During the Mughal Period, Bengal was the most fertile and the richest province of the Mughal Empire. It also included present day Bangladesh and states of Bihar and Odisha.

Background of Battle of Plassey/Palashi: 

• The East India Company  carried on profitable trade with Bengal. Exports from Bengal to Europe consisted of saltpeter, rice, indigo, pepper, sugar, silk, cotton textiles, handicrafts, etc. 
• By the year 1690, the East India Company purchased three villages namely, Sutanuti, Govindpur and Kalikatta, which later grew into the city of Calcutta.
• The British built Fort William in Kolkata to protect the East India Company’s trade in the city of Calcutta, the principal city of the Bengal Presidency.
• The administrative power of the Bengal province was in the hands of the Nawab (Governor). The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah succeeded his grandfather Alavardi Khan after his death.

Reason for the Battle of Plassey/Palashi: 

• In July 1717 the emperor issued a farman (a royal order) whereby the British were allowed duty free trade in Bengal in lieu of Rs. 3000 per annum. The company was also allowed to mint their own coins and use it throughout India.
• The special privileges enjoyed by the British East India Company was strongly opposed by the Nawabs of Bengal as it meant a huge loss to the Bengal provincial exchequer. This became the prime reason for the conflict between the two.
• Moreover, the officials of the Company misused their trade privileges that adversely affected the nawab’s finances.
• In 1756 India, there existed the possibility of a battle between the British East India Company military forces of the French East India Company, so both British and French started to fortify their settlements.
• Siraj ud-Daulah ordered the fortification construction to be stopped by both the French and British. In response to this, the French compiled while the British did not.
• In consequence of British indifference to his authority, Siraj ud-Daulah organized his army and laid siege to Fort William. 
• Siraj ud-Daulah imprisoned 146 British prisoners in a small room in Calcutta, out of which 123 prisoners died of suffocation and heat. This event was infamously known as the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’.
• This event infuriated the British and became an immediate cause for the Battle of Plassey. 

The Battle of Plassey/Palashi : 

• After news of Calcutta’s capture was received by the British in Madras in August 1756, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Clive was sent to retaliate against the Nawab. 
• The nawab’s army of 50,000 soldiers outnumbered Clive’s force of just 3000, However, the secret alliance of the British with the conspirators strengthened the British foothold in the battle. 
• The discontented followers of the Nawab, such as Mir Jafar, Rai Durlabh, Jagat Seth and other Bengali generals, were bribed to forge an alliance with the British.
• Mir Jafar, with around one-third of the Bengali army, did not join the battle as he was promised the throne in return for supporting the British.
• The Battle of Plassey took place on  23rd June 1757 in the Palashi region of Bengal.
• With his troops and local Indian allies, Robert Clive recaptured Calcutta in January 1757, and defeated Siraj ud-Daulah at the Battle of Plassey.

The Result and the aftermath of Battle of Plassey:

• The Battle of Plassey resulted in Siraj-ud-Daulah being overthrown as Nawab of Bengal and executed.
• After the Battle of Plassey Clive proclaimed Mir Jafar as the Nawab of Bengal and placed him on the throne of Murshidabad.
• Mir Jafar in order to satisfy the British as per the agreement gave the Zamindari of 24 Parganas (group of villages) of Bengal to the company.

Significance of of Battle of Plassey: 

• The Battle of Plassey is regarded as a historic turning point for the British in India. It established the political and military supremacy of the British in Bengal. 
• Company virtually monopolized the trade and commerce in Bengal as French never recovered their lost position in Bengal and the Dutch made a last attempt, but were defeated in the Battle of Bedara in 1759.
• It gave the British access to the rich resources of Bengal. These were used to win the wars in Deccan with other Indian rulers, defeating the French in the third Carnatic war and to extend influence in Northern India.
• From a commercial entity, the British East India Company proceeded to become a political power in Bengal.

We this, we conclude this topic here. 

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After the discovery of an alternate route from Europe to India via Cape of Good Hope by Portuguese traveler Vasco da Gama, a new gate was opened for the European powers to trade with India.

As word spread about the great profits made by the Portuguese in Eastern trade, English businessmen wanted to take part in this profitable trade.

As a result, in 1599, the ‘Merchant Adventurers’, a group of English merchants, created the English East India Company.

The English East India Company under the name “Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies” on 31 December 1600 was granted authorization and exclusive rights to trade with the east by the Royal Charter issued by the Queen of England, Elizabeth I. 

The English East India Company sent Captain Hawkins to the court of the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir in 1608 to secure permission to establish a factory at Surat. 

He was able to persuade the emperor to grant a commission for an English Factory at Surat but the permission was later withdrawn under pressure from the Portuguese. However, in 1613, Jahangir agreed and issued a firman permitting the East India Company to establish its first factory at Surat.

English established their second factory at Masulipatnam in 1616.

In 1639, the British purchased the land in Madrasapattinam from Raja of Chandragiri and established Fort Saint George there which later became the part of Madras Presidency.

In May 1661, as per the marriage alliance between Charles II of England and Catharine of Braganza, the Portuguese king’s daughter, Bombay was given to Charles II as dowry.

In 1668, a royal charter was issued which gave Bombay to the East India Company for the rent of 10 pounds per year.

By the year 1690, the East India Company purchased three villages namely, Sutanuti, Govindpur and Kalikatta, which later grew into the city of Calcutta. The British built another fort here and named it Fort William after the English King William III. 

All the factories and trading centers which the English established along the coast of India were placed under either Bombay, Madras or Calcutta Presidency. Cotton, indigo dye, silk, salt, saltpeter, opium, and tea were the principal commodities of trade.

In July 1717 the emperor issued a farman (royal order) whereby the British were allowed duty free trade in Bengal in lieu of Rs. 3000 per annum.

The company was also allowed to mint their own coins and use it throughout India.

With the passage of time, trading privileges enjoyed by the company started hurting the finances of Nawab of Bengal. The Company’s officials also abused their trade privileges which was not liked by Nawab.

Above mentioned and many other reasons created a rift in relations between the British and Nawab of Bengal Siraj-Ud-Daula which ultimately culminated in the Battle of Plassey.

We this, we conclude this topic here. 

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Though the British and the French came to India for trading, they slowly became involved in the politics of India. During that time, the entire south India was divided into minor Rajas, Nawabs and chieftains who fought with one another to maintain their supremacy. 

Both English and French wanted to exploit this situation and wanted to establish their hegemony. This led to Anglo-French rivalry in India.

Due to this rivalry, three Carnatic wars occurred between the English and French and finally the British emerged victorious and established their hegemony in India.

Following are the worth noting points about the three carnatic wars:

First Carnatic War (1744-48) : 

• Carnatic was the name given by the Europeans to the Coromandel coast and its hinterland. Both British and French East India Companies had their important bases in south India, at Madras and Pondicherry. These bases were in the territory ruled by Anwar-ur-Din, the Nawab of the Carnatic, the Mughal governor in the area. 
• The First Carnatic War started as an extension of the ‘Anglo-French War’ fought in Europe which was caused by the ‘Austrian War of Succession’. When fighting broke out between the British and the French, the Nawab declared his territory to be neutral and forbade the French and British from attacking each other. 
• However, defying this truce, the French seized Madras in 1746. French forces also defeated the forces of Anwar-ud-din, the Nawab of Carnatic, to whom the English appealed for help.
• This war concluded in 1748 with the treaty of ‘Aix-la-Chapelle’.
• Under the terms of this treaty, Madras was given back to the British, and the French, in turn, got their territories in North America back.

Second Carnatic War (1749-54) :

• Even after the First Carnatic War ended, a proxy war between the British and French continued in India.
• A victory over the Indian Nawab in the first Carnatic war boosted the confidence of the French represented by Dupleix. As the succession dispute in Hyderabad and Arcot broke out, Both French and British got involved in that to maintain their influence in the region.
• The French initially succeeded however it was the heroic Siege of Arcot  in 1751 by Robert Clive which proved to be the turning point of the war. After this, Dupleix was recalled to France and was replaced by Godehu.
• Godehu signed a ‘Treaty of Pondicherry’ in 1755. As per the treaty, both countries agreed to not to interfere in the disputes of Indian princes. However, this treaty gave the British a strong position in Carnatic.

Third Carnatic War (1757-63) : 

• The conflict between France and England reemerged 1756 in Europe and with this started the Seven Years War in Europe. As a result, the British and French started fighting in India also which culminated into the Third Carnatic War. 
• The British Forces were able to capture the French Settlements at Chandranagar in 1757. The British forces under Sir Eyre Coote, defeated the French army under Count de Lally in the ‘Battle of Wandiwash’ in 1760 and besieged Pondicherry.
• When the Seven Years war ended, it concluded the third Carnatic war also with the signing of Treaty of Paris in 1763.
• As per the treaty, the Chandranagar and Pondicherry were returned to France however they could only do trading activities in them.

We this, we conclude this topic here. 

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The French were the last Europeans to arrive in India. Among the major European powers, The French East India Company was the last to be formed.  

Establishment and expansion of French East India Company:

• It was founded by Jean-Baptiste Colbert in 1664 during the reign of king Louis XIV.
• The French established their first factory at Surat in 1668, and in 1669, they built another factory at Masulipatam.
• They also established a factory at Chandranagar in Bengal in 1673.
• In 1674. The French acquired the areas of Pondicherry from the Sultan of Bijapur, thus establishing a French colony in Pondicherry. In 1701, Pondicherry was made the capital of the French settlements in India.
• Until 1741, the French were mainly interested in commercial activities and developed various trading posts at Mahe, Karaikal, Balasore, and Qasim Bazar, however this perspective changed after the arrival of Joseph Marquis Dupleix, the most ambitious Governor-General of the French East India Company. He had a burning desire to establish a French empire in India.
• Dupleix was made the Governor General of all French territories in India in 1742.
• He made alliances with many local rulers and also interfered in their succession disputes. 

Decline of French East India Company: 

• Dupleix’s plans for territorial expansion became a reason for conflict between French and British which led to the Carnatic wars.
• France and Britain were on opposite sides of the camp at the War of Austrian Succession that broke out in Europe in 1740. This led to the beginning of the first Carnatic War. The war ended in 1748 with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. As per the treaty, Madras was given back to the English in exchange for Louisburg in North America to France.
• In the second Carnatic War, the French were defeated by British forces and Dupleix was criticized by the French authorities because of heavy losses to the French company. Due to this, Dupleix was called back to France.
• In the third Carnatic War, The French suffered a humiliating defeat and lost their Indian possessions including Pondicherry, Mahe and Karaikal to the British.
• Third Carnatic War which ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. As per the Treaty, Chandannagar and Pondicherry were returned to the French but they were barred from fortifying them or having troops in them. They could only have commercial activities.

Post Independence, Pondicherry was handed to the Indian Union in November 1954, while Chandernagore was restored to India in May 1950. When the French Parliament ratified a deal with India in 1962, the remaining areas of French settlement were restored to India.

We this, we conclude this topic here. 

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From 7th century onwards, India’s merchandise trade with European countries was dominated by Arabs who did not allow any other powers to encroach these routes. Due to the highly profitable nature of trade and huge demand of Indian spices and merchandise in Europe, European countries envied Arabs and wanted to find an alternative direct route to India. To find the alternative route, European sailors started taking long voyages.

Arrival of Portuguese : 

It was the Portuguese who succeeded and  discovered alternative sea routes to India. Portuguese traveler Vasco da Gama discovered an alternate route from Portugal to India via Cape of Good Hope. He first reached India in May 1498 in Calicut. He was received by Zamorin who was the ruler of Kozhikode. Despite objections from the Arab raiders, He obtained permission from the Zamorin to trade in Calicut.

Portuguese were also the first Europeans to settle and colonize India. They came to India mainly to trade in spices but gradually made their colonies here.

In 1503, Francisco de Almeida was sent as Governor and Viceroy of ‘Estado da India’( Name the Portuguese gave to their empire in India).

In 1510, He was replaced by Alfonso de Albuquerque. Below are the worth noting points about Albuquerque:

• Albuquerque invaded Goa in 1510 and fought the Battle of Goa (1510) with the forces of Sultan of Bijapur Adil Shah and established a Portuguese colony in Goa.
• He started the first Portuguese mint and issued coins in Gold, Silver and Bronze.
• He encouraged Portuguese to have marriage alliances with Indian women. 
• He was first to abolish the practice of Sati in Goa.
• He maintained friendly relations with the rulers of Vijayanagar Empire.

Due to the above reasons, Albuquerque is known as the real founder of the Portuguese colonial empire in India.

Decline of Portuguese empire in India: 

The Portuguese empire in India could not last long and soon the Portuguese had abandoned India in favor of the other European powers. Following are the reasons for  decline of Portuguese empire in India : 

• After Albuquerque, there came no Portuguese governor with strong will and ambition to expand the Portuguese empire.
• In 1612, the Portuguese lost Surat to the British.
• In 1631, Mughals recaptured Hugli from them.
• Because of the strategic location of Bombay as a port, all European powers wanted to establish their hegemony on it. However, In 1661, the Portuguese gave Bombay in dowry to Prince Charles-II of England.
• Their spirit of converting all their subjects to Christianity, even forcefully, was not liked by local masses and rulers. 

Due to the above reasons, By the 19th century, Portuguese became confined to only Goa, Daman and Diu.

In 1961 , Portuguese finally lost their final colonial outpost of Goa when the Indian army launched a military operation and liberated it after 450 years of Portuguese rule .

We this, we conclude this topic here. 

You can read complete modern history explained series here.

You can read complete modern history summarized notes here

You can solve modern history chapter-wise MCQs here.