Europeans in India Part 10 Anglo-French Rivalry Section II: Robert Clive Arrives on the Scene

Canberra, 1 June 2023 With Salabat Jang on the throne, French primacy in the Deccan was assured. The English displayed a surprising apathy to the developments that were steadily pushing them out of the competition to an extent that even their continued trading presence in India was starting to be in doubt. Muhammad Ali, nominal […]

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Europeans in India Part 10 Anglo-French Rivalry Section II: Robert Clive Arrives on the Scene

Canberra, 26 May 2023 With Salabat Jang on the throne, French primacy in the Deccan was assured. The English displayed a surprising apathy to the developments that were steadily pushing them out of the competition to an extent where their continued trading presence in India itself was starting to be in doubt. Muhammad Ali, nominal […]

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Europeans in India Part 10 Anglo-French Rivalry Section I: First Carnatic War – French Ascendancy

Canberra, 15 May 2023 The 18th century was one of enormous changes for the English East India Company—it was during the first half of this century that the Company started to evolve from being a global trader to becoming a State by itself. This period also witnessed increasing government oversight of its revenue and political […]

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Europeans in India Part 9 The French Arrive in India Section IV: Governor-General Joseph Francois Dupleix

Canberra, 3 May 2023 Francis Dupleix’s tenure as Director in Chandannagar was a great success. Nominally functioning under the Governor–General of Pondicherry, he was practically independent, acting on his own responsibility. His promptness in action was such that at times they were construed as rash and precipitate by his superiors in India and France. Dupleix […]

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Europeans in India Part 9 The French Arrive in India Section III: Benoit Dumas

Canberra, 14 April 2023 On 19th September 1735, Lenoir was succeeded as Governor–General by Benoit Dumas (1668–1745). So far, the French had maintained very cordial relations with the local rulers; Lenoir had furthered the associations and contacts that Martin had established. However, the prevailing tranquillity was about to be shattered by emerging events in South […]

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Europeans in India Part 9 The French Arrive in India Section II: The Rise of French Power – Early Period

Canberra, 6 April 2023 In 1664, the 50-year monopoly granted to the French East Indies Company by King Louis XIV of France came to an end. Even with the royal authorisation of a monopoly, the company had not been functioning well and was forced to rely on private speculators to continue trading in the East. […]

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Europeans in India Part 9 The French Arrive in India Section I: Pondicherry is Established

Canberra 2 April 2023 France was the fourth European nation to enter the race to establish commercial relations with India and for cornering the spice trade, if the minor incursions of the Danes are discounted as being almost insignificant. The French had noticed that the Portuguese, Dutch and the English had profited considerably from their […]

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Europeans in India – Part 7 The Dutch Enter the Fray Section I: Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC)

Canberra, 20 January 2023 Spain and Portugal, both staunchly Catholic countries, had divided the world between them at the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. England and Netherlands, or Holland as it is sometimes known, both protestant countries, refused to agree to this arbitrary decision, defending the principle that ‘the sea was as free as the […]

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