The English
- English arrived on Indian Subcontinent merely for trade and they have no intention of any Political control or full control of our country. The degrading political unity and strength of our country due to many internal weakness gives English opportunity to control our control with their superior army.
- Moreover English wants high profit and no competition for their trade and this may be possible only when they establish their political control on our country. For higher trade profit there must be lowest or no trade duties. And also nil trade competition this may be possible only when opponent pay higher duties which in turn automatically raises cost of products and hence less demand. So English have decided to subjugate our country for their higher profit in trade.
- However when English arrives on Indian soil there were strong rulers who can easily defeat or can deny English for their trade activities. So at first English arrives to India merely as a petty traders. And as soon as situation becomes suitable they started attacking smaller kingdoms and subjugating them.
- Though Mughals were Central Authority our country was divided into many smaller and big kingdom. When English attacks on one Kingdom others keeps mum and hence slowly and steadily due to lack of unity and future vision and also unawareness of threat of rising English power whole country comes under British rule.
- On 31st December 1600 Queen Elizabeth granted Charter for 15 years to The British East India Company to trade with East.
- Company sent, Captain Hawkins to the Mughal Court for seeking permission to establish their settlements at Surat.
- However due to influence of Portuguese who have proved themselves as the supreme naval power in Indian Ocean Jahangir The Mughal King denied for their establishment of trading point at Surat. Moreover Surat merchants were also opposing further European competition on the Indian soil.
- Before coming of British on Indian soil Portuguese were considered as the strongest naval power. However in AD 1612 Portuguese were defeated from British at the battle of Swally near Surat. This defeat brought Joy for Jahangir as he considered Portuguese as the strongest naval power in Indian subcontinent and hence in happiness he permits British to establish factory at Surat.
- After establishment of factory at Surat Sir Thomas Roe, ambassador of James I (then King of England) acquired permission of Mughal King to establish East India Company’s factory at different places in Indian Subcontinent.
- Though First English factory was set up at Masulipatnam, Surat emerges as the chief centres of English trade. By AD 1630 Surat becomes headquarters of the Company on the West Coast. Later on in AD 1687 Bombay replaced Surat as the Headquarter of the Company on the West Coast.
Governors of Bombay
- Bombay was one of the chief trading point of East India Company. We have discussed about how East India Company got Bombay earlier in earlier chapter of Portuguese in India. Here we are discussing few governors of Bombay who are most relevant from exam points of view.
Gerald Aungier
- Gerald Aungier: Gerald Aungier the second governor of Bombay, was the real founder of Bombay. He make Bombay completely safe for shipping and trade, protected Bombay on the land-side from the Portuguese and the pirates of the coast.
- Under Aungier Bombay flourishes as a safe place for merchants and manufacturers. He was liberal towards all religion and allowed for the free exercise of there religion. He also revived old Panchayat system.
John child
- During his Governorship East India Company has to waged several disastrous war with Mughal’s due to the problems created by interlopers. Interlopers are the English Merchants who are independent of the Company’s control
- These interlopers always pirate ships in the ocean but Mughal’s thinks the act of piracy was done by East India Company and hence result in war.
English settlements in Eastern Coast
- In 1611 English established a factory at Masulipatnam.
- British secured a strong hold in the East Coast after getting permission from Sultan of Golconda through his Golden Firman of 1632. Accordding to which British can trade freely in Sultan’s territory after payment of 500 pagodas of trade duty annually.
- After securing Madras on lease from ruler of Chandragiri, English made Fort St. George at Madras, which becomes a major trading centre of English and also later on replaces Masulipatnam as Headquarters of English on the Coromandel Coast.
- In Eastern Coast English made their position strong by establishing their strong hold at different strategic point in eastern India at Balasore (Orrisa), Hugli (Bengal) and Madras.
English settlements in Bengal
- In England, there was a growing demand for Bengal goods, especially for silk and saltpeter and the trade of the Bengal factories consequently increase-ed.
- In 1667 English acquired a privilege of doing trade in Bengal by the fireman issued by the Emperor Aurangzeb and in 1672 the Mughal Governor Shaista Khan done the same thing by conferming all the privileges already acquired by the English.
- In AD 1696, a serious rebellion occurred in Bengal under an Afghan named Rahim Khan who plundered the whole country along the Hughli.
- Alarmed by rebellion and the inability of the Mughal viceroy to put it down, the English at Calcutta as well as Dutch at Chinasur asked permission to fortify their factories and to raise troops. This was the Origin of Fort William, named after King William III.
- English Purchased the Zamindari of three villages namely Sutanati, Kalikata and Govindpur on lumpsum payment of Rs 1200/-. On the land of these three villages English laid the foundation of Calcutta.
- English established their paramountacy on Indian Soil by defeating other European powers one by one. They expelled Dutch finally out of India in the Battle of Bedara and French at Battle of Wandiwash.
- Huge wealth of Bengal helped British to establish their control on whole country. Money which they have exhorted from Bengal were used against other regions.
- Moreover Bengal were strategically also very useful in transportation of man material swiftly through sea route.