Category 2 · Modern History
Advent of the Europeans in India
13 micro topics in Modern History for UPSC Prelims, in book order: Discovery of the Sea Route and the Portuguese Entry into India; Portuguese State and Administration in India; and 11 more.
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2.1
Discovery of the Sea Route and the Portuguese Entry into India
The Portuguese reached India by sea in May 1498, when Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut. The search for a direct route came after the Ottomans took Constantinople in 1453 and Arab traders controlled the trade…
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2.2
Portuguese State and Administration in India
The Estado da India was the Portuguese state in India: a string of coastal forts, ports and settlements from Goa to Hooghly, ruled by a viceroy who served three years, with captains and factors running the…
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2.3
Decline of the Portuguese and Their Significance
The Portuguese lost favour with the Mughals after the English arrived at Surat in 1608 and lost Hooghly in 1632. By the eighteenth century they had lost their commercial influence, but they brought naval power, cannon,…
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2.4
The Dutch in India: Settlements, Anglo-Dutch Rivalry and Decline
The Dutch East India Company was formed in 1602 and set up its first Indian factory at Masulipatnam in 1605. It traded in textiles, indigo, saltpetre and opium, fell out with the English at Amboyna in…
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2.5
The English East India Company: Charter of 1600 and the Early Factories
On 31 December 1600 Queen Elizabeth I gave a charter of exclusive trade to the Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies. The company turned to India for textiles and set…
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2.6
Progress of the English Company in the Seventeenth Century
In the seventeenth century the English Company gained Bombay as a dowry, the Golden Farman of Golconda, Madras, a fortified settlement in Bengal and, in the Farrukhsiyar farmans, the privileges called its Magna Carta. In 1708…
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2.7
The French in India: Foundation of French Centres
The French were the last Europeans to come to India to trade. Colbert founded the Compagnie des Indes Orientales in 1664, and Pondicherry, founded in 1674 under Francois Martin, became the nerve centre of French power…
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2.8
First and Second Carnatic Wars
The First Carnatic War (1740-48) was an extension of the European war of the Austrian Succession, in which the French took Madras in 1746. In the Second Carnatic War (1749-54) Dupleix and Clive fought through Indian…
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2.9
Third Carnatic War and the Treaty of Paris
The Third Carnatic War (1758-63) was the Indian side of the Seven Years' War. Eyre Coote's victory at Wandiwash on 22 January 1760 and the fall of Pondicherry in 1761 ended French political power in India,…
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2.10
Dupleix, Clive and the Anglo-French Struggle: A Comparison
Joseph Francois Dupleix, the French governor at Pondicherry, was the first European to use Indian succession quarrels for political power. Robert Clive turned that method against him. The English won because of private enterprise, naval strength,…
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2.11
The Danes and Other European Companies in India
The Danish East India Company, founded in 1616, set up a factory at Tranquebar in 1620 and a main settlement at Serampore. The Danes sold their Indian possessions to the British in 1845. All the European…
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2.12
Why the English Succeeded Against Other European Powers
By the end of the eighteenth century England had become the most powerful European power in India. The reasons include naval superiority, the Industrial Revolution, disciplined armies, stable government, less religious zeal and the use of…
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2.13
Structure and Nature of the European Trading Companies
The English East India Company was a private company run by an elected board of directors and influential shareholders. The French and Portuguese companies were largely owned by the State, and the Dutch company had state-like…
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Frequently asked questions
Which topics are in Advent of the Europeans in India?
Advent of the Europeans in India has 13 micro topics in Modern History: Discovery of the Sea Route and the Portuguese Entry into India; Portuguese State and Administration in India; Decline of the Portuguese and Their Significance; The Dutch in India: Settlements, Anglo-Dutch Rivalry and Decline; The English East India Company: Charter of 1600 and the Early Factories; Progress of the English Company in the Seventeenth Century; The French in India: Foundation of French Centres; First and Second Carnatic Wars; Third Carnatic War and the Treaty of Paris; Dupleix, Clive and the Anglo-French Struggle: A Comparison; The Danes and Other European Companies in India; Why the English Succeeded Against Other European Powers; Structure and Nature of the European Trading Companies.
Is Advent of the Europeans in India important for UPSC Prelims?
Advent of the Europeans in India is a part of the UPSC Prelims Modern History syllabus map on MaargX UPSC. Each of its 13 published topics has key terms, a Mains angle and practice questions.