European Arrival and Company Rule
NCERT Class 8 - Our Pasts III • NCERT Class 12 - Themes in Indian History Part III
European Arrival and Company Rule
European trading companies came to India for spices and textiles and stayed to govern. The turning points are Plassey in 1757 and Buxar in 1764, after which the English East India Company became a territorial power in eastern India.
The trading companies
| Company | Year founded | Main Indian centres |
|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | Arrived 1498 | Goa, Daman, Diu, Cochin |
| English East India Company | 1600 | Surat, Madras, Bombay, Calcutta |
| Dutch East India Company | 1602 | Pulicat, Nagapattinam, Chinsura |
| French East India Company | 1664 | Pondicherry, Chandernagore |
| Danish | 1616 | Tranquebar, Serampore |
- Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498; Albuquerque took Goa in 1510, which the Portuguese held the longest of any European possession in India.
- The English Company received its charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, set up a factory at Surat in 1613, acquired Madras in 1639, received Bombay from the Portuguese as part of a royal dowry, and founded Calcutta at the end of the century.
- The French, organised under Colbert, contested southern India in the three Carnatic Wars; Dupleix was their most ambitious governor, but French power ended after the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760.
Plassey and Buxar
- Battle of Plassey, 1757 - Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal. The battle was decided less by fighting than by the defection of Mir Jafar, the Nawab's commander.
- Battle of Buxar, 1764 - the Company defeated the combined armies of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah of Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. This was a real military victory and settled the question of power in the east.
- By the Treaty of Allahabad, 1765, the Company obtained the Diwani, the right to collect revenue, of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha.
- Clive's dual government left the Nawab responsible for administration while the Company took the revenue - power without responsibility, ended by Warren Hastings in 1772.
- The Bengal famine of 1770 followed, in which a very large part of the population of Bengal died.
The Charter Acts
- Regulating Act, 1773 - the first parliamentary control of the Company; created the Governor-General of Bengal, the first being Warren Hastings, and a Supreme Court at Calcutta.
- Pitt's India Act, 1784 - created the Board of Control, giving the British government direct say in Indian political matters.
- Charter Act, 1813 - ended the Company's trade monopoly except for tea and the China trade, allowed missionaries, and set aside one lakh rupees a year for education.
- Charter Act, 1833 - created the Governor-General of India, the first being William Bentinck, ended all Company trade, and added a Law Member, Macaulay, to the council.
- Charter Act, 1853 - introduced open competition for the civil service.
- Government of India Act, 1858 - after the revolt, transferred power to the Crown, creating the Secretary of State for India and the office of Viceroy.
हिंदी संकेत: प्लासी ने कंपनी को बंगाल में प्रभाव दिया, पर असली सैनिक निर्णय बक्सर ने किया। दीवानी 1765 की इलाहाबाद संधि से मिली - ये तीनों अलग-अलग हैं।
Exam me kaise aata hai
Factual questions ask the year of each battle, who granted the Diwani, and which Act created the Viceroy. Match-the-following links Act with its main provision, or company with its centre. Statement-based questions test whether Plassey or Buxar was the decisive battle.
UPSC / State PSC ke liye
Buxar matters more than Plassey analytically - it defeated three powers at once and gave the Company a legal title from the Mughal emperor, converting armed advantage into recognised authority. Also note that the dual government is the standard example of the separation of power from responsibility.
Yahan confuse hote hain
✗ The Diwani was granted after Plassey | ✓ It was granted in 1765 after Buxar, by the Treaty of Allahabad
✗ The Regulating Act created the Governor-General of India | ✓ It created the Governor-General of Bengal; the 1833 Act created the Governor-General of India
✗ The French were defeated at Plassey | ✓ The French were defeated at Wandiwash in 1760
Ek nazar me
- Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498; the Portuguese took Goa in 1510.
- English Company chartered in 1600; Surat 1613, Madras 1639, Bombay and Calcutta later.
- Plassey 1757 - Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah with Mir Jafar's defection.
- Buxar 1764 - defeat of Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah and Shah Alam II.
- Treaty of Allahabad 1765 gave the Diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha.
- Regulating Act 1773, Pitt's Act 1784, Charter Acts 1813, 1833, 1853, Crown rule 1858.