University of Kashmir : 3rd Semester Notes PDF of History Download Link Below
English traders frequently engaged in hostilities with their Dutch and Portuguese counterparts in the Indian Ocean.
The company achieved a major victory over the Portuguese in the battle of Swally in 1612. The company decided to explore the feasibility of gaining a territorial foothold in mainland India, with official sanction of both countries, and requested that the Crown launch a diplomatic mission. In 1612, James I instructed Sir Thomas Roe to visit the Mughal Emperor NuruddinSalim Jahangir (1605-1627) to arrange for a commercial treaty that would give the company exclusive rights to reside and build factories in Surat and other areas. The major factories became the walled forts of Fort wiliam in Bengal, fort St George in
Madras and the Bombay castle.
