The British have arrived

The end of an era and the beginning of another. Hindustan is about to experience yet another drastic transformation, one that will culminate in freedom, partition, and bloodshed. All this occurred because a few opportunistic Englishmen, determined to pursue their commercial interests, decided to venture into the land of India.

The Emblem of the English East India Company. Source: Pinterest

Right before the turn of the 17th century, an English merchant and explorer by the name of John Mildenhall, arrived in India by the overland route, hoping to establish trade relations with the Indian merchants. Not much is known about this gentleman, but official British records confirm that he was indeed the first English person to have come to India.

The early intentions of the English traders were similar to those of the Portuguese. They wanted to sell their merchandise to the Indians and acquire control over the much profitable spice and pepper trade of India. In this regard, the English were aware of the difficulties of trading in India, given that their rivals –the Portuguese, had already secured several bases across the country.

In this story, we are going to trace the very beginning of the English East India Company and its early efforts in establishing a secure trade base in India, before the decline of the Mughal empire. In short, we will treat the British like every other trading company of this time, that has ventured into India solely for economic pursuits.

Following John Mildenhall’s visit in 1599, the merchants of England became even more determined to embark on a commercial voyage to India. They had heard of the great economic successes of the Portuguese and the Dutch and wanted to experience it themselves.

So in 1600, Queen Elizabeth I of England granted a charter to the group of interested individuals, who collectively came to represent ‘The Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies’, more commonly known as the English East India Company.

However, during this time, England was at war with Spain and Portugal so the British Company stayed away from India for a while. They undertook voyages in Java and Sumatra before they finally landed in India. But these early English traders failed to leave any mark in India because of the stiff opposition they faced from the Portuguese.

In 1609, William Hawkins, an English representative and the commander of the ship Hector reached the royal court of Jahangir in Agra, to seek permission to open a factory at Surat. Any other official would have failed to convince the emperor. But William Hawkins was not any other official. He was well familiarized with Turkish, and Jahangir was part Turkish on his paternal side. Jahangir was naturally impressed by the fluency with which Hawkins conversed. As a reward, Jahangir issued a Farman, allowing the English to set up a factory at Surat.

The establishment of the fort at Surat was in itself historic because it was at Surat where the seeds of economic colonization were first planted by the British.

In Surat, the English traded in fine cotton and muslins of north and west India. Surat was one of the most important centres of maritime trade from the straits of Malacca to the Persian Gulf. Surat was also connected to the inland cities within India including Agra, Delhi, Golconda, etc. Hence, it was from Surat that the English extended their inland trade operations and built other factories in Ahmedabad, Burhanpur, Ajmer, and Agra.

The permission to expand British trade and erect factories in places other than Surat was secured by the English ambassador, Thomas Roe. Roe left a significant impression on Emperor Jahangir.

The next major base of English settlement was Bombay. Bombay was originally a base of the Portuguese but in 1661, the ruler of Portugal gave the city as a dowry to the princess, Catherine on her marriage with the English monarch, Charles II. The Company acquired Bombay from Charles II on lease and established a settlement in Bombay. Gerald Aungier, who was the governor of Surat, also became in charge of Bombay from 1669.

The next important base was in Bengal. Trade in Bengal had already begun a few years ago. However, the British traders had trouble expanding their economic power, because of the stiff resistance they faced from the Governors of Bengal.

After much difficulty, in 1690, Job Charnock acquired permission to establish a factory at Sutanati and as a result, the zamindari of the three villages Sutanati, Govindpur, and Kalikata came under British control. These villages later became the city of Calcutta.

The factory at Sutanati was fortified in 1696 and renamed Fort William in 1700.

Until now, the British in India, were a group of merchants, solely fulfilling an economic agenda. They had no intention of acquiring any political control over India. However, the acquisition of Bengal by the English East Company dramatically changed the nature of British control over India.

From an economic group, working under the protection of the Mughal Empire to assuming political paramountcy and ruling India with an iron fist, the East India Company came a long way.

What changed the British mindset then? Perhaps, like every other invading group that preceded them, the British too saw a golden opportunity when the Mughal Empire began showing signs of decline after Aurangzeb’s death; the opportunity to create an empire outside Europe, an empire that would allow the British to fully exploit the economy of India. And for this wonderful dream to come true, the British would have to intervene and take charge of the administration and governance of India.

What follows next is a complete change of the country’s landscape at the hands of the British. But that’s a story we are going to leave for another day!

A portrait of the English Ambassador Thomas Roe, visiting the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Source: Explore-Parliament.net