Francois Martin, the head of the Masulipatnam factory, permission to set up a colony in 1673.
• In 1674, Pondicherry became a permanent settlement. The following year, Francois Martin took over as French governor in place of Caron.
• The French corporation also has plants in other parts of India, particularly in the coastal areas.
• The commercial hubs of the French East India Company included Mahe, Karaikal, Balasore, and Qasim Bazar.
• After taking leadership in 1674, Francois Martin made Pondicherry a prominent place. After all, it served as the French's stronghold in India.
(1740–48) First Carnatic War
1. The Austrian War of Succession set off the Anglo-French War in Europe, and the First Carnatic War was a continuation of that battle.
2. The First Carnatic War was put to an end in 1748 by the Treaty of Aix-La Chapelle, which also ended the Austrian War of Succession.
3. Under the terms of this agreement, Madras was given back to the English, and in exchange, the French received their colonies in North America.
1749–1754: Second Carnatic War
1. In order to increase his authority and political clout in southern India, Dupleix, the French governor who had led his country's soldiers to victory in the First Carnatic War, engaged in local dynasty conflicts in an effort to defeat the English.
2. The French and English agreed to refrain from interfering in the disputes of the native kings.
3. Additionally, the areas that each side had controlled at the time of the accord were retained.
4. It soon became apparent that European success was no longer dependent on Indian authority but rather Indian authority was becoming more and more dependent on European support.
(1758–1863) Third Carnatic War
1. The Seven Years' War (1756–1833) began in Europe when Austria attempted to retake Silesia in 1756.
2. France and the United Kingdom were on opposing sides once more.
3. The French businesses were reinstated in India by the Treaty of Peace of Paris (1763), but French political power was lost during the conflict.
4. The English took over as the main European army on the Indian subcontinent after the Dutch were defeated at the Battle of Bidara in 1759.
Causes of French Failure And English Success
• The fact that the English corporation was a privately owned business gave the populace a sense of pride and self-assurance.
• The French business, on the other hand, belonged to the government.
• It was under the control and regulation of the French government, and was constrained by government regulations and lengthy decision-making processes.
• The crucial maritime route between France and its Indian colonies was cut off thanks in part to the English navy's superiority over the French fleet.
• While Pondicherry was under French rule, Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras were all under English rule.
• French enterprise was cash-strapped as a result of the nation's preference for territorial ambition over commercial interests.
Danes
• The Danish East India Company was founded in 1616, and on India's eastern coast, in 1620, they established a factory in Tranquebar, close to Tanjore.
• Their primary habitation was in Serampore, close to Calcutta. Despite the fact that they were unimportant at the time, the Danish industries were sold to the British government in 1845.
• The missionary efforts of the Danes is better known than their commercial endeavors.
England's Victory Over Other European Powers
• The English East India Company was run by a board of directors whose members were chosen annually. The English East India Company was created by the amalgamation of numerous domestic competitor businesses.
• The commercial enterprises of France and Portugal were largely held by the state and had a feudal character in many ways.
• The British Royal Navy at the time was not only the biggest, but also the most advanced in terms of technology.
• Other European nations experienced the industrial revolution much later, which helped England maintain its hegemony.
• The British troops were disciplined and well-trained. The British generals were innovative minds who experimented with cutting-edge military methods.
• Britain was less keen to propagate Christianity and less religiously fervent than Spain, Portugal, and the Dutch.
• The Bank of England was established as the first central bank in history to sell government debt to money markets on the condition that Britain would triumph over other nations like France and Spain in exchange for a reasonable return.
Conclusion
Europeans came to India to trade, but they soon took over the country's politics and administration. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to travel to India after Vasco da Gama opened a direct maritime route in 1498. In the year 1600, Queen Elizabeth granted the English merchants who created the East India Company the sole right to trade in the East. As a result, India was dominated by the United Kingdom for more than 200 years.