The Advent of Europeans to India

Practice flashcards covering the arrival of European powers in India, major trade companies, and the pivotal battles and treaties that established British supremacy.

Constantinople

Known as the 'Gateway of European Trade', it was the center of international trade between Asia and Europe before being captured by Ottoman Turks in 1453.

Vasco da Gama

A Portuguese sailor who discovered a new sea route to India by reaching Kappad near Calicut in 1498.

Blue Water Policy

A policy implemented by the Portuguese Viceroy Francisco de Almeida to establish supremacy over the sea instead of supremacy over land.

Alfonso de Albuquerque

Considered the real founder of Portuguese power in India, he won Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur in 1510.

Dutch East India Company

Established in 1602 by people from Holland or Netherlands for trade in Eastern nations like India, Java, Sumatra, and Indonesia.

Marthanda Varma

The King of Travancore who defeated the Dutch in 1741 and forced them to sign a surrender treaty in 15th August 1753.

Warehouses

Also known as factories, these were places for storing merchandise protected by huge walls.

Sir Thomas Roe

The royal ambassador from the court of James I who arrived at Emperor Jahangir's court in 1617 to seek permission to establish English factories.

Fort William

A strong fort built by the English in 1690 on the banks of the Hooghly River, around which the city of Calcutta grew.

Dupleix

The French Governor General who arrived in Pondicherry in 1746 with the ambition of establishing the French as a major power in South India.

Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle

The European treaty between France and England that ended the First Carnatic War (1746-48).

Treaty of Pondicherry

The treaty that ended the Second Carnatic War (1749-1754), resulting in the recall of Dupleix by the French.

Battle of Wandiwash

A decisive 1760 battle in the Third Carnatic War where Sir Eyre Coote of the English defeated the French and imprisoned Bussy.

Treaty of Paris

Signed in 1763, this treaty returned Pondicherry to the French but marked the end of their political importance in India.

Dastaks

A license issued by the Mughal ruler (Faruk Siar) that allowed for importing, exporting, and transporting goods without paying taxes.

Black Room Tragedy

An incident where Siraj-ud-Daula imprisoned 146 Englishmen in a small room at Fort William, resulting in 123 deaths.

Battle of Plassey

A conflict in 1757 between Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula and Robert Clive of the British East India Company.

Battle of Buxar

A 1764 battle where Hector Munro's British army defeated the combined forces of Mir Qasim, Shah Alam-II, and Shuj-ud-daula.

Diwani rights

The rights to collect land taxes, civil, and judiciary, accorded to the British by Shah Alam-II after the Battle of Buxar.

Dual-Government system

A system introduced by Robert Clive in Bengal in 1765 where Indian officials collected taxes while the British managed the revenue.