The French came into play relatively late in comparison with the British, Dutch and Portuguese. They established themselves in colonial India in the second half of the 17th Century and occupied their post until 1954. They produced rice, peanuts, betel nuts, and vegetables.Their major establishments in India were Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam (Andra Pradesh) on Coromandel Coast and Mahe on the Malabar Coast and Chandernagor in Bengal.By the time the French came to India, other colonial powers had multiple trading stations and ports set up. Their customs barriers, belief systems, inexperience in such large investments are quoted as some reasons for their late entry in the trade.The first French East India Company was set up under Henry IV in 1603 but didn’t have any settlements. The second was set up in 1642, but it took its proper shape only in 1664 with the help of Jean Baptist Caillouet under Louis XIV. The company gained a monopoly for the next 50 years.The company was given the go-ahead to trade in Madagascar (a fertile land for agriculture). But it took up a lot of resources and they dropped the idea in a few years to concentrate on India.The duties of the company were handled by Francois Caron who previously worked with the Dutch East India Company for 30 years and reached the post of Governor-General.Factories were opened in Surat in 1668, Masulipatnam in 1669, and Bantam, Indonesian. And in 1673 with the permission of Mughal in Chandernagore.They established their stronghold in Pondicherry by 1674. Pondicherry was obtained from the Sultan of Bijapur. In 1701, Pondicherry was made the headquarters of French East India Company.Dutch had seized Pondicherry from the French in the 1690s, but they took it back in 6 years through the Treaty of Ryswick. But the Dutch held their garrison in Pondicherry for another two years before leaving, eventually. (The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the Nine Years' War which took place from 1688 to 1697 between France, and the Grand Alliance, which included England, Spain, Emperor Leopold, and the Dutch Republic.)The War of Spanish Succession in Europe led to French losing many of their factories in India.As the Dutch left Mauritius in 1715, the French replaced them there. Later they took over Seychelles and Chagos Islands.By 1718 they had to leave Surat, Masulipatnam and Bantam factories because they were not able to compete with the Dutch and the British.The company was combined with John Law’s Mississippi company in 1719. Its purpose was to run both the west and east Indian companies. But the company dissolved in a year.In 1723, the company restarted and set up their factories in Yanam in Andhra Pradesh, Mahe, and Karaikal. They worked under the name of “The Perpetual Company of the Indies”.They rose in power from 1720-1742 under the leadership of governors Pierre Christophe Le Noir and Pierre Benoît Dumas backed by the possession of Mauritius and the Southern Indian Ocean.The political situation in South India was weak during the 1740s. The princely states were busy fighting each other, leaving the colonial power to conquer territories that were left without much protection such as the Coromandel Coast. (Hyderabad battling Marathas)Joseph François Dupleix (most successful general), after he arrived in 1741, wanted to create a French empire in India. This clashed with the interest of the British. They extended their empire from Hyderabad to Kanyakumari. But the dream of further expansion was squashed by the arrival of British Governor, Robert Clive. Dupleix was sent back to France after the peace talks failed.The British and the French got too much into the political scene of India leading to a conflict between them - Carnatic Wars (1740-1748).Seven-year war - French and British - 1756-1763 - it is also referred to as Zero World War.In 175

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.