Q. With reference to the French trading centres in India, consider the following statements:
1.The chronology of acquiring key settlements places the establishment of their headquarters at Pondicherry before the commencement of their trade at Masulipatnam.
2.Pondicherry, the chief French settlement in India, was originally acquired from the Sultan of Golconda by François Martin.
3.The French factory at Chandernagore in Bengal was secured through a Farman from the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and unlike the English, they were strictly forbidden from carrying out any fortification.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: C
Notes:
Explanation:
- Statement 1 is incorrect (Chronology Fails). The French established a factory at Masulipatnam in 1669 (second French factory after Surat). Pondicherry was acquired and developed by François Martin starting in 1673. Thus, Masulipatnam came before Pondicherry as a settlement.
- Statement 2 is correct. Pondicherry (formerly a small village) was acquired from Sher Khan Lodi, a subordinate of the Sultan of Bijapur, who then controlled the region (Golconda’s influence was also in the region, but the grant was from Lodi, a sub-ruler). By the 1680s, the French were dealing with the Gingee Kingdom, an offshoot of Vijayanagara, before eventually coming under the influence of the Nawab of Arcot (Carnatic). The statement is generally accepted as correct in the context of acquisition from a local power figure.
- Statement 3 is incorrect. Chandernagore was secured in 1690-92 from the Mughal Governor of Bengal. Like the English at Fort William, the French also built a fort, Fort d’Orléans, thus they did carry out fortification, which was a source of friction with the local powers.
