Immediate Cause of Rebellion. Offensive and Support. Retreat and Further Conflict. Resolution and Aftermath. Role of Nur JahanEarly Life and Marriage. Family Influence and Political Rise. Role in Governance and Administration. Cultural Contributions and Legacy. Relationship with Jahangir and Shah JahanPolitical and Administrative Developments. Jahangir's Reign and Challenges. Nur Jahan's Influence and Succession Issues.
Although the French harboured a wish to engage in the commerce of the East since the opening years of the sixteenth century, their appearance on the Indian coasts was late.
During the reign of Louis XIV, the king’s famous minister Colbert laid the foundation of the Compagnie des Indes Orientales (French East India Company) in 1664, in which the king also took a deep interest.
The Compagnie des Indes Orientales was granted a 50-year monopoly on French trade in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The French king also granted the company a concession in perpetuity for the island of Madagascar, as well as any other territories it could conquer.
The Company spent a lot of its money and resources in trying to revive the colonies of Madagascar but without any success.
In 1667, Francois Caron headed an expedition to India, setting up a factory in Surat.
Mercara, a Persian who accompanied Caron, founded another French factory in Masulipatnam in 1669 after obtaining a patent from the Sultan of Golconda.
In 1673, the French obtained permission from Shaista Khan, the Mughal subahdar of Bengal, to establish a township at Chandernagore near Calcutta.
In 1673, Sher Khan Lodi, the governor of Valikondapuram (under the Bijapur Sultan), granted Francois Martin, the director of the Masulipatnam factory, a site for a settlement.
Pondicherry was founded in 1674. In the same year, Francois Martin replaced Caron as the French governor.
The French company established its factories in other parts of India also, particularly in the coastal regions. Mahe, Karaikal, Balasore and Qasim Bazar were a few important trading centres of the French East India Company.
After taking charge of Pondicherry in 1674, Francois Martin developed it as a place of importance. It was indeed, the stronghold of the French in India.
In 1720, the French company was reorganised as the ‘Perpetual Company of the Indies’ which revived its strength.
This was further enhanced by the stewardship of two active and wise governors, Lenoir and Dumas, between 1720 and 1742.
Further, the French India was backed by the French possession of Mauritius and Reunion in the southern Indian Ocean.
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