Arrival of Europeans

The sea route via the Cape of Good Hope to India was discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1498.
The discovery of the sea route via the Cape of Good Hope in 1498 led European trading companies to establish centers in India.
•    Portuguese: Vasco da Gama reached Calicut in 1498, leading to stations at Calicut, Cannanore, and Cochin under governors Almeida and Albuquerque.
•    Dutch: The Dutch East India Company, formed in 1602, established settlements at Masulipatnam, Pulicat, Surat, Karaikal, Nagapattinam, Chinsura, and Kasimbazar. Dutch were able to surpass Portuguese trade dominance in the 17th century until Anglo-Dutch rivalry led to their defeat to the British.
•    English: The English East India Company, chartered in 1600, set up factory at Surat (1613) under permissions from Jahangir. They went on to establish Bombay, Madras (1639) and Calcutta (1690) as presidency towns. Calcutta later became British India's capital.
•    French: The French East India Company, formed in 1664, established factories starting at Surat and Masulipatnam, with François Martin founding Pondicherry (1673) as headquarters alongside Chandernagore, Mahe, and Karaikal.
•    Danes: Danish settlers founded Tranquebar in 1620. They later turned Serampore,Bengal as their headquarters. However, the Danes had to sell all settlements to the British in 1845 after failing to consolidate power.