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The Advent of the Europeans and the foundation of the British empire marked the beginning of Modern History in India. The discovery of the sea routes for trade purposes and Advent of Europeans like Portuguese, Dutch, French and British in India during the mid 15th Century also was the beginning of a long period of colonialism in India with events such as Company Rule Expands, Conflict among Trading Powers among others.
The timeline of the Advents of the Europeans in India from 1498:
| Year | Event |
| 1498 | Arrival of the Portuguese in India in Calicut, Kerala |
| 1602 | Arrival of the Dutch (Netherlands) in Masulipatam, Andhra Pradesh |
| 1608 | Britishers in Surat, Gujrat |
| 1616 | Danes in Tranquebar, Tamil Nadu |
| 1664 | Arrival of the French in Pondicherry |
| 1757 | Commencement of formal British rule after the win at the Battle of Plassey when the Nawab of Bengal surrendered his dominions to the British East India Company. |
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The Portuguese India
The Portuguese navigator, Vasco Da Gama discovered the sea route to India in the year 1498 as he reached Calicut on 18th May 1498. This route was called the Cape Route. Vasco Da Gama earned huge profits by trading pepper from India to Europe. The Portuguese gained a monopoly of Asia-Europe maritime trade for a century and marked the onset of the Age of Colonialism in India.
The Portuguese unleashed atrocities on Indians to forcefully convert them to Christianity and ruin the existing temples. So spice trading and spreading Christianity were two goals of the Portuguese in India. The next 450 years witnessed their presence in India however, their dominance was modest and could never gain prominence. At the onset of this period the Zamorin or ruler of Calicut was hospitable and friendly towards the Portuguese. This clanged when Vasco da Gama himself started pressuring him to abandon trade with the Muslims or Arab merchants and grant exemption from customs duty to the Portuguese.
The timeline of the events during the Portuguese rule in India
| Period | Event |
| 1507 and 1508 | Egypt and Ottoman Turkey agreed to support the Hindu rulers for a combined naval attack on the Portuguese at Chaul and defeated the Portuguese |
| 1509 | Portuguese naval army secured a spectacular victory by defeating the Muslim fleets at Diu which was a strategic entrance to the Gulf of Cambay. |
| 1510 | Afonso De Albuquerque, the 2nd Portuguese Governor conquered Goa from the Bijapur Sultans. |
| 1530 | Shifted headquarters from Cochin to Goa. Portuguese control over coastal regions of India led to their almost complete maritime supremacy over the west coast but held limited control over the east coast and the Bay of Bengal. They controlled all non-Portuguese sea trade traffic in and around India by imposing a mandatory seacraft Cartaz (pass) to be issued by the Portuguese for a fee. |
| 1580 to 1640 | The decline of Portuguese rule began when the crowns of Portugal and Spain were combined. Focus on religion made them unpopular with the local rulers and favoured the subsequent European traders such as the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company who focused only on trade and profit. |
| 1739 | Portuguese India shrinks to Goa, Daman, and Diu. They could remain in India because of their special relations with the British as its “oldest ally”. |
| Post-1947 | After India’s Independence from British rule, the Portuguese were forced to leave Goa on 19th December 1961 after a 450-year rule following a thirty-six-hour Indian military operation against them. |
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Dutch in India
The formation of the Dutch East India Company in 1602 also marked the arrival of the Dutch in India. They first landed in Masulipatam(today’s Machilipatnam) Andhra Pradesh. Their presence in the Indian subcontinent lasted from 1605 to 1825.
| Period | Event |
| 1605 | Masulipatam, Andhra Pradesh |
| 1676 | Nagapattinam near Madras (Today’s Chennai) from the Portuguese |
| 1610-1663 | Set up factory in Pulicat (Tamil Nadu), Surat (Gujrat), Bamilipatanam (Andhra Pradesh), Karaikal (Puducherry), Chinsurah (West Bengal), Kasimbazar, Baranagar, (West Bengal), Kochi (Kerala) |
The Dutch came to India with the intent of trading given the growing demand for Indian spices from Asia in Europe. The rise of the Dutch East India Company ushered in the first multinational corporation(MNC) in the modern sense. Dutch Trading in India began on 11 November 1604 following a treaty between the Zamorin of Calicut and the head of the Dutch Steven Van der Hagen. The intention was to drive out the Portuguese from the Malabar Coast which was never accomplished. However the Dutch eventually established their trade bases in other parts of India and traded in cotton, textiles, silk, Indigo and the Golconda diamonds.
The Dutch finally defeated the Portuguese in 1661 and captured the entire Malabar region. They now became the masters of the pepper trade and gained huge profits by selling pepper, named the Black Gold in Europe. Nothing could stop the Dutch in the 17th century as they captured Pondicherry from the French in 1693.
The mid-18th century marked the decline of the Dutch East India Company. It was marred by faulty business policies, corruption, and surrounding political changes. In 1741 the powerful ruler of Travancore, Martanda Verma, crushed the Dutch to regain dominance over Malabar. The fourth Anglo-Dutch war where the British navy sank their ships and took over the trading posts led to their bankruptcy in 1799. Finally in 1825, the Anglo-Dutch treaty put an end to the Dutch prominence in India with all Dutch possessions being transferred to the British.
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British East India Company
The British East India Company established in 1600 was a joint-stock company. Their venture into India was as traders but they found it more profitable to rule India eventually. They held their dominance and power in India till 1900. The British East India company gained their first foothold in India under the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1612 when Sir Thomas Roe was given the right to establish a factory in Surat, Gujrat. Captain Willian Hawkins however was the first person to try establishing this factory in 1608 but failed due to Portuguese opposition.
For the next 50 years their only intention was to trade in India and earn profit. This changed with a new generation of British traders who took over the guards in 1650 in the British East India Company and wanted to gain political power to get the free hand of trade in India and keep the rival Europeans out.
Initially, The East India Company gained political footing in India through a marriage alliance where the king of Portugal gave Bombay to King Charles II as dowry and then was given to the East India Company for an annual payment of 10 pounds. Here the company became stronger and spread its arms across the subcontinent.
| Period | Event |
| 1674-1698 | A native resistance was forcibly suppressed to make Calcutta the centre of British activity in Bengal province. |
| 1700- 1800 | The eventual collapse of the Mughal Empire opened doors to European powers to gain control over India. The East India Company formed its own army in India for ease of trade. With the victory in the Battle of Plassey in 1757 under Robert Clive their dominance over India was established. All basic social, political and economic structures were built to enable a long haul of rule in India for the next 200 years. |
| 1800-1900 | The British Raj in India started meeting resistance in India. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 also called the Indian Mutiny or the Sepoy Mutiny marked a turning point in the history of Britain in India. Resentment began to grow during this period. The East India Company was abolished and India came under the formal rule of the British crown. Reforms such as religious independence and recruitment of Indians in civil services. The Viceroy became the embodiment of British rule in India Lord Curzon became the Viceroy in 1898. He instituted very unpopular policies that urged an Indian Nationalist Movement to emerge. |
| 1900-1947 | Indians gained strength across India with the motive to seek independence. India finally became independent in 1947. |
French In India
The French were the last Europeans to come to India for trade purposes. The French East India Company was founded in 1664. In 1668 they made their first settlement in India in Surat. Pondicherry became the headquarters of the French in India. Francois Martin was the first French Governor of Pondicherry which he acquired from Sher Shah Lodhi in 1673.
| Period | Event |
| 1668 | First French factory in Surat, Gujrat |
| 1669-1672 | French factory at Masulipatam set in 1669 |
| 1673 | The French acquired the area of Pondicherry and established their colony here. |
| 1692 | Base in Chandernagore (present-day Chandannagar) was established with permission from Nawab Shaista Khan, the Mughal governor of Bengal |
| 1723 | Establishment of colonies at Yangon |
| 1739 | Establishment of colonies in Karaikal |
| 1754 | Robert Clive arrived in India, a British officer and dashed the hopes of expansion of French rule in India. |
| 1754-1871 | Nawab (Siraj-ud-Daulah) of Bengal allied with the French but was defeated by the British in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Siege of Pondicherry by Britishers in 1960. It was restored back to the French after a peace treaty in 1763. The dominance of French power diminished eventually. |
| 18th-20th century | Post-independence of India from British rule in 1947. France’s Indian possessions with the British power were ceded to India. The territories under the French came under the Indian Union |
Conclusion
The Advent of Europeans and the subsequent rule over India with the formation of the British Empire marks several high points in world history. The various European nations such as France, Dutch and the Danes were attracted by the rich resources and geography of India as it was promising prospects of profit. There are several such topics from Indian history that will make an interesting read such as the Modern History of India, Emergence of New States, The Marathas and such other phases.
