The Battle of Plassey is often regarded as the foundation of British rule in India. The English victory turned the power in Bengal over to the Company and led to its eventual conquest of India by the British crown. The English ascendancy in Bengal proved to be the basis for the expansion of ...

The colonial administrator and governor-general of the French territories in India, Joseph-François Dupleix, nearly realized his dream of establishing a French empire in India. The English sought help from the Nawab of Carnatic, Anwar Uddin. But the French concluded a treaty with his rival ...

Carnatic was the name given by the Europeans to the Coromandel coast and its hinterland. The First Carnatic War was an extension of the Anglo-French War in Europe which was caused by the Austrian War of Succession. The First Carnatic War is remembered for the Battle of St. Thome (in Madras) ...

The rivalry between the British and the French in India started when both of them succeeded in establishing their foothold in India. Both of them used the political turmoil prevalent in India as a result of the decline of the Mughal Empire in their favour and indulged in internal politics. ...

Denmark made significant contributions to India. It was in 1620 when the first Danish expedition reached India. Another important Danish settlement in India was Serampore in Bengal. Serampore was their headquarters in India. They failed to strengthen themselves in India and they sold all ...

The French East India Company was a French trading company. The Company was formed in 1664 by Colbert, a Minister under Louis XIV. The first French factory in India was established at Surat by Francis Caron. Later, Maracara set up a factory at Masulipaninam. Francois Martin founded ...

The English East India Company was established in 1600 and the Charter was issued by Queen Elizabeth of England. It regulated its trade with England and importing Indian spices and textiles to England. Captain Hawkins arrived at the royal court of Jahangir in 1609 to seek permission to ...

In the early part of the eighteenth century the Duth East India Company came to have a supremacy over all British trade in India. British power was most vulnerable at sea and the Dutch took advantage of this position and thus gained control over a large portion of English trading posts in ...

The first Portuguese traveler to visit India was Vasco da Gama. The first trading posts were established in the south, but there were soon stations at Calicut, Cannanore and Cochin. Vasco da Gama reached the port of Calicut on 17 May 1498 and he was warmly received by Zamorin, the ruler of ...

When Vasco da Gama reached India, he established an open port policy which brought immense prosperity. There was a stranglehold union of Europe and India established. Even though the Portuguese and Dutch companies were most prominent and had their territorial rights in India, there were many ...