India And European Colonialism Questions And Answers | 12th history chapter 3
1A. Choose the correct alternative and rewrite the statement.
Question - 1. Vasco da Gama was a seafarer from ___________
[a] Poland
[b] England
[c] France
[d] Portugal
Solutions :
[d] Portugal
Question - 2. The license was given by England to the East India Company to trade with eastern countries by ___________
[a] Sir George Oxenden
[b] Princess Braganza
[c] Queen Elizabeth
[d] Homer
Solutions :
[c] Queen Elizabeth
1B. Find the incorrect pair from group ‘B’ and write the corrected one
Question - 1.
| Group ‘A’ | Group ‘B’ |
| (a) Arcebispo | Chief Executive Officer |
| (b) Chancellor | Judge |
| (c) Vedor da Fazenda | In charge of Company’s Possessions |
| (d) Capitaon | Captain |
3. Explain the following statements with reasons.
Question - 1. The Indian rulers had to obtain Cartaz.
Solutions :
Cartaz: The Cartaz was a license issued by the Portuguese to the Indian rulers for sailing on the Indian Ocean when they established firm control of the Indian Ocean. It usually carried details like the name of the vessel [ship], the name of the captain of the ship, port of departure and arrival, the list of weaponry on the ship loaded for the purpose of self-defense, etc.
Question - 2. Indian rulers found it difficult to fight the Portuguese.
Solutions :
The Portuguese established a strong navy. They used to launch sudden attacks on their enemy’s territory from the sea and wreck it completely. The Indian rulers could not match the Portuguese in their war tactics. Later when they established their firm control on the Indian Ocean it became necessary for the Indians to get a license from them for sailing on the Indian Ocean.
4. Answer the following Question -s in detail.
Question - 1. Which are the places where the Portuguese established their colonies?
Solutions :
By 1608, the Portuguese had established their colonies on the western coast of India at Diu, Daman, Chaul, Goa [including Sashti and Bardish], Honnavar, Gangoli, Basrur, Mangalore, Kannur, Kodungallur, Kochi, and Kollam. Similarly, on the eastern coast, they had trader colonies at Nagapattinam, Mylapore or Sao Tome/San Thom, and Hugli in Bengal. This stretch of the Portuguese empire had its capital at Goa.
Question - 2. What were the rights given to United East India Company by the Dutch government?
Solutions :
The Dutch government issued a license to the company to conduct trading with the eastern countries. The same license permitted them to appoint staff, establish factories, build forts, engage in battles against the eastern countries, and also sign treaties with them. Accordingly, the company appointed a Governor-General to take care of Indian affairs.
Try to do this [Textbook Page No. 19]
Collect information of the church in Kerala, named after Vasco da Gama, with the help of the internet.
Solutions :
St. Francis Church:
- Built-in 1503 as one of the oldest European churches in India.
- Originally known as St. Bartholomew.
- Constructed of wood and stone.
- First Portuguese church in India.
- Founded by Pedro Alvarez De Cabral.
- Built-in Persian architecture style.
- The Portuguese built a fort and within the fort, they built a church.
- History has it that Vasco da Gama died during his third visit to India and was buried here in 1524.
- After 14 years his body was moved to Lisbon.
Try to do this [Textbook Page No. 21]
Make a list of the ship-building facilities in pre-independence and post-independence India and collect information about the development of the shipbuilding industry.
Solutions :
Students can use the following points as references.
- India’s maritime history began during the 3rd millennium B.C.E.
- When Indus valley had trade contact with Mesopotamia.
- Strabo mentions Rome and Greece had maritime trade relations with India.
- The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach India by sea and traded in spices etc. followed by the Dutch.
- The shipbuilding activities of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are particularly noteworthy. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built a strong naval force.
- In the modern period, the British East India Company shipped substantial quantities of spices.
- Ship Building was a well-established craft.
- Some of the well-known shipyards in India today are Sembmarine Kakinada Ltd [SKL] India, Goa Shipyard Limited [GSL] India, Western India Shipyard Ltd.
Try to do this [Textbook Page No. 21]
The currency of various countries is known by specific names. Prepare a list of countries and their currencies.
Solutions :
| Country | Currency |
| 1. Afghanistan | Afghan Afghani (AFN) |
| 2. Argentina | Argentine peso (ARS) |
| 3. Australia | Australian dollar (AUS) |
| 4. Bahrain | Bahraini dinar (BHD) |
| 5. China | Chinese yuan (CNY) |
| 6. Denmark | Danish krone (DKK) |
| 7. Egypt | Egyptian pound (EGP) |
| 8. Germany | Euro (EUR) |
| 9. India | Indian rupee (INR) |
| 10. Japan | Japanese yen (JPY) |
| 11. United States of America | US dollar (USD) |
| 12. United Kingdom | Pound sterling (GBP) |
Compile the names of Governors of British East India Company from 1600 to 1857. C.E.
Solutions :
The Regulating Act of 1773 created the office with the title of Governor-General of Presidency of Fort William or Governor-General of Bengal. He was appointed by the Court of Directors of the East India Company.
| Governor-General | Years Active |
| 1. Warren Hastings | 1772 – 1785 |
| 2. Sir John Macpherson | 1785 – 1786 |
| 3. Lord Cornwallis | 1786 – 1793 |
| 4. Sir John Shore | 1793 – 1798 |
| 5. Lord Wellesley | 1798 – 1805 |
| 6. Sir George Barlow | 1805 – 1807 |
| 7. Lord Minto I | 1807 – 1815 |
| 8. Lord Hastings | 1813 – 1823 |
| 9. Lord Amherst | 1823 – 1828 |
| 10. Lord William Bentinck | 1828 – 1835 |
| 11. Sir Charles Metcalfe | 1835 – 1836 |
| 12. Lord Auckland | 1836 – 1842 |
| 13. Lord Dalhousie | 1848 – 1856 |
| 14. Lord Canning | 1856 – 1862 |
| 15. Lord Lawrence | 1864 – 1869 |
| 16. Lord Mayo | 1869 – 1872 |
| 17. Lord Lytton | 1876 – 1880 |
| 18 .Lord Ripon | 1880 – 1884 |
| 19. Lord Dufferin | 1884 – 1888 |
| 20. Lord Lansdowne | 1888 – 1894 |
| 21. Lord Curzon | 1894 – 1905 |
| 22. Lord Minto | 1905 – 1910 |
| 23. Lord Hardinge | 1910 – 1916 |
| 24. Lord Chelmsford | 1916 – 1921 |
| 25. Lord Reading | 1921 – 1926 |
| 26. Lord Irwin | 1926 – 1931 |
| 27. Lord Willingdon | 1931 – 1936 |
| 28. Lord Linlithgow | 1936 – 1944 |
| 29. Lord Wavell | 1944 – 1947 |
| 30. Lord Mountbatten | March 1947 – August 1947 |
India And European Colonialism Questions And Answers | 12th history chapter 3
In the previous lesson, we learnt about
European Colonialism and its impact on
world history. In this lesson, we are going
to learn about the spread of colonialism in
India and its impact.
3.1 Portuguese
Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese seafarer
reached the port of Calicut (Kozhikode) in
1498. Once landed on the Indian coasts the
Portuguese did not take long to establish
themselves in India. By the beginning of
16th century Portuguese had brought a
considerable portion of the Indian coasts
under their control.
The Portuguese, took advantage of the
strained relations among various rulers in
South India.
They established their colonies
on the western coast and built forts for
their protection and used them to protect
their colonies from external attacks and to
reinforce them continuously with supplies
by using seaways. The Portuguese naval
force was very strong. They used to launch
sudden attacks on their enemy’s territory
from the sea and wreck it completely. The
Indian local rulers could not match the
Portuguese in their war tactics. Later, when
they established their firm control on the
Indian Ocean, it became necessary for the
Indian rulers to get a license (Cartaz) from
them for sailing on the Indian Ocean. If
the locals rulers dared to set out on the sea
without a Portuguese license, the ships were
either seized or sunk by force. The
Portuguese had become so powerful that
even the mighty Mughals, and the Sultanates
in the south had to buy a license from
them. By 1608, the Portuguese had their
colonies on the western coast of India at
Diu, Daman, Chaul, Goa (including Sashti
and Bardesh), Honnavar, Gangoli, Basrur,
Mangalore, Kannur, Kodungallur, Cochi
and Kollam. Similarly on the eastern coast
they had trader colonies at Nagpattinam,
Mylapore (Mayilappore or also Sao Tome/
San Thom), and Hugli in Bengal. This
stretch of the Portuguese Empire had its
capital at Goa.
The Portuguese colonies had spread
from Cape of Good Hope to Macau in
China. They all were considered to be part
of the Indian Empire of the Portuguese
(Estado da India). There were several office
holders appointed by the Portuguese king :
‘Vice-rei’ Capitaon-i-jaral’ (Viceroy and
General of the Army) for 3 years tenure.
There used to be an advisory board to
assist the Vice-rei, which included the
Archbishop (Arcebispo) of Goa, Judge
(Chancellor), In-charge of Company’s
possessions (Vedore da Fazenda), Captain
(Capitaon) and a few aristocrats from
Portugal. Vice-rei used to be the presiding
head of this administrative set up.
In the earlier half of the 17th century
five ships used to arrive every year in the
Indian ports. These ships were equipped
with canons. The Portuguese had ship
building facilities at Goa, Diu and Daman.
Durable teakwood of best quality, essential
for building ships was available in these
regions.
The Portuguese used to deploy
seamen from Portugal to India. In those
times, Indian rulers did not maintain a
naval force, therefore, Indian rulers found
it difficult to fight the strong naval forces
of the Portuguese. Only one exception was
that of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who
had built his own navy. The Dutch and the
British defeated the Portuguese naval forces
in the 17th century in the sea-battles.
The Portuguese prohibited building of
any religions monument except churches in
the Indian provinces under their rule. They
also prohibited celebrations of religious
festivals or wedding functions. The
Portuguese rulers also tried to suppress the
local languages. People were offered
employment, with the intention to attract
them to Christianity. In the beginning of
their rule they made Goa a free port. That
resulted in attracting traders from various
countries to Goa.
3.2 British
The British established ‘East India
Company’ on 31st December 1600. Queen
Elizabeth granted permission to the company
to trade in the eastern countries.
In the beginning the East India
Company’s operations were limited to send
their cargos to the eastern countries, to sell
the British goods in those countries, to buy
spices with the profits earned there and the
cash carried from home, to sell the spices
in England and to earn profits. The sailboats
of those days needed to plan their forward
and backward voyages in specific periods
of the year. Therefore, to carry out trade
transactions was more tedious. Under such
circumstances the British were in need of
a permanent place to build warehouses to
store the goods bought at low prices.
The
British boats used to sail from England
during the months of December to April
and used to return to England after an year
in the month of January after completing
trading transactions in India. This required
that they to stay in India over a period of
9-13 months. Hence, the company decided
to build their ‘factories’ (emporiums – a
place where goods are bought, stored and
sold) in India. The staff of the factories
were called ‘factors’. In 1623, the British
Government, under the civil and military
law, granted the company an authority of
adopting punitive measures for the erring
staff. The company was also given the
right of monopoly to trade in the eastern
countries. Charles II, the king of England,
issued a charter allowing the company to
build forts in India, to maintain an army
and to make treaties with non-Christians.
In the latter half of the 17th century, the
company operated from Surat and Madras
(Chennai). The eastern coast, Odisha, Bengal
in India and other eastern countries were
under the company’s jurisdiction. The
factories at Rajapur in Maharashtra, port
city of Mokha (Mocha in Yemen) in the Red
Sea, Basra in the Persian Gulf were
controlled by the Surat centre. The Surat
factory staff comprised of an accountant, an
in-charge of the stores, a treasurer, some
factors and clerks. In addition there was a
Christian priest, a surgeon and his assistant,
cooks, Company President’s personal
servants and a trumpet blower.
The British citizens were also appointed
in the factories as apprentices, clerks and
factors. Everybody, right from the President
to apprentices lived in the factory premises.
All were provided food by the company
mess. They were permitted to trade various
commodities except those which were banned
by the company (such as textiles, indigo,
spices, wool, lead, corals, ivory, etc.).
The company started building forts
in India as part of their strategy. They built
a fort and a factory in Chennai. The fort
was named as ‘Fort St. George’. A mint
was also established in Chennai. The British
issued their own coinage of gold, silver,
alloys and copper from this mint
In 1661, Charles II, the king of England
was engaged to Braganza, the Princess of
Portugal. The king of Portugal gifted the
islands of Mumbai to Charles II on this
occasion. Abraham Shipman, an Englishman
was assigned 500 soldiers and was appointed
as the ‘Governor of Bombay’. In 1665,
Mumbai was fully under the British control.
Mumbai comprised seven islands, namely,
Mumbai, Mahim, Paral, Wadala, Worli,
Sion (Shiv) and Mazgaon.
Charles II leased
Mumbai to the East India Company because
the expenditure for its maintainance
exceeded than the income earned from it.
In 1669, the company appointed Sir George
Oxenden as Governor of Surat and
Commander-in-Chief of Mumbai. A British
mint was established in Mumbai and coins
of silver, copper and zinc were issued from
there. This encouraged merchants and
artisans to come and settle down in
Mumbai. The company had 5-6 small ships
and around 300 soldiers to ensure the
security of Mumbai. The soldiers were
given guns and swords.
3.3 Dutch
In 1602, several Dutch companies came
together to form a company, named ‘United
East India’. The Dutch Government issued
a license to the company to conduct trading
with the eastern countries. The same license
permitted them to appoint staff, to establish
factories, to build forts, to engage in battles
against the eastern countries and also to
sign treaties with them. Accordingly, the
company appointed a Governor-General to
take care of the Indian affairs. By the
middle of the 17th century the company had
established Dutch colonies and factories
right from the eastern coast of Africa to
Japan. It encompassed the present day
regions of Mozambique, South Africa,
Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India,
Bangladesh, Myanmar, Siam, Vietnam,
Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan, China, Japan,
Indonesia and Malaysia. The Dutch built
various buildings in the premises of their
factories and also fortification walls around
them.
They installed canons on the
fortification walls for security. The Dutch
also had native people in their staff. They
established their first factory in 1602 at
Petapuli in the northern parts of Coromandel
coast. Their other factories were built in
Machilipatnam, Pulicat, Thirupapuliyur,
Port Nova, Karikal, Agra, Ahemdabad,
Bharuch, Chinsura, Thatta, Khambayat,
Surat and Nagapattan. They obtained
permission from the Vijaynagara court and
built forts in Pulicat and Nagapattan. Later,
they defeated the Portuguese and acquired
the forts at Kochi, Kodunglur, Kannur and
Kollam. They also obtained monopoly in
black pepper trade by entering a treaty
with the king of Kochi. At the beginning
of the 17th century the Dutch naval force
was very strong. At any given moment they
could deploy at least 20 war ships and an
army of 3-4 thousand soldiers. The Mughal,
Adilshahi and Qutubshahi ships were
required to obtain license from the Dutch.
If any ship was launched without a license,
it was seized by the Dutch.
3.4 French
In 1664, ‘French East India Company’
(La Compagnie des Indes Orientalis) was
established, with the initiative of JeanBaptiste Colbert, the French finance minister
to King Louis XIV. The company was given
the authority to trade with eastern countries,
to maintain army and navy and also
exemption from taxes. The company was
also given the authority to enter a war or
treaty with the eastern rulers. In 1666, the
company sent a diplomatic contingent to the
court of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and
obtained the permission to establish a factory
in Surat.
The first French factory in Surat
was established in 1668. Then the factories
at Pondicherry (Puducherry), Chandranagar,
Mahe, Karikal and Machilipatnam were
built. During this period the French were
fighting with the Qutubshahi ruler and the
Dutch. Pondicherry was the main centre of
the French operations. It was ruled by the
Nawab of Karnataka. The members of the
Nawab’s family were fighting amongst
themselves for the throne.
The British and
the French started intervening in the matter.
It resulted in three battles between the British
and the French from 1744 to 1763 C.E.
These are known as ‘Carnatic Wars’. The
French were defeated by the British in the
third battle. With the defeat of the French,
there was no European rival left in India for
the British.
In the next lesson, we are going to
learn about the resistance to the foreign
powers in India, put up by Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj.
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