Advent of Europeans
Portuguese, Dutch, English, French and Danes on the Andhra coast (1498 – 1765)
APPSC angle
Master four things: (1) order and year of arrival of each power, (2) principal Andhra factory of each, (3) the Golden Farmans (1632 & 1676) and Northern Circars grant (1765–68), (4) commodities traded from Andhra ports.
The pioneers. Reached India via the Cape and dominated the western coast, but never built a strong Andhra base.
The Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC, 1602) was the first joint-stock company chartered for Asian trade. In Andhra the Dutch were the dominant power of the 17th century.
Chartered by Queen Elizabeth I on 31 Dec 1600. In Andhra the English started as junior traders at Masulipatnam and ended as sovereigns of the Northern Circars.
1632 (Abdullah Qutb Shah) and 1676 (Abul Hasan) allowed the English to trade duty-free across Golconda ports for a fixed annual tribute. These charters gave the English a decisive cost advantage over the Dutch and are the fiscal foundation of British rise on the Coromandel.
Founded by Colbert under Louis XIV in 1664. In Andhra, French influence peaked under Bussy in the Deccan (1751–58) and collapsed after the Third Carnatic War.
Minor player. Chartered 1616 under Christian IV. Established Tranquebar (1620, Tamil Nadu) and Serampore (Bengal, 1755). In Andhra they operated a small factory at Dansborg near Masulipatnam. Sold all Indian possessions to the English in 1845.
≈ 974 km from Ganjam to Pulicat — natural harbours at Masulipatnam, Bhimlipatnam, Vizag, Nizampatnam, Pulicat.
Golconda diamond mines (Kollur), textile clusters (Palakollu, Petapoli, Draksharamam), saltpetre from Guntur.
Under Golconda Qutb Shahis (till 1687), then Mughal Deccan subah, then Nizam of Hyderabad (from 1724).
Golconda pagoda & Hun; European companies minted equivalents at their factories.
Chintz, palampore, muslin, kalamkari — from Palakollu, Petapoli, Draksharamam
From Nizampatnam and Bhimlipatnam hinterland
Guntur & Krishna basin — vital for European gunpowder
Kollur, Paritala (Golconda mines) — famous Koh-i-Noor, Hope, Regent diamonds
Wootz steel via Nirmal & Konasamudram
Exported by Dutch from famine-hit coasts (17th C)
Portuguese (1498) → Dutch (1605) → English (1611) → Danes (1620) → French (1669)
French, 1669
Fort Geldria, Pulicat (Dutch, 1613)
Masulipatnam, 1611
Armagaon, 1626
1632 (Abdullah) & 1676 (Abul Hasan) — Golconda
Wandiwash, 1760 (Eyre Coote vs Lally)
Shah Alam II, 12 Aug 1765
1788
1800 (Nizam Ali → Wellesley, subsidiary alliance)
1611
Factory at Masulipatnam
Captain Hippon; first English factory on the east coast, permission from Golconda Sultan.
1626
Armagaon (Durgarazpatnam)
Fortified factory near Pulicat — first English fort on the Coromandel.
1632
Golden Farman of Golconda
Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah — English free trade in Golconda ports for 500 pagodas / year.
1639
Madras (Fort St. George)
Francis Day secured grant from Chandragiri Nayak; became English HQ on the east coast.
1676
Second Golden Farman
Abul Hasan Qutb Shah confirmed free-trade rights and duty concessions.
1682
Factory at Vizagapatnam
William Gyfford; textile & pepper centre.
1687
Presidency shifted to Madras
Fort St. George became a Presidency; Andhra factories placed under it.
1751
Robert Clive at Arcot
Second Carnatic War — English humiliate the French.
1759
Battle of Chinsurah
Dutch decisively broken.
1765
Firman of Shah Alam II
After Buxar (1764), Mughal emperor granted Northern Circars to the EIC.
1766
Treaty with Nizam Ali Khan
Nizam ceded the four northern Circars; a fifth (Guntur) added 1788.
1768
Confirmatory treaty
Fixed English peshkash to the Nizam; Circars administratively unified.
1800
Ceded Districts
Nizam ceded Rayalaseema (Kadapa, Kurnool, Bellary, Anantapur) for subsidiary alliance.
Vasco da Gama
Portuguese
Reached Calicut, 1498
Alfonso de Albuquerque
Portuguese Governor
Took Goa 1510
Captain Hippon
English
Founded Masulipatnam factory 1611
Francis Day
English
Founded Madras / Fort St. George 1639
Francis Martin
French
Founded Pondicherry 1674
Joseph François Dupleix
French Governor
Architect of French Deccan policy
Marquis de Bussy
French general
Guardian of Nizam Salabat Jung; secured Circars for France
Count de Lally
French
Recalled Bussy; lost Wandiwash 1760
Col. Francis Forde
English
Won Chandurthi 1759, took Masulipatnam
Robert Clive
EIC
Buxar 1764 → Circars firman 1765
Nizam Ali Khan
Hyderabad
Ceded Circars 1766; Rayalaseema 1800
Shah Alam II
Mughal Emperor
Issued the 1765 firman
- Fall of Constantinople (1453) closed the overland spice route; Europe needed a sea route to the East.
- Vasco da Gama's Calicut voyage (1498) proved the Cape route viable and triggered a century of chartered trading companies.
- Andhra's Coromandel coast produced fine cotton textiles (chintz, palampore), indigo, saltpetre, diamonds (Kollur, Golconda), rice and iron — all in high European demand.
- The Krishna–Godavari delta offered safe river-mouth anchorages (Masulipatnam, Nizampatnam, Narsapur), close to the Golconda diamond and textile hinterland.
- Weak central authority after Vijayanagara's decline (1565) and the rise of Golconda/Mughal frontier politics gave Europeans room to negotiate concessions.
- Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut in 1498; welcomed by the Zamorin.
- Francisco de Almeida (first Portuguese Viceroy, 1505) pursued the 'Blue Water Policy' (Cartaz system) — control the seas, not land.
- Alfonso de Albuquerque (Governor 1509–15) captured Goa (1510) — the enduring Portuguese capital in India.
- On the Coromandel coast the Portuguese established San Thome (Mylapore) and a small factory at Masulipatnam (early 1600s) mainly for textiles.
- In Andhra they built no fort of consequence; they were displaced by the Dutch and English by the mid-17th century.
- Long-term legacy: introduced tobacco, chilli, cashew, pineapple; brought printing press (Goa, 1556); Catholic missionary activity (St. Francis Xavier).
- Fort Geldria at Pulicat (1613) — first European fort on the Andhra coast; minted pagodas locally.
- Exported cotton textiles, indigo, saltpetre and slaves (from Arakan and the Bay coast).
- Battle of Colachel (1741) — defeated by Travancore king Marthanda Varma; broke Dutch prestige.
- Battle of Chinsurah / Bedara (1759) — Robert Clive defeated the Dutch in Bengal; ended Dutch challenge to English in India.
- Kew Letters (1795) transferred Dutch possessions to the British during the Napoleonic wars.
- 1669 — Factory at Masulipatnam under François Martin.
- 1674 — Pondicherry founded — the French capital in India.
- 1721 — Yanam acquired (in the Godavari delta) — remained French till 1954.
- 1751 — Marquis de Bussy stationed at Hyderabad as guardian of Nizam Salabat Jung; obtained the Northern Circars as jagir for French upkeep.
- 1758 — Count de Lally recalled Bussy from the Deccan — a strategic blunder.
- 1759 — Battle of Chandurthi (Rajahmundry) — Col. Forde defeated the French under Conflans; English seized Masulipatnam.
- 1760 — Battle of Wandiwash — Eyre Coote crushed Lally; ended French political ambitions in India.
- 1763 — Treaty of Paris restored Pondicherry & Yanam but forbade French fortifications; the French became a commercial curiosity.
- Coastal Andhra was drawn into the world economy — silver inflow from Europe & Manila financed textile production.
- Rise of new port towns (Masulipatnam, Vizag, Yanam) alongside decline of Vijayanagara-era interior centres.
- Weavers organised under 'joint-stock' contracts; hereditary craft became export-oriented labour.
- Fortifications introduced European military architecture (bastions, glacis) later copied by local rulers.
- Christian missions (Portuguese Catholics, Protestant Danes at Tranquebar, later Anglicans) began Telugu-language printing and schools.
- By 1800 the entire Telugu-speaking coast + Rayalaseema was under one European power — the political ground for the future Madras Presidency was laid.
| Year | Place | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1605 | Masulipatnam | First Dutch factory in Andhra; secured firman from Golconda |
| 1610 | Pulicat | Fort Geldria built (1613); HQ of Dutch Coromandel till 1690 |
| 1613 | Devanampatnam | Textile procurement centre |
| 1620s | Bhimlipatnam, Nizampatnam, Draksharamam, Palakollu | Textile & saltpetre outposts |
| 1690 | Negapatnam | HQ shifted from Pulicat after English pressure |
Swipe horizontally to see more →
| Power | Company (year) | Arrived India | Andhra HQ / factories | End in India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | Estado da Índia (1505) | 1498 Calicut | San Thome; brief Masulipatnam | Confined to Goa/Daman/Diu till 1961 |
| Dutch | VOC (1602) | 1605 Masulipatnam | Pulicat (Fort Geldria), Masulipatnam, Bhimlipatnam, Palakollu, Draksharamam, Nizampatnam | 1759 Chinsurah; 1795 Kew Letters |
| English | EIC (1600) | 1611 Masulipatnam | Masulipatnam, Armagaon, Madras, Vizag | Ruled till 1858 (Crown transfer) |
| Danish | DOK (1616) | 1620 Tranquebar | Small factory near Masulipatnam | Sold to English 1845 |
| French | CDI (1664) | 1669 Masulipatnam | Masulipatnam, Yanam | 1954 De facto merger |
Swipe horizontally to see more →
| War | Years | Trigger | Deccan/Andhra outcome | Peace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | 1746–48 | Austrian Succession war spilled into India | Dupleix seized Madras; battle of Adyar | Aix-la-Chapelle 1748 — Madras returned |
| Second | 1749–54 | Rival claimants to Hyderabad & Arcot | Bussy installed Salabat Jung; French get Northern Circars | Treaty of Pondicherry 1754 |
| Third | 1756–63 | Seven Years' War in Europe | Wandiwash 1760 crushed French; Forde took Masulipatnam 1759 | Treaty of Paris 1763 |
Swipe horizontally to see more →
| Sarkar | Modern equivalent | Ceded |
|---|---|---|
| Chicacole | Srikakulam + Vizianagaram | 1765/66 |
| Rajahmundry | East & West Godavari | 1765/66 |
| Ellore (Eluru) | Krishna (parts) | 1765/66 |
| Kondapalli | Krishna (parts) + Guntur (north) | 1765/66 |
| Guntur | Guntur + Prakasam | 1788 |
Swipe horizontally to see more →
1753 — Bussy's jagir
Nizam Salabat Jung grants Northern Circars to the French for maintaining Bussy's force.
1758 — Bussy recalled
French position in the Deccan weakens; English strike.
1759 — Battle of Chandurthi / Masulipatnam
Col. Francis Forde defeats French; captures Masulipatnam fort.
1765 — Firman of Shah Alam II
After Buxar, Mughal emperor grants Chicacole, Rajahmundry, Ellore & Kondapalli sarkars to EIC.
1766 & 1768 — Treaties with Nizam Ali
Nizam formally cedes the four Circars; English pay peshkash of 9 lakh rupees.
1788 — Guntur added
Fifth Circar (Guntur) transferred on death of Nizam's brother Basalat Jung.
1800 — Ceded Districts
Nizam cedes Rayalaseema — Kadapa, Kurnool, Bellary, Anantapur — as subsidiary payment.
Circars = coastal Andhra, 1765–88 from Nizam via Mughal firman. Ceded Districts = Rayalaseema, 1800, under subsidiary alliance.
Geldria = Dutch, 1613. Fort St. George = English, 1640.
1632 = Abdullah Qutb Shah, initial duty-free grant. 1676 = Abul Hasan, confirmation & expansion.
Chandurthi (near Rajahmundry) = English vs French for Northern Circars. Wandiwash (Tamil Nadu) = decisive end of French political power in India.
Yanam = French enclave (1721–1954) in Godavari delta. Masulipatnam = shared port used by all Europeans.
PDEDF — Please Don't Ever Disturb France
Portuguese · Dutch · English · Danes · French — the order of arrival. Years: 1498, 1605, 1611, 1620, 1669.
- 1498 Portuguese; 1605 Dutch; 1611 English; 1620 Danes; 1669 French.
- Dutch HQ = Pulicat (Fort Geldria 1613); English first Andhra factory = Masulipatnam 1611.
- Golden Farmans of Golconda: 1632 & 1676 — foundation of English trade advantage.
- Bussy secured Circars for French 1753 → Forde took Masulipatnam 1759 → Firman 1765 → Nizam treaty 1766 → Guntur 1788.
- Ceded Districts (Rayalaseema) = 1800 under Wellesley's subsidiary alliance.
- Wandiwash 1760 = end of French; Chinsurah 1759 = end of Dutch.
Order & year of arrival of each power
MCQAndhra factory of each power
MCQTwo Golden Farmans — issuer & year
MCQNorthern Circars ↔ Ceded Districts
MCQCarnatic Wars — Andhra battles
MCQBussy's role in Deccan
Descriptive