Dutch East India Company
Also called: VOC · Topic: Europeans in India and the Rise of Company Rule · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 4 "The Colonial Era in India"
Meaning
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was a trading company from the Netherlands, founded in 1602. It reached India in the early 17th century. It cared mainly about trade, above all the spice trade, and rarely interfered in religion. It had posts at Surat, Bharuch and Cochin on the west coast, and at Nagapattinam, Masulipatnam and Pulicat on the east coast. It was strongest in Malabar, where it pushed out the Portuguese.
Example
At the Battle of Colachel in 1741, King Marthanda Varma of Travancore defeated the Dutch on land and at sea. This was a rare case of an Asian power defeating a European colonial force, and the Dutch declined in India after it.
Don't confuse with
- English East India Company: the English Company also began as traders but became rulers of India. The Dutch stayed focused on trade.
Related concepts
- Battle of Colachel
- Marthanda Varma
- Danish East India Company
- French East India Company
- Dupleix
- Carnatic wars
- Siege of Arcot 1751
- Battle of Chandernagore 1757
- Battle of Bedara 1759
- Battle of Wandiwash 1760