French East India Company: Complete Short Notes
1. Introduction
Kya Hai?: French East India Company (Compagnie Française des Indes Orientales) ek French trading company thi, jo India aur East Indies mein trade ke liye bani.
Kab Bani?: 1664 mein, King Louis XIV aur uske minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert ne banaya.
Purpose: English aur Dutch East India Companies se compete karna, spices, textiles (kapda), aur indigo ka trade karna.
Exam Tip: Prelims ke liye yaad karo - 1664, Colbert, Louis XIV.
2. Establishment
Kaise Bani?: 1664 mein, teen purani companies (Compagnie de Chine, d’Orient, Madagascar) ko merge karke.
Capital: 15 million livres chahiye the, par sirf 8 million mile. King ne 3 million diya.
Privileges: 50 saal ka trade monopoly (Cape of Good Hope se aage) aur Madagascar pe permanent control.
Key Log:
François de la Faye: Pehla Director General.
François Caron: Dutch company se aaya, Surat factory banaya.
Marcara Avanchintz: Armenian trader, Masulipatnam factory banaya.
Exam Tip: Mains mein likho - France late tha English (1600) aur Dutch (1602) ke comparison mein.
3. Major Settlements aur Trade
Trade Kya Tha?: Indian kapda (cotton, silk), indigo, spices (mirch, long), dyes. Ye Europe mein demand mein the aur Africa mein slave trade ke liye use hote the.
Main Jagah:
Surat (1668): Pehla factory, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb ke permission se.
Masulipatnam (1669): Golconda Sultan ne allow kiya.
Pondicherry (1674): François Martin ne banaya, French India ka headquarters.
Chandernagore (1673): Bengal mein, Mughal Subedar Shaista Khan ke permission se.
Yanam (1723), Mahe (1725), Karaikal (1739): Chhote trading posts.
Colonial Koshish:
Madagascar: Fail ho gaya, bahut kharcha aur bimari.
Mauritius (1721) aur Réunion: Success, strategic bases.
Exam Tip: Prelims ke liye yaad karo - Pondicherry (1674), Chandernagore (1673).
4. Challenges aur Reorganization
Early Problems:
Paise ki kami: Shuruaati voyages mein loss hua.
Competition: English aur Dutch ne ships harass kiye, kabhi cargo seize kiya.
1693 mein Dutch ne Pondicherry capture kiya, 1699 mein Treaty of Ryswick se wapas mila.
Reorganization:
1719: John Law ke Compagnie des Indes mein merge hua, par 1720 mein Mississippi Bubble crash se nuksaan.
1723: Naya naam - Perpetual Company of the Indies, private monopoly with royal support.
Pierre Christophe Le Noir (1726–1735) aur Pierre Benoît Dumas (1735–1741) ne Pondicherry ko strong kiya.
Exam Tip: Mains mein likho - Financial weakness aur state control ne French ko weak kiya.
5. Joseph François Dupleix aur Political Ambitions
Kaun Tha?: 1741–1754 tak Governor-General, French India ko empire banana chahta tha.
Kya Kiya?:
Indian rulers ke saath alliances banaye (Chanda Sahib - Carnatic, Muzaffar Jang - Hyderabad).
Indian sepoys ko European style mein train kiya (gunners, dragoons).
Madras Capture (1746): British se liya.
Battle of Aydar (1746): Indian army ko hara diya.
Problem: French government ne support nahi diya, British (Robert Clive) ne counterattack kiya. 1754 mein Dupleix ko wapas bulaya.
Exam Tip: Prelims - Dupleix (1741–1754), Madras (1746). Mains - Dupleix ka vision aur failure discuss karo.
6. Carnatic Wars (1744–1763)
Kya Tha?: Anglo-French wars in South India, European wars aur local politics ke wajah se.
First Carnatic War (1744–1748):
War of the Austrian Succession ka part.
French ne Madras liya (1746), par Fort St. David nahi le sake.
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748): Madras British ko wapas.
Second Carnatic War (1749–1754):
French ne Chanda Sahib ko support kiya, British ne Muhammad Ali ko.
Robert Clive ne Arcot capture kiya (1751).
Treaty of Pondicherry (1754): French influence kam, Dupleix wapas.
Third Carnatic War (1756–1763):
Seven Years’ War ka part.
Battle of Wandiwash (1760): British (Eyre Coote) ne French (Count de Lally) ko hara diya.
Pondicherry captured (1761).
Treaty of Paris (1763): Pondicherry, Chandernagore wapas mile, par political power nahi.
Exam Tip: Prelims - Wandiwash (1760), Treaty of Paris (1763). Mains - British naval power aur French failure analyze karo.
7. Decline aur End
Kyun Decline Hua?:
Treaty of Paris (1763) ne French ko sirf 5 enclaves (Pondicherry, Chandernagore, Yanam, Mahe, Karaikal) diya, no political power.
French government ne West Indies ko priority di, India mein kam support.
Paise ki kami hamesha thi.
Monopoly Khatam:
1769: King Louis XV ne monopoly khatam kiya, assets state ko transfer.
Private company bani, par weak thi.
Final End:
1785: Compagnie de Calonne bani, par French Revolution (1789) ne disrupt kiya.
1790: Monopoly khatam. 1794: Company liquidate hui.
Exam Tip: Mains - Decline ke reasons (British navy, financial weakness) likho. Prelims - 1769, 1794 yaad karo.
8. Reasons for Failure
Government Support Kam: French ne Caribbean ko zyada importance di.
Paise ki Kami: Shuru se undercapitalized, royal loans pe dependent.
British Navy Strong: 1757 ke baad British ne sea control kiya.
Internal Problems: French merchants ne state control ko pasand nahi kiya.
John Law Crash (1720): Reputation aur finances ko nuksaan.
Dupleix ka Overambition: Resources ke bina empire banane ki koshish.
Exam Tip: Mains mein French vs. British comparison likho, naval power highlight karo.
9. Legacy
French India: 5 enclaves (510 km²), 1950–1954 mein India mein merge, 1962 mein formally ratified.
Cultural Impact: Pondicherry mein French architecture, grid layout, Auroville, Indo-French ties.
Economic Role: Textile aur spice trade mein contribution, par British se kam.
Political: Dupleix ke alliances ne Anglo-French rivalry ko shape diya.
Exam Tip: Mains - Pondicherry ka cultural legacy aur 1954–1962 integration likho.
10. Key Figures
Jean-Baptiste Colbert: Company banaya, mercantilism ko promote kiya.
François Martin: Pondicherry banaya (1674).
Joseph François Dupleix: Empire ka sapna dekha, 1754 mein recall.
Count de Lally: Third Carnatic War mein hara.
Exam Tip: Prelims - Colbert, Martin, Dupleix ke roles yaad karo.
11. Timeline
1664: Company bani.
1668–1674: Surat, Masulipatnam, Chandernagore, Pondicherry factories.
1693–1699: Dutch ne Pondicherry capture kiya, Treaty of Ryswick se wapas.
1719–1723: John Law crash, reorganized as Perpetual Company.
1741–1754: Dupleix ka time, Madras capture (1746).
1760–1763: Wandiwash, Pondicherry loss, Treaty of Paris.
1769–1794: Monopoly khatam, company band.