THE ENGLISH IN INDIA - UPSC-Structured Notes
Early Ventures & Foundations
1580: Sir Francis Drake completed his global circumnavigation.
1588: English defeated the Spanish Armada, paving the way
📘 THE ENGLISH IN INDIA (UPSC-Structured Notes) 🧭 Early Ventures & Foundations 1580 : Sir Francis Drake completed his global circumnavigation. 1588 : English defeated the Spanish Armada , paving the way for maritime expansion. 31 December 1600 : Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to the Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies — foundation of the East India Company . 🚢 Initial Trading Efforts in India 1609 : Captain William Hawkins visited Jahangir's court to obtain factory rights in Surat. 1611 : Factory established at Masulipatnam (factory formalized in 1616). 1612 : Captain Thomas Best defeated Portuguese near Surat → English factory permitted in 1613 . 1615 : Sir Thomas Roe , envoy of James I , visited Jahangir; secured privileges to trade and establish factories at Agra, Ahmedabad, and Broach by 1619 . (UPSC 2021) 🏛️ Key Areas of Early British Control 1. Golden Farman (1632) – Golconda Sultan: Granted trading rights for 500 pagodas/year in Golconda ports . 2. Mad…