Coming of Europeans (c. 1498–18th Century)
1. Sequence of Arrival
- Portuguese (1498)
- Dutch (1602)
- English (1600/1609)
- Danes (1616)
- French (1664)
2. The Portuguese (First to arrive, last to leave)
- Vasco da Gama (1498): Reached Calicut; received by Zamorin.
- Pedro Alvarez Cabral (1500): Arrived after Vasco da Gama's first voyage.
- Vasco da Gama (Second Trip - 1502): Established trading stations at Calicut, Cannanore, and Cochin.
- Alfonso-da-Albuquerque (1510): Captured Goa from the ruler of Bijapur. Initiated the policy of marriages with Indian women.
- Nino-da-Cunha: Acquired Diu and Bassein from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat (1530).
- Decline: Lost Hugli to Shah Jahan (1631) and Salsette/Bassein to Marathas (1739).
- Legacy: Introduced Tobacco, Potato, and the Printing Press (1556).
3. The Dutch (VOC - 1602)
- First Factory: Masulipatnam (1605).
- Headquarters: Pulicat (Fort Geldria), later moved to Nagapattinam.
- Focus: Dominated the spice trade and established Indian textiles as a major export.
- End: Defeated by the British in the Battle of Bedara (1759).
4. The English (East India Company - 1600)
- Early Attempts: Captain Hawkins (1609) visited Jahangir's court; Sir Thomas Roe (1615) obtained permission for factories at Agra, Ahmedabad, Baroda, and Broach (by 1619).
- First Factory: Surat (1613).
- Major Settlements:
- Madras (1639): Fort St. George.
- Bombay (1668): Received as a dowry from the Portuguese.
- Calcutta (1690): Founded by Job Charnock; named Fort William.
- Magna Carta (1717): Farrukh Siyar's Farman granted duty-free trade in Bengal.
5. The French (1664)
- Founder: Colbert (Minister under Louis XIV).
- Headquarters: Pondicherry (Fort Louis) (1673), founded by Francois Martin.
- Bengal Factory: Chandranagore (1690).
- Conflict: Rivalry with the English led to the Carnatic Wars under Dupleix.
6. Table of European Factories
- Company — First Factory — Main Headquarters
- Portuguese — Calicut — Goa
- Dutch — Masulipatnam — Pulicat / Nagapattinam
- English — Surat (1613) — Calcutta (Fort William)
- Danes — Tranquebar (1620) — Serampore (Bengal)
- French — Surat (1668) — Pondicherry
Coming of Europeans (c. 1498–18th Century)
1. Sequence of Arrival
- Portuguese (1498)
- Dutch (1602)
- English (1600/1609)
- Danes (1616)
- French (1664)
2. The Portuguese (First to arrive, last to leave)
- Vasco da Gama (1498): Reached Calicut; received by Zamorin.
- Pedro Alvarez Cabral (1500): Arrived after Vasco da Gama's first voyage.
- Vasco da Gama (Second Trip - 1502): Established trading stations at Calicut, Cannanore, and Cochin.
- Alfonso-da-Albuquerque (1510): Captured Goa from the ruler of Bijapur. Initiated the policy of marriages with Indian women.
- Nino-da-Cunha: Acquired Diu and Bassein from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat (1530).
- Decline: Lost Hugli to Shah Jahan (1631) and Salsette/Bassein to Marathas (1739).
- Legacy: Introduced Tobacco, Potato, and the Printing Press (1556).
3. The Dutch (VOC - 1602)
- First Factory: Masulipatnam (1605).
- Headquarters: Pulicat (Fort Geldria), later moved to Nagapattinam.
- Focus: Dominated the spice trade and established Indian textiles as a major export.
- End: Defeated by the British in the Battle of Bedara (1759).
4. The English (East India Company - 1600)
- Early Attempts: Captain Hawkins (1609) visited Jahangir's court; Sir Thomas Roe (1615) obtained permission for factories at Agra, Ahmedabad, Baroda, and Broach (by 1619).
- First Factory: Surat (1613).
- Major Settlements:
- Madras (1639): Fort St. George.
- Bombay (1668): Received as a dowry from the Portuguese.
- Calcutta (1690): Founded by Job Charnock; named Fort William.
- Magna Carta (1717): Farrukh Siyar's Farman granted duty-free trade in Bengal.
5. The French (1664)
- Founder: Colbert (Minister under Louis XIV).
- Headquarters: Pondicherry (Fort Louis) (1673), founded by Francois Martin.
- Bengal Factory: Chandranagore (1690).
- Conflict: Rivalry with the English led to the Carnatic Wars under Dupleix.
6. Table of European Factories
- Company — First Factory — Main Headquarters
- Portuguese — Calicut — Goa
- Dutch — Masulipatnam — Pulicat / Nagapattinam
- English — Surat (1613) — Calcutta (Fort William)
- Danes — Tranquebar (1620) — Serampore (Bengal)
- French — Surat (1668) — Pondicherry