HISTORY
UNIT
– 1
ADVENT
OF EUROPEANS TO INDIA
|
In
this unit you learn: • The trade and commerce relationship
India had with Europeans • The arrival of Europeans to India for
trade • The Carnatic wars in the backdrop of
European political developments. • Battle of Plassey, Battle of Buxar
and Dual-Government system • The British policy of aggression |
There were trade and
commerce relations between India and Europe since ancient times. There was
great demand for Indian spices like pepper, cardamom, ginger and many other
spices in Europe. The trade relations between India, Europe and other Asian
countries continued even during the Middle Ages. The Arab merchants carried
Asian merchandise into Constantinople of Eastern Roman (Byzantium) Empire.
Italian merchants would buy these goods and then sell them in European
countries. Constantinople was thus the center of international trade and was
considered as the ‘Gateway of European Trade’. While Arab merchants had gained
monopoly over the trade in Asian countries, Italian traders had gained monopoly
over trade in Europe. The merchandise from Asia brought good profits to Italian
merchants.
The fall of Constantinople:
The trade and commerce between Asia and Europe was taking place through the
city of Constantinople. In 1453, the Ottoman Turks captured the city of
Constantinople. As a result, all the trade routes connecting the city of
Constantinople came under the control of Turks. The Turks started levying too
many taxes on the goods passing through these routes. As a result, trade became
unprofitable. Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal were attempting to break the
monopoly of Italian traders. They started encouraging enterpresing sailors to
find a new sea route to India. The invention of compass, astrolabes, and
gunpowder provided further impetus to this venture.
A new sea route to India:
Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese sailor left Lisbon and reached Kappadu near Calicut
on the West coast of India in 1498. thus he was successful in discovering a new
sea route to India.
This route continued to be
the route of trade between India and Europe for many years. the Portuguese were
thus the first to re-establish trade between India and Europe.
|
Know
this: In 1869, a huge canal called Suez
Canal. was built in Egypt to connect the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Until
the building of Suez Canal, the sea route discovered by Vasco da Gama was the
route used for trade between India and Europe. The ships had to pass the Cape
of Good Hope, the southernmost tip of Africa, to reach India. The distance
between Mumbai and London through Cape of Good Hope was10,800 nautical miles
(1 nautical mile = 1.85 KMS),whila it was only 6,200 nautical miles through
Suez Canal. the distance was reduced by almost one-half |
European Trade Companies:
With the success of the Portuguese, the Dutch,
French and the English arrived in India for trade. This development not only
changed the history of India, it also changed the history of European
countries.
Portuguese:
The Portuguese were the first to arrive in India for trade and were also the
last to leave India by the sea route. After Vasco da Gama, Francisco de Almeida
arrived in India as the Viceroy of the Portuguese. He implemented ‘Blue Water
Policy’ in order to establish the supremacy over the sea instead of supremacy
over land. Alfonso de Albuquerque, who came after Almeida, is considered as the
real founder of Portuguese Empire in India. He waged a battle against the
Sultan of Bijapur in 1510 and won Goa. Goa became the administrative centre of
the Portuguese administration in India. The Portuguese had absolute monopoly
over trade with India for almost a century but their power declined with the
arrival of English and French in India.
Dutch:
Dutch are from Holland or Netherlands. They established United East India
Company in 1602 with the aim of doing business with eastern countries and came
to countries like India, Java, Sumatra, Indonesia. They established warehouses
in Surat, Broach, Cambe, Cochin, Nagapatinam, Masulipatanam and Chinsura and
other places in India. With this they broke the monopoly of Portuguese in
India. Later, unable to face competition from the English and the French, the
Dutch limited themselves to the Spice Islands in Indonasia
|
Know
this: The Warehouses were places for
storing merchandise. Huge walls were built around these warehouses to provide
protection. |
English: On
31st December 1600, Queen Elizabeth issued a royal charter authorizing the East
India Company to trade with Eastern countries for fifteen years. The company
started the business formally in 1613. The Mughal Emperor Jahangir issued a
royal permission to English to establish their first warehouse or factory at
Surat. In 1617, Sir Thomas Roe arrived at the court of Jahangir as the royal
ambassador from the court of James I. He sought permission from Jahangir to
establish factories in other places of Mughal Empire. The English established
factories at Agra, Ahmedabad and Broach. In 1639, the English took Madras from
the King of Chandragiri and established a strong fort named St. George Fort.
Later, Charles II, the Prince of England, gave Bombay on an annual rent of ten
pounds to East India Company in 1668. In 1690, the English purchased three
villages namely Sutanauti, Kalikata and Govindapura on the banks of Hooghly
River and built Fort William. The city of Calcutta grew around this fort. By
the17th century, the English had established Bombay, Madras and Calcutta as the
centers of their Presidencies. By the later part of 18th century, the English
made Calcutta their capital city. They implemented their own civil and criminal
procedure codes in the areas that were under their control.
French:
The French East India Company started as a government owned company in 1664. It
started its first factory at Surat in the year 1668. Later they established its
factories in Machalipatinam, Chandernagore, Mahe, Karaikal, Cassimbazar,
Balasore. In 1674, the French took Valikandapuram from a local Muslim official
and developed it as a major trade center. Later it came to be known as
Puducheri or Pondichery. Dupleix, who arrived (1746) in Pondicherry as the
Governor General of the French had the high ambitions of establishing the
French as a major power in South India. This ambition led to the Carnatic wars
with the English.
The Competition between
English and French
The Portuguese and the Dutch had withdrawn
from India unable to withstand the competition from French and English by 18th
century. Finally, French and English resorted to show of strength in order to
establish their political supremacy over India. Meanwhile, political in Instability
arosed in the regions of Hyderabad and Carnatic (Eastern part of Tamil Nadu)
and both the English and French tried to exploit the situation in their favour.
This led to three Carnatic Wars.
|
Know
this
Hyderabad Kingdom was established in 1724 by Asaf Jha. His
feudatory Dost Ali who was ruling Carnatic region was not loyal to him. The
Marathas killed Dost Ali in 1740 and looted Carnatic and imprisoned his
son-in-law Chandasheb in Satara. Asaf Jha named Anwaruddin as the Nawab of
Carnatic in the place of Dost Ali. |
First
Carnatic War (1746-48):
On
the request of Dupleix, La Bourdonnais, a French military leader from Mauritius
invaded Madras and captured it. This forced the helpless British to request the
help of Anwaruddin, the Nawab of Carnatic. The army sent by Anwaruddin failed
to defeat the French at Madras. Finally, La Bourdonnais took money from the
English and returned Madras and went back to Mauritius. This enraged Dupleix
and attempted to take Madras but failed. Finally, the war ended with a treaty
in Europe between France and England called‘Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle’.
|
Know
this: The Nizam of Hyderabad, Asaf Jha
died in 1748. A tussle started between his son Nasir Jung and his daughter’s
son Muzaffar Jung for the throne. On the other hand, a fight had broken out
between Chandasaheb(who was released from the Maratha prison) and Anwaruddin
in Carnatic. The French extended their support to Muzaffar Jung in Hyderbad
and Chandasaheb in Carnatic. The English extended their support to Nasir Jung
and Anwaruddin. In 1749, the combined forces of French,
Chandasaheb and Muzaffar Jung defeated Anwaruddin and killed him in the
battle of Ambur. As a result Chandsaheb became the ruler of Carnatic.
Mahammad Ali, son of Anwaruddin, stayed at Tiruchanapalli with the help of
the English. In Hyderabad, Muzaffar Jung became the Nizam by killing Nasir
Jung with the help of French and Chandasaheb. He was killed after a few days.
The French made Salabath Jung, another son of Asaf Jha as the Nizam of
Hyderabad. |
Second
Carnatic War (1749-1754):
In the changed circumstances, French made
Salabath Jung, another son of Asaf Jha as the Nizam of Hyderabad. An officer
named Bussy was stationed in Hyderabad for his protection by the French. In the
Carnatic Chandasaheb had become the Nawab with the help of French Robert Clive
of East India Company attacked Arcot, the capital city of Carnatic and defeated
Chandsaheb. Chandsaheb was imprisoned and later killed in the war. In the place
of Chandsaheb, the English named Mohammad Ali, the son of Anwaruddin, as the
Nawab of Carnatic. The second Carnatic war ended with the Treaty of
Pondicherry. the French recalled Dupleix. This war brought laurels to English,
while French suffered a political setback.
Third
Carnatic War (1756-1763):
Count de Lally of the French attempted to
besiege Wandiwash in 1760. In this decisive battle, Sir Eyre Coote of the
English army defeated the French and imprisoned Bussy. Lally escaped and hide
in Pondicherry. Finally, Eyre Coote attacked Pondicherry and Lally had to
surrender unconditionally in 1761. The French lost all their bases in India due
to the Carnatic wars. In spite of this, as per the ‘Treaty of Paris’ signed in
1763, Pondicherry was returned to French. With these developments, the French
lost their importance in India. In this way, the English by defeating all their
rivals, started consolidating their power in Southern India.
|
Know
this: Robert
Clive: Robert Clive, who laid the firm
foundation of the British power in India, had joined the East India Company
as clerk. He played a decisive role in the Carnatic wars, particularly in the
siege of Arcot and played a prominent role in the British victory. He was
successful in establishing the British rule over South India and was
instrumental in Bengal victory also. After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, he gained
control over the Nawab of Bengal also. Clive amassed immense wealth in all
these ventures and helped the East India Company to earn more profit. Clive
returned to England with immense wealth and became a Member of Parliament.
With the return of Clive to England, the East India Company started facing
losses in its business. Even though there were many allegations against
Clive, the British government had to resend Clive to India to save the
company and also save the face of the country The British won the battle of Buxar and
earned back its respect. Clive was successful in securing the Dewani rights
for the British over Bengal, Bihar and Odisha regions. This brought more
wealth to Robert Clive and to East India Company as well. Dupleix: Dupleix was named the Governor General of
French regions in India in 1742. He dreamt of achieving French hegemony over
India and entered into treaties with the local kings. Hyder Ali was also
trained in the army of locals raised by Dupleix. The British considered Dupleix
as a formidable challenge to them. Hence, we notice clashes between the
French and the British to gain supremacy over the Carnatic and Deccan
Plateau. Dupleix played an important role in the First Carnatic War in 1746.
The rivalry between the French and the British continued till 1754. Later,
the French government recalled Dupleix as it wanted peace. |
The
British Rule in India
After gaining political control over South
India, the British tried to gain control over the rich Bengal province in the
later part of 18th century. The Bengal province had achieved tremendous growth
in the areas of agriculture, commerce and industry. The East India Company was
making considerable profits from this province. The Dastaks (Licence) issued by
the Mughal ruler Faruk Siar were the main reasons for this. But, these Dastaks
that were limited to the company transactions were misused by the individual
officers of the company too. This resulted in huge loss to the Bengal
government. Hence, all Nawabs from Murashid Ali Khan to Ali Wardhikhan opposed
such misuse. This led to confrontation between the Nawabs and the Company. This
resulted in two crucial wars which charted a decisive course to Indian history.
Plassey and Buxar were those two wars.
|
Know
this:
Dastak - a license that can ensure anyone to import and export without
paying any tax and transport goods anywhere. |
Battle
of Plassey (1757): Ali Wardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal died in
1756. His grandson Siraj-ud-Daula came to the throne. The Battle of Plassey
took place between the young Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah and the British in 1757.
Reasons:
1.
Misuse of Dastaks: Siraj ud-Daulah was furious that the
Dastaks were misused by the officials of the company causing losses to the
government treasury.
2.
Mending of the fort without permission: The British repaired the
fort of Calcutta and placed canons in them. This further angered Siraj-ud-Daula
and he ordered the removal of the canons from the fort. The British refused to
do so, angering the Nawab further.
3.
Black Room Tragedy: Siraj ud-Daulah conquered Fort William
easily and imprisoned some of Britishers. He imprisoned 146 Englishmen in a
small room in the fort, of which 123 died. This is called as the Black hole
Tragedy. This enraged Robert Clive and arrived in Bengal with a huge army.
Robert
Clive attracted rich locals like Manikchand, Omichand, Jagath Seth and others
towards him. He was successful in convincing Mir Jaffar, the military head of
Siraj-ud-Daula to stay neutral in the battle by offering him the post of Nawab
of Bengal. Encouraged by these developments, Robert Clive declared war against
Siraj-ud-Daula in 1757. Everything went according to the plan of Clive.
Siraj-ud-Daula who tried to escape from the battlefield, was captured and
killed.
Outcome:
1. This war brought out the
immorality, lack of unity among the Indians and the greed of Indian businessmen.
2.
Mir Jaffar became the Nawab of Bengal.
3.
The company gained exclusive rights to trade in Bengal.
4. Mir Jaffar had to pay
Rupees seventeen crores and seventy lakhs to Sirja-ud-Daulah as war indemnity for the
attack of Fort William.
In
a nutshell, Mir Jaffar became a victim of the company and its employees.
Eventhough the treasury went bankrupt due to this greedy nature, the greediness
of the company and its officials was never satisfied. The British projected Mir
Jaffar as an inefficient Nawab and brought in his nephew Mir Qasim as the new
Nawab
Battle of Buxar (1764):
Mir Qasim was an efficient administrator. In the beginning he remained loyal to
the company. He paid two lakh pounds to the company and gave away a few places
to it. Shortly afterwards, he declared himself an independent King. After
verifying the misuse of Dastaks, he declared all business was dutyfree in
Bengal. Indians competed against the British in all spheres of business. As a
result, the British trade suffered considerably. This was enough for the
British to oppose the Nawab. They brought in Mir Jaffar again and dethroned Mir
Qasim. As Mir Qasim knew the cunningness of the British, he went for an organized
war against them. He was supported by Indian merchants and artisans. Mir Qasim
entered into agreements with the Mughal ruler Shah Alam-II and Nawab of Awadh
‘Shuja-ud-daula’. The combined forces of Mir Qasim faced the British army led
by Hector Munro at Buxar in 1764. Mir Qasim was defeated and ran away from the
battlefield. Shah Alam-II surrendered. The efforts of the combined forces to
stop the British failed miserably.
Outcomes:
1.
Shah Alam-II accorded the Dewani rights over Bengal to the British.
2.
Shah Alam-II gave away all the rights over Bengal to the British for an annual
fee of Rupees 26 lakhs.
3.
The Nawab of Awadh had to pay a fine of Rupees 50 lakhs for waging a war
against the company.
4.
With the death of Mir Jaffar, the company paid pension to his son and took over
the entire administration of Bengal.
|
Know
this: Diwani Right: The right to collect land
taxes |
The battle of Buxar made
the British the real holders of power over Bihar, Bengal and Odisha provinces.
Even Awadh remained under their control. In 1765, Robert Clive brought in
‘Dual-government’. As per this, the British had the right to collect land
taxes, whereas the Nawab had power over administrative issues like justice and
others. this way, the British gained political control over India to protect
their business interests
|
Know
this: 1600 – The East India Company was
established 1602 – United East India Company was
established in Netherlands 1619 – The Mughal emperor Jahangir
issued a royal charter allowing the British
to conduct trade in Surat, on the west coast
and in Hooghly on the east coast. 1639 – The English established their
first warehouse in Surat . 1664 – The French East India Company
was established in France. |
EXERCISES
I. Complete the following
blanks with suitable answers:
1.
In 1453, the Ottoman Turks occupied ……………………...….
2.
The sea route between India and Europe was discovered by …………………..
3.
The capital of French in India was …………………….
4.
In 1757, Robert Clive declared …………………… battle over Siraja -ud-Daulah.
5.
The Dewani rights over Bengal were handed over to the British by …………….
6.
The dual government policy was implemented by ………………… in Bengal.
II. Discuss in groups and
answer the following questions:
1.
How did trade take place between India and Europe during Middle Ages?
2.
Discuss the causes that resulted in the discovery of a new sea route to India.
3.
List the Europeans who came to India for trade.
4.
Explain the Second Carnatic War.
5.
State the causes and results of battle of Plassey .
6.
What were the results of the Battle of Buxar?
III. Activity:
Collect
information on the Presidency cities built by the British.
*****
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