Advent of European Companies

1. With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:

With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:

  • 1. The Dutch established their factories/warehouses on the east coast on lands granted to them by Gajapati rulers.
  • 2. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate.
  • 3. The English East India Company established a factory at Madras on a plot of land leased from a representative of the Vijayanagara empire.

Which of the statements given above are correct ?

[amp_mcq option1=”1 and 2 only” option2=”2 and 3 only” option3=”1 and 3 only” option4=”1, 2 and 3″ correct=”option2″]

This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2022
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The correct option is B, as statements 2 and 3 are correct.
Statement 1 is incorrect. While the Dutch established factories on the east coast (Coromandel Coast), major settlements like Pulicat and Masulipatnam were primarily under the control of local rulers such as the Nayaks, the Qutb Shahis of Golconda, and later the Nawabs of Arcot/Carnatic. Gajapati rulers were significant further north in Odisha, but attributing the general establishment of Dutch factories on the entire east coast to land grants from them is inaccurate.
Statement 2 is correct. Alfonso de Albuquerque, the second Governor of Portuguese India, captured Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur (Yusuf Adil Shah) in 1510, establishing it as the capital of Portuguese India.
Statement 3 is correct. The English East India Company obtained the site of Madraspatnam in 1639 from Damarla Venkatadri Nayaka, a local chieftain who was a representative of the Vijayanagara Empire (under Peda Venkata Raya III). They built Fort St. George there.
The European trading companies sought permission and land grants from various local rulers and empires to set up their trading posts (factories) across India. The political landscape was fragmented, especially in the south after the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, leading to interactions with multiple powers.

2. In the first quarter of seventeenth century, in which of the following

In the first quarter of seventeenth century, in which of the following was/were the factory/factories of the English East India Company located?

  • 1. Broach
  • 2. Chicacole
  • 3. Trichinopoly

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

[amp_mcq option1=”1 only” option2=”1 and 2″ option3=”3 only” option4=”2 and 3″ correct=”option1″]

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The first quarter of the seventeenth century refers to the period from 1600 to 1625.
– The English East India Company established its first temporary factory in Masulipatnam on the East Coast in 1611.
– On the West Coast, after initial difficulties, the English gained permission from the Mughal Emperor Jahangir through Sir Thomas Roe to establish factories. The factory at Surat was established around 1613.
– Broach (Bharuch), located north of Surat in Gujarat, was another important trading post. The English established a factory at Broach in 1616. This falls within the first quarter of the 17th century.
– Chicacole (Srikakulam) is in Andhra Pradesh, on the East Coast. While the English were present on the East Coast from 1611 (Masulipatnam), Chicacole became a significant factory much later, towards the end of the 17th century or later.
– Trichinopoly (Tiruchirappalli) is in Tamil Nadu. English presence and factories in this southern region came much later, primarily in the late 17th and 18th centuries, often in relation to their conflicts with other European powers and local rulers.
Therefore, only Broach among the options had an English factory established within the first quarter of the 17th century.
– First quarter of 17th century = 1600-1625.
– English EIC established factories at Surat (c. 1613) and Broach (1616) on the West Coast during this period.
– Their presence on the East Coast started with Masulipatnam (1611), but Chicacole and Trichinopoly were established much later.
The early years of the English East India Company in India were focused on establishing trading posts (factories) primarily on the west coast, seeking trade permission from the Mughal Empire. Surat became their main port in this initial period. Presence on the east coast and further south developed gradually.

3. Which of the following statements is/are correct? The Dutch East Ind

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  • The Dutch East India Company was formed after the formation of the British East India Company.
  • Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

[amp_mcq option1=”1 only” option2=”2 only” option3=”Both 1 and 2″ option4=”Neither 1 nor 2″ correct=”option3″]

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UPSC NDA-2 – 2022
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Both statements are correct.
Statement 1: The British East India Company received its Royal Charter in 1600. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was formed in 1602 through the merger of several smaller Dutch trading companies. Thus, the Dutch East India Company was formed after the British East India Company. Statement 2: The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama successfully navigated a sea route around Africa and reached Calicut (Kozhikode) on the Malabar Coast of India on May 20, 1498. This event marked the beginning of direct maritime trade between Europe and India, bypassing the traditional land routes.
The formation of the British and Dutch East India Companies marked the organized entry of these European powers into the lucrative East Indies trade, leading to competition with existing powers like Portugal and later France. Vasco da Gama’s voyage was a pivotal moment in the age of discovery, opening up new possibilities for trade and colonization.

4. Where in South India did the British East India Company construct a tr

Where in South India did the British East India Company construct a trading post in 1639?

[amp_mcq option1=”Cuddalore” option2=”Madraspatam” option3=”Kalahasti” option4=”Karwar” correct=”option2″]

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The British East India Company constructed a trading post at Madraspatam (later Madras, now Chennai) in South India in 1639.
In 1639, Francis Day obtained the site of Madraspatam from the local ruler, Damarla Venkata Nayaka, who was a representative of the Raja of Chandragiri (the last ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire). Here, the British built Fort St. George, which became the headquarters of the British settlements on the Coromandel Coast and the nucleus around which the city of Madras (Chennai) grew. This was a crucial step in establishing British presence and trade in South India.
Prior to Madraspatam, the British had established trading posts elsewhere, including Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) on the Coromandel Coast in 1611. Cuddalore (Fort St. David) became an important British settlement south of Pondicherry later in the 17th century.

5. The place of English East India Company settlement in Madras was known

The place of English East India Company settlement in Madras was known as

[amp_mcq option1=”Fort William” option2=”Fort St. George” option3=”Elphinstone Circle” option4=”Marble Palace” correct=”option2″]

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The correct answer is Fort St. George.
Fort St. George was the first English fortress in India, founded in 1639 at the coastal city of Madras (now Chennai).
Fort William was the English East India Company settlement in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Elphinstone Circle is a historical area in Mumbai (originally Bombay). Marble Palace is a 19th-century mansion in Kolkata.

6. Where did the French East India Company first establish its factory in

Where did the French East India Company first establish its factory in India?

[amp_mcq option1=”Calicut” option2=”Surat” option3=”Pondichery” option4=”Masulipatnam” correct=”option2″]

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UPSC NDA-2 – 2018
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The French East India Company first established its factory in Surat.
The French East India Company (Compagnie française des Indes orientales) was founded in 1664 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Their first trading post (factory) in India was established in Surat in 1668. Surat was a major port city on the west coast of India at that time, already utilized by other European trading companies like the English and Dutch.
Subsequent French factories were established in Masulipatnam (1669), Pondicherry (1673), Chandernagore (1692), and other places. Pondicherry later became the principal French settlement and headquarters in India.

7. Which one of the following crops was introduced by the Portuguese in

Which one of the following crops was introduced by the Portuguese in India?

[amp_mcq option1=”Opium” option2=”Coffee” option3=”Betel leaf” option4=”Chili” correct=”option4″]

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UPSC NDA-2 – 2018
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The crop introduced by the Portuguese in India was D) Chili.
The Portuguese were pioneers in maritime exploration and played a significant role in the Columbian Exchange, introducing various crops from the Americas to Asia, including India. Chili peppers, native to the Americas, were among the crops they brought to India.
Apart from chili, other crops introduced to India by the Portuguese (often indirectly via trade routes they established) include potato, tomato, maize (corn), cashew, tobacco, pineapple, papaya, guava, and groundnut. Opium, coffee, and betel leaf were cultivated in India much earlier than the arrival of the Portuguese or were introduced by other means/groups.

8. At which one of the following places did the Danes establish their set

At which one of the following places did the Danes establish their settlement in India ?

[amp_mcq option1=”Chinsura” option2=”Karaikal” option3=”Mahe” option4=”Tranquebar” correct=”option4″]

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The Danes established their settlements in India at Tranquebar (modern Tharangambadi) on the Coromandel Coast and Serampore (Frederiksnagore) in Bengal.
Tranquebar was established in 1620 and served as their primary base for over 200 years before being sold to the British in 1845. Serampore was another significant Danish possession.
Chinsura was a Dutch settlement. Karaikal and Mahe were French settlements.

9. The Dutch were defeated by Marthanda Varma of Travancore Kingdom in th

The Dutch were defeated by Marthanda Varma of Travancore Kingdom in the battle of

[amp_mcq option1=”Wandiwash” option2=”Rakshasi — Tangadi” option3=”Pullalur” option4=”Colachel” correct=”option4″]

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The Battle of Colachel took place in 1741 between the Travancore forces led by Marthanda Varma and the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie – VOC). The Dutch were decisively defeated in this battle, which marked the decline of Dutch influence in India and allowed Travancore to consolidate its power.
The Battle of Colachel is historically significant as it was a major defeat of a European naval power by an Indian state.
Marthanda Varma subsequently expanded the Kingdom of Travancore and organised a modern army based on European lines, using some of the captured Dutch soldiers as instructors. Other options: Battle of Wandiwash (1760) was between the British and French in the Carnatic Wars; Battle of Rakshasi-Tangadi is another name for the Battle of Talikota (1565), which led to the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire; Battle of Pullalur (around 618-619 AD) was a conflict between the Pallava and Chalukya dynasties.

10. Who among the following European travellers never returned to Europe a

Who among the following European travellers never returned to Europe and settled down in India?

[amp_mcq option1=”Duarte Barbosa” option2=”Manucci” option3=”Tavernier” option4=”Bernier” correct=”option2″]

This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-2 – 2018
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The correct answer is B) Manucci.
Niccolao Manucci (1639-1717), an Italian adventurer and traveller, came to India around 1656. He served in various capacities, including as a physician, and spent most of his life in India, eventually settling down in the South and dying there. His account, ‘Storia do Mogor’, is a valuable source for the history of the Mughal Empire.
Duarte Barbosa was a Portuguese writer who visited India in the early 16th century. Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a French gem merchant who made multiple voyages to India in the 17th century. François Bernier was a French physician and philosopher who lived in India for several years in the mid-17th century. All three returned to Europe.
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