ADVENT OF EUROPEANS IN INDIA

ADVENT OF THE EUROPEANS TO INDIA

India since times immemorial had trade links with Europe and countries in Asia like China, Java and Sumatra. This trade was carried on both by land and sea routes. There was great demand for Indian products like cotton textiles, spices like pepper, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, diamonds, silk, pearl and sandalwood. Horses, wines, coral and mercury were brought into India. The trade with Europe was carried through the land route passing through the city of Constantinople. The goods also reached Constantinople through sea routes from the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea. In 1453 A.D., the Ottoman Turks occupied Constantinople (modern Istanbul). This resulted in two important developments. Firstly it closed the land route between the East and the West which necessitated the need to explore new sea routes to India as Arabs controlled the old sea routes. Secondly, it led to the Renaissance which expanded the knowledge of geography and navigation among the Europeans. The invention of navigational devices such as Compass and the Astrolobe equipped the sailors to negotiate the turbulent sea voyages. Astrolabe is an instrument used at that time, for measuring the altitude of the sun, stars and other heavenly bodies. This as well as compass and accurate geographical maps provided incentives to the sailors to undertake long sea voyages. Many European kings and queens encouraged the adventurous navigators to discover new sea routes to India.

THE PORTUGUESE
Portugal was the first country to launch voyages across the sea. The Portuguese navigator, Vasco-da-Gama reached the coast of Calicut in 1498 after a voyage of ten and a half months and obtained permission to trade from the King Zamorin. Francisco Almeida was appointed as the Viceroy of Portuguese possessions in India. He built a strong navy to keep the Arabs out of the Arabian Sea. The Portuguese navy defeated the combined naval force of the Egyptians, the Zamorin
and the king of Gujarat in 1509 near Diu which turned the Indian ocean for the next century into a Portuguese Sea. Alfonso-de-Albuquerque came to India in 1509 and strengthened the foundation of the Portuguese rule in India. He conquered Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur in 1510 and made it a colony of the Portuguese. They also established their footholds in Diu and Daman in Gujarat, Salsette, Bassein near Bombay in Maharashtra, San Thome near Madras and Hughly in Bengal.

DECLINE OF THE PORTUGUESE
Inspite of these early success, the Portuguese failed to establish their power in India. The successors of Albuquerque were inefficient and the administration became corrupt. They neglected trade and involved themselves in politics and came in conflict with Indian rulers. The Marathas threw them out of Bassein. The Mughuls also forced them to vacate Hughly in 1632. Except the footholds like Goa, Diu and Daman, they lost the other territories in India. The Portuguese were religious bigots. Their religious policy of conversion forced an exodus of people from Goa. Portugal is a small country, as a result it lacked both economic resources and man power to maintain a far flung empire in India. Finally in 1580 Portugal lost its own independent existence as it merged with Spain.

RESULTS: The advent of the Portuguese paved the way for the increased trade links between Europe and India. Indian goods like textiles, rice and spices gained
a wider market in Europe. The crops of American origin like tobacco, groundnut,
onions, chillies, maize, potato and cashewnut were introduced into India, which
brought about a radical change in Indian agriculture. European architecture was
introduced into India in the form of the new buildings and the Churches. The first
printing machine was brought to Goa by the Portuguese.

THE DUTCH
The Dutch East India Company was established in Holland in 1602. In India they opened a factory at Masulipatam in 1605. This was followed by setting up of factories at Pulicat (1606), Surat (1616), Cochin and Basrur near Kundapur. They also traded with the towns in Bihar and Bengal. Later they closed their trading
centres in India and concentrated their trading interests in the Islands of the South East Asia.

THE ENGLISH
The English East India Company secured a charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1600. Sir Thomas Roe was appointed as the English ambassador at the Mughal court. He secured permission from the Mughal Emperor Jahangir to establish trading centres at Ahmedabad, Broach, Agra, Kasimbazar, Calcutta and Dacca.In 1661, a Portuguese princess married Charles II of England. The Portuguese presented the marshy island of Bombay to the prince as a part of the dowry. In 1668, the prince handed over the island to the East India Company. In the course of time Bombay grew into a town and a prominent centre of the English on the West Coast. The company got the privilege of trade free of tax, in the provinces of Hyderabad, Bengal and Gujarat from the Mughal Emperor in return for payment of rupees three thousand per annum to the emperor.

THE FRENCH
The French East India Company was established in 1664. They set up their trading centres at Pondicherry, Chandranagar, Masulipattanam. Dupleix, who came to India in 1741, played a prominent part in the expansion of the French influence
in India. He was a talented and ambitious politician, who paid more attention
politics than trade. He was the first French Governor who planned to create a French empire in India. When the English and the French came in conflict with each other in Carnatic for the first time, its political condition was in a fluid state. The Marathas attacked the Carnatic in 1740, killed its Nawab Dost Ali and took his son-in-law, Chanda Shaeb as prisoner. The son and the successor of Dost Ali, Safdar Ali was soon murdered. Under these conditions the Nizam of Hyderabad attacked Carnatic and placed the minor son of Safdar Ali, Sayed Mohammed on the throne and appointed Anwaruddin as his regent. Soon the minor son was also murdered and Anwaruddin became the Nawab of Carnatic. Howerver, he too was not secure as the family members of Dost Ali opposed Anwaruddin.

THE FIRST CARNATIC WAR 1746-48
The war of Austrian succession began in 1740 in which the French and the
English were rivals in Europe. This war had its repercussion in India too. As the
English had a strong navy, they destroyed the French ships in the Indian Ocean.
The French Governor, Dupleix at Pondicherry captured Madras from the English.
The English requested the nawab Anwaruddin to help them regain Madras. The
Nawab ordered the French to vacate Madras. Dupleix turned down this order. The
Nawab laid seize to Madras, but was defeated by Dupleix.
The English tried to capture Pondicherry. In the mean time the War in Europe
ended with the Treaty of Paris. This resulted in peace between the English and the
French in India. The English regained Madras.

THE SECOND CARNATIC WAR 1749-54
The cause of the Second Carnatic war was the interference of the English and
the French in the politics of the native rulers with a view to enhance their political
power and area of influence. The English took the first step in this direction. Shahji,
a dispossessed claimant to the throne of Tanjavur sought the support of the English
against its ruler Pratap Singh. In return the English were promised the city of
Devikottai. The English attacked Tanjavur but failed to capture it. Pratap Singh
made peace with the English and not only gave them Devikottai but also its
adjourning territories yielding an annual income of thirty six thousand rupees.
Shahji was given shelter in Madras with a pension of rupees four thousand a year.
The French got a better opportunity when the Nizam of Hyderabad died in
1748. His son Nasir Jung the grand son Muzaffar Jung began a war of succession.
Muzaffar Jung approached the Marathas, there he met Chanda Saheb. Both made
a common cause and approached Dupleix for support. Dupleix paid a ransom to
the Marathas and obtained the release of Chanda Saheb.
Chanda Saheb along with the French and the Muzaffar Jung attacked Carnatic
and killed the Nawab Anwaruddin and forced his son Muhammad Ali to seek shelter
in the fort of Tiruchirapalli. The British supported Nasir Jung and Muhammad Ali
and defeated the combined forces of Muzafar Jung, Chanda Saheb and the French.
Soon Nasir Jung was murdered and Muzaffar Jung became the Nizam of Hyderbad.
The new Nizam supported Chanda Saheb's siege of Tiruchirapalli. Robert Clive
a young clerk in the service of the English East India Company attacked and
captured Arcot. Chanda Saheb fled to Tanjavur where he was murdered.
The Second Carnatic war remained inconclusive even though both the English
and the French gained substantial territories. The English remained powerful in the
Carnatic whereas the French were successful in retaining their influence in
Hyderabad.

THE THIRD CARNATIC WAR 1758-63
The Seven Years' War (1756-63) broke out in Europe in 1756 between the
English and the French. The French sent Count de Lally to India as Governor, with
instructions to suppress the English. He conquered Fort St. David on the East Coast
from the English and planned to lay siege to Madras. He summoned Bussy who
was a French commander at Hyderabad to facilitate this siege. The British took
advantage of this to end the French influence in Hyderabad. The English army led
by Eyre Coote and the French army led by Bussy fought at Wandiwash near
Pondicherry in 1760. The French lost the battle and Bussy was taken captive. In
1761 Count de Lally surrendered to the British at Pondicherry. But the Seven Years'
war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The French got back few of their
possessions like Pondicherry and Chandranagar. However this war ended the
French influence in India.

CAUSES FOR THE FAILURE OF THE FRENCH IN INDIA: The Carnatic wars
reduced the French from being a major contender to the power and influence into
a minor holder of small colonies like Pondicherry, Mahe and Chandranagar in India.
The causes are (1) The French neglected trade and concentrated on politics, as
a result, they were always short of resources required for the wars. The English
on the other hand concentrated on trade and involved in politics only to protect their
trade. So the English had necessary resources to fall back on in times of wars. (2)
The French did not secure complete support from their home government on account
of political turmoil. The French company was more or less a government company.
The English had the support of their home government as England had political
stability. Moreover, the English company was a private company, hence it could take
independent decisions in accordance with the changing situations. (3) The English
navy was superior to the French navy, both in terms of leadership and equipment.
The English officers cooperated with each other and placed the company's interests
ahead of their own personal interests. The French officers on the other hand quarrelled
among themselves and were uncooperative with each other. Duplex was shrewd
and ambitious but Robert Clive was a better judge of circumstances and unorthodox
in his approach towards war and politics. On account of these differences, the
French lost the battles, while the English were victorious.

EXPANSION OF THE BRITISH POWER IN INDIA
The English had obtained permission from the Mughal emperor to trade in
Bengal without paying any duty. The English were authorized to issue ‘dastak‘ or
permit for continuing such a free trade. This facility was being misused by the
Company’s servants for their personal benefit. This was a financial loss to the
Nawab of Bengal who was a Viceroy of the Mughal Emperor.
Siraj-Ud-Daula angered many within his administration on account of his
autocratic ways. He dismissed Rai Durlab from the post of the treasurer and Mir
Jafar from the post of Mir Bakshi. Jagat Seth, the biggest banker of Bengal was
disrespected and Khadim Khan the commander of Nawab's troops was also unhappy.
Secondly, the English had given shelter to some of the subjects like Krishna
Ballabh son of Rai Ballabh hence they incurred the displeasure of the Nawab. The
Nawab, Siraj-ud-Daulah asked the English not to harbour such subjects and
demanded the surrender of those seeking English protection. But they did not pay
heed to his order. The Company tried to fortify their factory at Calcutta without the
permission of the Nawab. The Nawab, enraged, captured Qasim Bazar and Fort
William from the English (1756). This shocked the English. They decided to retaliate.
Robert Clive reached Calcutta from Madras with an army and recaptured Fort
William.
The army of the English met the Nawab at Plassey on 23rd June, 1757. The
major part of the Nawab's army, led by Mir Jafar and Rai Durlab took no part in
the battle. Siraj-Ud-Daula was killed. Mir Jafar became the Nawab of Bengal. The
English secured the Zamindari rights for the Twenty-four Pargana region in Bengal
and got a firm footing in Bengal.
Mir Jafar was a puppet in the hands of the English. When he tried to assert
his position, he was opposed by the English. Diwan Rai Durlab and Naib Diwan
Ram Narain continued to enjoy their posts even against his wishes. In the meantime
Robert Clive left for England and this sealed the fate of Mir Jafar. The English
displaced Mir Jafar and made his son-in-law Mir Qasim, as the Nawab in 1760. He
surrendered Burdwan, Midnapur and Chitttagong districts to the British.

THE BATTLE OF BUXAR - 1764
Mir Kasim fulfilled the demands of the English, but asserted his legal rights as the Nawab and refused to remain a puppet in the hands of the English. The
Company officials used to sell the Dastaks (free passes) given to the Company to
Indian merchants and also use them for their own private trade. This resulted in
the decline of state's income. Mir Kasim opposed this. The Company dethroned Mir
Kasim and brought back Mir Jafar as the Nawab.
But Mir Kasim aligned himself with the Nawab of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daulah, and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. They challenged the English at Buxar
(1764) and the English Commander Hector Munro defeated the combined army.
This helped the English to secure the regions of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
In 1765, Robert Clive came back as Governor of East India Company. He
entered into the Treaty of Allahabad with Emperor Shah Alam II and Shuja-ud-
Daulah of Awadh. They became allies of the English. Shah Alam II granted the
Company the right of ‘Diwani‘ or the power of collecting revenue from Bengal, Bihar
and Orissa. Thus Clive became the Governor of Bengal and introduced the Dual
government. According to this system the Company collected the revenue and the
Nawab looked after the overall administration and also the administration of justice.
This enabled the British to collect the taxes without being responsible for the
administration.

EXERCISES
I Answer each of the following questions in a word or a sentence:
1. Where did the Portuguese establish their trading centres?
2. How could the English secure Arcot in the second Carnatic war?
3. Mention any three trading centres of the English in India.
4. Why did the English dethrone Mir Kasim?
II Answer each of the following questions in two to three sentences :
1. What made the Europeans discover sea routes to India?
2. What were the causes for the decline of the Portuguese?
3. Mention any two impacts of the Portuguese contacts on India?
4. Trace the course of the first Carnatic war.
5. What does dual government mean? Who introduced it?
6. Who fought the battle of Plassey? What were its results?
III. Answer each of the following questions in five to six sentences :
1. Give reasons for the decline of the French in India.
2. What were the causes and course of the Battle of Plassey?
3. Explain the events leading to the battle of Buxar and mention its results.
IV Activities :
1. Draw a map of India and mark the early settlements of the Portuguese, Dutch and the
English on it
2. Mark on the map spots where wars took place between the French and the English in the
South India?
3. Visit Mumbai, Chennai, Goa and Pondicherry and see the monuments left by the English,
the Portuguese and the French.
Note: Recently the important cities of India have been renamed as, Bombay=Mumbai, Calcutta=Kolkota,
Madras=Channai and Poona=Pune.
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