The Dutch in India and Danish: Trading Dominance & Decline

The Arrival and the Spread of the Dutch in India 

• Cornelis de Houtman was the first Dutchman to reach Sumatra and Bantam in 1596. 
• East India Company of the Netherlands: It was formed in 1602 with powers to trade, take possession of territory as well as engage in war when needed. 
• Establishment of Factories: The Dutch in India founded their first factory in Masulipatnam (in Andhra) in 1605. 
  • They captured Nagapatam near Madras (Chennai) from the Portuguese and made it their main stronghold in South India.
• Other Important Dutch Factories: These were in Surat (1616), Bimlipatam (1641), Karaikal (1645), Chinsura (1653), Baranagar, Kasimbazar (near Murshidabad), Balasore, Patna, Nagapatam (1658), and Cochin (1663). 
• Trade Dominance in South Asia: They carried Indigo manufactured in the Yamuna Valley and Central India, textiles and silk from Bengal, Gujarat and the Coromandel, saltpetre from Bihar, and opium and rice from the Ganga Valley.
  • The Dutch in India monopolized trade in black pepper and spices. 
  • They were also interested in silk, cotton, indigo, rice and opium.

The Decline of the Dutch in India 

• Dutch Economic Focus: The Dutch were not interested in empire-building, they wanted to focus on trade.
• Anglo-Dutch Rivalry: as seen in events like the Amboyna Massacre (1623, Indonesia), later transcended to their Indian territories.
• Anglo-Dutch Compromise of 1667: Both the parties came to a compromise in 1667 by which the British agreed to withdraw all their claims on Indonesia, and the Dutch retired from India to concentrate on their more profitable trade in Indonesia. 
• Third Anglo-Dutch War: Dutch forces captured English ships in the Bay of Bengal. 
  • The English eventually retaliated and won the Battle of Hooghly in 1759 during the 7 years war.  
• The Battle of Hooghly (1759): Also known as the Battle of Bidara and Battle of Chinsurah marked a crushing blow to Dutch ambitions in India and led to the ascent of the British. 

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The Danes (Denmark)

• The Danish East India Company was established in 1616, and they founded their first factory at Tranquebar near Tanjore in 1620.
• Serampore near Calcutta was the most important Danish settlement at the time.
• The Danes were more interested in missionary activities instead of commercial or political interests.

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