Advent of Europeans - Dutch, English, French

Following the Portuguese, other European powers established trading companies that eventually became colonial empires.

The Dutch (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie – VOC)

Founded in 1602, the Dutch East India Company aimed to break the Portuguese spice monopoly. They captured the Malay spice-producing islands and established Indian factories at Masulipatnam, Pulicat (their main center in Coromandel), Surat, Cochin, and Nagapattinam. The Dutch excelled in textile trade and controlled Indian Ocean trade for much of the 17th century. However, by the late 17th century, they shifted focus to the Indonesian archipelago, and the English outcompeted them in India.

The English East India Company (EEIC)

Founded in 1600 (royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I), the Company established its first factory at Surat in 1612 after Captain Middleton’s victory. Under Sir Thomas Roe (ambassador to Jahangir, 1615–18), the Company secured trading rights. Key settlements:

• Madras (Fort St. George, 1639)
• Bombay (dowry of Catherine of Braganza, 1668)
• Calcutta (Fort William, 1690) The Company expanded from a commercial entity to a political power after the Carnatic Wars and the battles of Plassey and Buxar.

The French East India Company (Compagnie des Indes Orientales)

Established in 1664 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert under Louis XIV. Main settlements: Pondicherry (1673, became headquarters), Chandernagore (Bengal), Mahe, Karaikal. Under Joseph François Dupleix (governor 1742–1754), the French pioneered the policy of intervening in local politics and employing sepoy armies. The Carnatic Wars (1744–1763) between the French and English ended with French defeat, limiting them to a few trading posts.

The Anglo-French rivalry in the Carnatic was a rehearsal for British supremacy.