From Vasco da Gama’s landing near Calicut in 1498 to the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760, five European powers competed for the trade of the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese came first and stayed longest; the Dutch turned to the spice islands; the English and the French fought three Carnatic Wars that decided which company would inherit political power in India.

What UPSC asks

Prelims: the sequence of arrival, first factories and headquarters, founders and governors (Almeida, Albuquerque, Dupleix), farmans (1717), and the causes, battles and treaties of the Carnatic Wars.
Mains (GS I): why the English succeeded where the others failed; the transition from trade to territorial power.

Key sub-topics

Power	Remember
Portuguese	Calicut 1498; Goa 1510; cartaz system; last to leave (1961)
Dutch	VOC 1602; Masulipatnam, Pulicat, Chinsura; defeated at Colachel (1741) and Bedara (1759)
English	Charter 1600; Surat, Madras, Bombay, Calcutta; Farrukhsiyar’s farman (1717)
Danish	Tranquebar and Serampore; sold to the British in 1845
French	Company 1664; Pondicherry; Dupleix; Carnatic Wars (1746–63)

Start with the main notes, then test yourself with the revision sheet and practice set.