MODERN INDIAN HISTORY
Early Europeans explored sea
routes to India, for the purpose of trade. Main pioneers were the Portuguese(Portugal).
Vasco da Gama, was the first one to discover the sea route to India, in 1498
and he reached Calicut(Kerala) (present Kozhikode). After Portuguese(Portugal),
the Dutch(Netherlands), the English, the Danes and the French came to India.
Ultimately, it was the French and English who continued to remain in power in
India. These foreign traders started attaining political power with the decline
of the Mughal Empire.
THE ADVENT OF THE EUROPEANS
India was termed as Land of
Great Opportunities by Shakespeare. Also, it was called as land of desires by
Hegel. Three trade routes were there until 15th Century and they were- Caspian
Sea and Black Sea via Central Asia, Mediterranean Sea via Syria and the Red Sea
via Egypt.
THE DUTCH(NETHERLANDS)
Ø Dutch(Netherlands) merchants came to India in
1595.
Ø The Dutch(Netherlands) East
India Company was formed by a charter of Dutch(Netherlands) Parliament, in
March, 1602.
Ø Few trading depots were established
at Surat, Cambay and Ahmedabad.
Ø They became a dominant European trading power
in India at one point of time by defeating Portuguese(Portugal).
Ø Their main centre in India
was Pulicat, which was later on replaced by Nagapattinam.
Ø The English started to
become big colonial power in India by the 17th century.
Ø
Dutch(Netherlands) kept on losing their settlements one by one during
Anglo-Dutch(Netherlands) rivalry which lasted for 70 years.
The Dutch(Netherlands) factories in India:
(a)
1605-Masulipatnam
(b)
1610-Pulicat
(c)
1616-Surat(Gujrat)
(d)
1641-Bimlipatam
(e)
1645-Karaikal
(f)
1653-Chinsurah
(g)
1658-Kasimbazar, Baranagore, Patna, Balasore, Nagapattinam
(h)
1663-Cochin(Kerala)
Ø
In 1759, in the Battle of Bedara, the Dutch(Netherlands) got
finally defeated by the British.
Factors behind decline of Portuguese(Portugal) and Dutch(Netherlands)
Companies
Portuguese(Portugal)
1
Albuquerque had an inefficient successor.
2.
Portuguese(Portugal) administration got corrupt.
3.
Their intolerance towards religion.
4.
New rivals, such as the Dutch(Netherlands), the French and the British.
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