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The French in India – UPSC Notes

Establishment of the French East India Company 📅 1664 – French East India Company (Compagnie des Indes Orientales) was started by Colbert.
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The French in India – UPSC Notes

🧱 1. Establishment of the French East India Company

  • 📅 1664 – French East India Company (Compagnie des Indes Orientales) was started by Colbert, minister of French king Louis XIV.

  • 🎯 Aim: To trade with India and the Pacific region.

  • 🛡️ Got 50-year trade monopoly, and Madagascar as a base (but Madagascar plan failed).

🏭 2. French Factories and Settlements

  • 1667 – First French factory in India set up at Surat by Francois Caron.

  • 1669 – Another factory at Masulipatnam, set up by Mercara (a Persian with Caron), after permission from Sultan of Golconda.

  • 1673 – Got permission from Shaista Khan (Mughal Subedar of Bengal) to set up a trading post at Chandernagore (near Calcutta).

  • 1673–74 – Got Pondicherry from Sher Khan Lodi, a Bijapur official.

  • ❗ Pondicherry became the main centre of French power in India.

📍 3. Other Important Trading Centres

  • Mahe, Karaikal, Balasore, and Qasim Bazar were other key places where the French traded.

⚠️ 4. Early Problems and Setbacks

  • 1693 – Dutch attacked and captured Pondicherry.

  • 1697 – Treaty of Ryswick gave Pondicherry back to the French (but Dutch delayed the handover till 1699).

  • ⚔️ War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714) disrupted French trade:

    • French had to leave Surat, Masulipatnam, and Bantam.

🔄 5. Reorganisation and Revival

  • 1720 – Company was reorganized as “Perpetual Company of the Indies” to make it stronger.

  • 1720–1742 – Governors Lenoir and Dumas worked hard to expand French power.

  • 🇫🇷 France used Mauritius and Réunion islands as support bases for its activities in India.

🧾 Quick Facts for Prelims

  • 🧑‍🏭 First Factory – Surat (1667)

  • 🏰 Headquarters – Pondicherry (from 1674)

  • 🧾 Chandernagore – permission from Mughal (Shaista Khan)

  • 📜 Treaty of Ryswick – restored Pondicherry to the French

  • 🔄 Reorganisation – 1720

  • 🧠 Key governors – Lenoir and Dumas

🧾 PYQ (UPSC 2022)

Q1. With reference to Indian history, consider the following statements:

  1. The Dutch established their factories/warehouses on the east coast on lands granted to them by the Gajapati rulers.

  2. Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate.

  3. The English East India Company established a factory at Madras on a plot of land leased from a representative of the Vijayanagara empire.

Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only ✅
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

📝 Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is incorrect (Gajapati rulers were not involved with the Dutch).

  • Statement 2 is correct (Albuquerque captured Goa in 1510 from Bijapur Sultan).

  • Statement 3 is correct (Madras was leased from a local governor of the Vijayanagara Empire).

🆕 New MCQs (French in India)

Q2. The French East India Company was established during the reign of which French king?
(a) Louis XIII
(b) Napoleon Bonaparte
(c) Louis XIV ✅
(d) Charles X

Q3. Who founded the first French factory in India and where?
(a) Mercara at Masulipatnam
(b) Francois Caron at Surat ✅
(c) Francois Martin at Pondicherry
(d) Dupleix at Karaikal

Q4. The site of Pondicherry was granted to the French by:
(a) Aurangzeb
(b) Shaista Khan
(c) Sher Khan Lodi ✅
(d) Sultan of Golconda

Q5. The Treaty of Ryswick (1697) is associated with which of the following?
(a) Anglo-Mysore peace
(b) French return of Pondicherry from Dutch control ✅
(c) Foundation of French Madras
(d) Merger of English trading companies

Q6. Match the following:

A. Chandernagore 1. Francois Martin
B. Pondicherry 2. Shaista Khan
C. Surat 3. Francois Caron

Codes:
(a) A-2, B-1, C-3 ✅
(b) A-1, B-2, C-3
(c) A-3, B-2, C-1
(d) A-2, B-3, C-1

Q7. The French trading post that became their headquarters in India was:
(a) Chandernagore
(b) Mahe
(c) Pondicherry ✅
(d) Karaikal

Q8. With reference to the French presence in India, consider the following statements:

  1. The French East India Company was granted perpetual concessions in Madagascar.

  2. Chandernagore was acquired from the Dutch by treaty.

  3. The War of Spanish Succession severely impacted the French trade network in India.

Which of the statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

✅ Answer: (a)
📝 Statement 2 is incorrect — Chandernagore was granted by Shaista Khan, not the Dutch.

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