THE PORTUGUESE 1498

➤➤In 1498, Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese voyager, became

the first European to discover the sea route to India.
➤➤He arrived at Calicut on 27 May 1498 and was given a
warm reception by the Hindu ruler king Zamorin of Calicut.
➤➤Francisco-de-Almeida (1505-1509A.D.) – He was the
First viceroy of the Portuguese in India.
➤➤Alfonso-De-Albuquerque (1509-1515A.D.) – Albuquerque was the second
viceroy of the Portuguese in India.
He captured Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur in 1510 and made it the capital.

THE DUTCH 1602

➤➤The Dutch people of Holland founded the Dutch East India Company
in 1602.
➤➤They established their first factory in Masulipatnam (1605), followed
by factories in Pulicat (1610), Surat (1616).
➤➤In 1619, they were granted permission by the Mughal emperor
Jahangir to trade at Surat on the west coast and Hoogly in the east.
➤➤The Dutch supremacy ended with their defeat at the hands of the
English in the Battle of Bedara in 1759.
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THE ENGLISH 1600 ( 1608)

➤➤In 1600, the English East India Company was established through
a charter signed by Queen Elizabeth I.
➤➤In 1608, King James I of England sent Captain William Hawkins to
the court of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir to obtain permission to
establish a factory at Surat, but was denied any trading rights.
➤➤In 1619, when Sir Thomas Roe visited the court, they were
allowed to set up their first factory in Surat.

In 1700, they fortified the factory at Sutanati and named it Fort

William.
➤➤Charles II the king of England married Catherine the daughter
of the king of Portugal and got Bombay, as a part of dowry

THE DANISH 1620

➤➤In 1616, the East India Company of Denmark reached Indian
coasts and established settlements in Tranquebar in Tamil Nadu
(1620) and Serampore in Bengal (1676).

THE FRENCH 1664

➤➤The French East India Company was established in 1664 by Colbert, the
minister of Louis XIV, the king of France.
➤➤They set up their factories at Surat in 1668 and Masulipatnam in 1669.
➤➤In 1674 they got a place to the south of Madras from the ruler of Tanjore and
laid the foundation of Pondicherry, which became the headquarters of the French
settlements in India.
➤➤In 1690 they established their settlement at Chandranagore.
➤➤During 1742, the French Governor Dupleix started repulsing English power,
which resulted in the Carnatic wars and eventually the defeat of the French.