INTRODUCTION OF THIS CHAPTER 2
“The growth of territorial empire in India was neither planned nor directed from Britain, it was the initiative of company officials”, argues PJ Marshall (1968). The supremacy of the navy and the army, sophisticated arms and ammunitions, support of the government and effective planning with shrewd diplomacy implemented by some of its brave officers, helped the company, in keeping away the other European powers and in winning over the native states.”
THE ADVENT OF THE EUROPEANS
In the 17th and 18th centuries, India became a centre of attraction for many European nations. Being attracted to the potential of India, many Europeans like Portuguese, English, Dutch, Danish and French came to trade with India. and commercial relations were established with them. The Portuguese were the first to reach the shores of India.
The old trading routes between the East and the West came under Turkish control after the Ottoman conquest of Asia Minor and the capture of constantinople in 1453. Moreover, the merchants of Venice and Genoa monopolised the trade between Europe and Asia and refused to let the new nation states of Western Europe, particularly Spain and Portugal, have any share in the trade through these old routes.
The West European states and merchants therefore began to search for new and safer sea routes to India and Indonesia (earlier known as the East Indies). They wanted to break the Arab and Venetian trade monopolies, to bypass Turkish hostility, and to open direct trade relations with the East. They were well equipped to do so, as great advances in ship-building and the science of navigation had taken place during the 15th century. Moreover, the renaissance had generated a great spirit of adventure among the people of Western Europe.