The Dutch in India | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Arrival of The Dutch in India

• Driven by commercial interests, the Dutch embarked on voyages to the East.
• In 1602, the States General of the Netherlands unified various trading companies to form the East India Company of the Netherlands, which was authorized to engage in warfare, negotiate treaties, claim territories, build fortifications.
• Upon arriving in India, the Dutch established their first factory in Masulipatnam(in present-day Andhra Pradesh) in 1605 and set up trading centers across India, posing a threat to the Portuguese.
• The Dutch seized Nagapatam near Madras(now Chennai) from the Portuguese, making it their primary stronghold in South India.
• They traded products such as indigo from the Yamuna valley and Central India,textiles and silk from Bengal,Gujarat, the Coromandel coast,saltpetre from Bihar, opium and rice from the Ganga valley.

Anglo-Dutch Rivalry

• As the English began to rise in prominence in Eastern trade, they posed a significant challenge to Dutch commercial interests, leading to intense rivalry and warfare.
• The peak of conflict between the Dutch and English in the East occurred at Amboyna (in present-day Indonesia), where the Dutch executed ten Englishmen and nine Japanese in 1623.
• This incident escalated the rivalry, but after prolonged conflict, a compromise was reached in 1667. The British withdrew claims in Indonesia, the Dutch focused on trade in Indonesia.

Decline of the Dutch in India

• The Dutch shifted their focus to trade in the Malay Archipelago.
• In November 1759, the Battle of Bedara was fought between the British and Dutch armies, resulting in a decisive victory for the British.
• The Dutch were primarily interested in trade rather than empire-building in India, with their main commercial interests lying in the Spice Islands of Indonesia, where they made substantial profits.