The Ottoman Empire captured

Constantinople (Fall of Constantinople) in 1453

and demanded a commission for trade activities.
They also had control over the Mediterranean Sea
which forced Portugal and Spain to find an
alternate route. In 1488, Bartholomew Diaz
crossed the Cape of Bad Hope (now the Cape of
Good Hope). In 1492, Spain initiated a big voyage
to reach India under the leadership of
Christoper Colombus. They mistakenly reached
the Caribbean Islands (West Indies).

Subsequently, Spain and Portugal got

into conflict and fought in the Atlantic Ocean.
Since both countries were Roman Catholics, the Pope mediated the conflict and both countries signed
the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. The Western and Eastern world was given to the Spanish and
Portuguese respectively.

PORTUGUESE

In 1498, Vasco da Gama led by a Gujarati pilot

named Abdul Majid successfully crossed the Cape of Good
Hope and landed at Calicut where the Hindu ruler of Calicut
Zamorin warmly welcomed him. He sold the Indian goods
back in Portuguese for a huge profit. On his second visit,
Vasco da Gama defeated Zamorin and took control of trade
in the Calicut region. In 1500, Pedro Alvarez Cabrel
established the first factory in Calicut. The Portuguese also
introduced foreign crops (Potato, Tomato, Tobacco,
Cashew), printing press (St. Paul’s College in 1556),
fermentation & culinary techniques in India.

Francisco de Almeida was the first Viceroy of

Portuguese settlement in India. He followed the ‘blue water
policy’ (Cartaze system) according to which he wanted to
strengthen the Portugal Navy in order to establish
a monopoly in maritime trade across the Indian waters. The Portuguese claimed the right to intercept
any ship traveling in the Indian waters and demand cartaz, failing which the ship shall be confiscated
and the goods shall be declared as contraband. The policy was successful and the Portuguese expelled
Arabs from Indian waters. He mainly focused on trade and commerce rather than territorial conquest
with the intention of establishing a monopoly in the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea
region which was earlier under the control of Arabs.

Alfonso de Albuquerque was the first governor and second Viceroy of Portuguese settlement in
India. In 1510, he captured Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur with the support of Vijayanagara ruler
Krishnadevaraya. He was considered to be the true architect of the Portuguese Empire in India. He
carried out various administrative reforms such as the abolition of Sati, establishment of schools,
recruitment of Hindus as soldiers and clerks. He shifted the headquarters from Cochin to Goa. He
was determined to transform the military garrison into a self-perpetuating colony. For this purpose, he
encouraged his countrymen to marry Indian women. He introduced the permit system for ships and
the ‘policy of imperialism’.

Nino da Cunha shifted the capital from Cochin to Goa. He aided Gujarat’s Bahadur Shah during
his war with Humayun. In the Bengal region, they had establishments at Chittagong, Satgaon (by
Farman circa 1576 from the Mughals), Bandel, and Dhaka. Portugal residents were expelled from India
in December 1961 under Operation Vijay.

DECLINE OF PORTUGUESE
• Shift in focus: In 1500, the Portuguese discovered a new land mass called Brazil which had similar
climatic conditions to India and was relatively nearer to Portugal.
• Loss of local support: The Portuguese followed a narrow religious policy, conducting forcible
religious conversions. They established inquisition courts at Goa and sentenced nearly 40,000
people to death on charges of blasphemy.
• Clandestine trade activities: The private Portuguese companies involved in piracy activities and the
cartaz system led to the loss of support from the local trading communities.
• Loss of political image: The defeat of Portuguese by the English in the Battle of Swally (1612) and
by the Marathas in the Battle of Vasai (1739).
• Diversions: Between 1580-1640, Spain and Portuguese became a union and thus the Portuguese
were dragged into conflict with the enemies of Spain i.e., the English and the Dutch. This divergence
made the Portuguese administration in India highly corrupt and inefficient.

DUTCH

In 1602, the Dutch East India Company was established. They had their headquarters in
Serampore and their first factory at Masulipatnam. They also established the Amsterdam Stock
Exchange, the world’s oldest stock exchange. They were more interested in the spices of the East
Indies (Malay Archipelago).

In 1623, the Amboyna Massacre (Indonesia) took place where the Dutch killed nearly 20
English people. Post this incident, it was agreed that the Dutch would colonize Indonesia and the
English would colonize India. In 1641, they captured Malacca and in 1658, they captured Sri Lanka
from the Portuguese. The Portuguese later defeated the Dutch and annexed Kochi (Kochi was never
a part of the British Colony). The Dutch later tried to colonize India with Mir Jafar (Nawab of Bengal)
but were defeated by the English in the Battle of Chinsurah/Bidara/Hugli (1759). In 1824, the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty was signed and the Dutch handed over the settlements to the British and left
India in 1825.

ENGLISH

In 1600, the English East India Company secured a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I
with the privilege of 15 years of monopolized trade with the East Indies. In 1605, they established
their first temporary factory at Masulipatnam. Subsequently in 1607, the Crown gave EIC the privilege
of forever monopolized trade rights. In 1611, King James I sent Captain William Hawkings to get
permission from Mughal Emperor Jehangir to set up a factory at Surat which was denied. In 1613,
they established their first permanent factory at Surat. Later in 1615, Sir Thomas Roe was sent to
Jehangir to seek permission to establish more factories which was granted since the supremacy of
the British was proved in the Battle of Swally. In 1632, the EIC was issued the Golden Farman by
the Sultan of Golconda.

In 1639, the company servant Francis Day purchased land from the Raja of Chandragiri and
built Fort St. George in Madras. In 1651, Shah Shuja allowed the English to trade in Bengal for an
annual payment of Rs. 3000, in lieu of all duties. Subsequently, the British established a factory at
Hugli and Orissa in the east. In 1661, Charles I received Bombay from the Portuguese as part of the
dowry for their princess, Catherine. In 1698, the company obtained the zamindari rights of Kalikatta,
Govindpur, and Sutanati. Merging these three villages, Fort Williams was built. Other factory
establishments of the British include Kasimbazar, Patna, and Rajmahal.

DANES

The Danish East India Company was formed in 1616 under the charter issued by the King of
Denmark, Christian IV. The Company had two primary objectives – trade and spreading Christianity.
Admiral Ove Gjedde led the first expedition to Ceylon in 1618. In 1620, the Danes received the village
of Tranquebar and the right to construct a fort there under an agreement from a Thanjavur King. Their
possessions include Tarangambadi/Tranquebar (TN), Serampore (WB) and Nicobar Islands. In 1845,
they sold their settlements to the English and left India.

FRENCH

The French East India Company was formed in 1664 with the support of French Minister
Colbert during the rule of Louis XIV. Berber, a French agent obtained firman (royal command) from
Aurangzeb in 1666 and established their first factory in Surat. The French restored Pondicherry from
the Dutch by the Treaty of Ryswick (1697) and established a factory.

In 1742, Dupleix (French Governor) visited India leading to the Carnatic Wars. He annexed
Madras in 1746. Other places of factories were Masulipatnam/Machilipatnam (AP), Chander Nagore,
Karaikal, Yanam, etc., In 1954, by a diplomatic agreement between the French and Indian
governments, the French settlements in India (Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe, Yanam) were handed to
India.
 FIRST
COUNTRY NATURE FORTS ARRIVAL DEPARTURE
FACTORY
Fort Manuel
Portuguese Government Calicut 1498 5th – 1961
(Kochi, 1503)
Fort Sadras
Dutch Private Masulipatnam 1596 1st – 1825
(Kalpakkam,1612)
• Fort St. George
(Madras, 1644)
English Private Surat 1600 3rd – 1947
• Fort William
(Bengal, 1696)
Danish Fort
Danes Private Tranquebar (Tranquebar, 1616 2nd – 1845
1620)
Fort Louis
French Government Surat (Pondicherry, 1664 4th – 1954
1701)

CHRONOLOGY

1498 : Arrival of Vasco-da-Gama at Calicut and his grand reception by the local king,
Zamorin.
1503 : Establishment of the first Portuguese fort at Cochin.
1505 : Establishment of the second Portuguese fort at Cannanore.
1510 : Alfonso Albuquerque, the Portuguese governor, captures Goa from Bijapur.
1530 : Declaration of Goa as the Portuguese capital.
1596 : Ouster of the Portuguese by the Dutch from South-east Asia.
1612 : Loss of Surat to the English.
1663 : The Dutch wins all Portuguese forts on the Malabar coast to oust the Portuguese.
1600 : The East India Company is established.
1609 : William Hawkins arrives at Jahangir’s court.
1613 : A permanent factory of East India Company is established at Surat.
1615 : Sir Thomas Roe, the ambassador of King James I, arrives at Jahangir’s court. By
1618, the ambassador succeeds in obtaining two farmans (one each from the emperor and
Prince Khurram) confirming free trade with exemption from inland tolls.
1616 : The Company establishes its first factory in the south in Masulipatnam.
1632 : The Company gets the golden Farman from the Sultan of Golconda ensuring safety
and prosperity of their trade.
1633 : The Company establishes its first factory in east India in Hariharpur, Balasore
(Odisha).
1639 : The Company gets the lease of Madras from a local king.
1651 : The Company is permitted to trade at Hooghly (Bengal).
1662 : The British King, Charles II, is given Bombay as dowry for marrying a Portuguese
princess (Catherine of Braganza).
1667 : Aurangzeb gives the English a farman for trade in Bengal.
1691 : The Company gets the imperial order to continue their trade in Bengal in lieu of
payment of Rs 3,000 a year.
1717 : The Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar issues a Farman, called Magna Carta of the
Company, giving the Company a large number of trade concessions.