What concessions did the European traders get from the Indian rulers in the early 17th century?
Answers
Answer:
Between the middle of the 16th century and the middle of the 18th century India’s overseas trade steadily expanded.
This was due to the trading activities of the various European companies which came to India during this period. India had commercial relations with the western countries from time immemorial.
The Portuguese:
The Portuguese under the leadership of Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut on the 17th May, 1498 and were received warmly by the Hindu ruler of Calicut bearing the hereditary title of Zamorin. Profits of goods brought by Vasco da Gama to Portugal were 60 times cost of the entire expedition to India.
Portuguese settlements in India:
The successors of Albuquerque established settlements at Diu, Daman, Salsette, Bassein, Chaul and Bombay, San Thome near Madras and Hugli in Bengal. In 1534, the Portuguese secured permission from the Sultan of Bengal to build factories at Satgaon (called Porto Piqueno, little port) and Chittagong (Porto Grande, great port.)
Decline of the Portuguese:
The Portuguese monopoly of the Indian Ocean remained unbroken till 1595 but gradually lost many of the her settlements in India. Shah Jahan captured Hugli in 1632. In 1661, the king of Portugal gave Bombay as dowry to Charles II of England when he married Catherine of Braganza, the sister of Portuguese king.
The Dutch:
With a view to get direct access to the spice markets in South-East Asia, the Dutch undertook several voyages from 1596 and eventually formed the Dutch East India Company or the Vereenigde ost-lndische Companies (VOC) in 1602. It was granted an exclusive right to trade with India and East Indies and vested with powers of attack and conquest by the state.
Anglo-Dutch Rivalry:
The Dutch rivalry with the English, during the 17th century was more bitter than that of the Portuguese. By the beginning of the 18th century the Dutch power in India began to decline. Their final collapse came with their defeat by the English in the battle of Bedara in 1759. The expulsion of the Dutch from their possessions in India by the British came in 1795.
The English:
In 1599, John Mildenhall, a merchant adventurer of London came to India by the overland route and spent seven years in the East. It was on 31st December, 1600, that the first important step towards England’s commercial prosperity was taken
The French:
Colbert, minister of Louis XIV, created the Companies des Indus Orientals in 1664 financed by the state. The first French factory in India was established by Francois Caron at Surat in 1668 and Maracara succeeded in establishing another French factory at Masulipatam in 1669 by obtaining permission from the Sultan of Golconda.
The Danes:
The Danes formed an East India Company and arrived in India in 1616. The Danish settlements were established at Tranquebar (in Tamilnadu) in 1620 and at Serampore (in Bengal) in 1676 which was the headquarters of Danes in India. They failed to strengthen themselves in India and in 1845 were forced to sell all their Indian settlements to the British.
Explanation:
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