- Colbert, a minister under Louis XIV, formed the French East India Company in 1664 CE.
- Francis Caron established the first French factory in Surat about 1668 CE. Maracara built a factory at Masulipatnam in 1669 CE.
- Francois Martin created Pondicherry (Fort Louis) in c. 1673 CE, which later became the seat of the French holdings in India, and he served as its first governor.
- The French took Chandranagore near Calcutta from the governor, Shaista Khan, in 1690 CE. At Balasore, Mahe, Qasim Bazar, and Karaikal, the French erected factories.
- The advent of French governor Joseph François Dupleix in India in around 1742 CE marked the start of Anglo-French warfare, which culminated in the legendary Carnatic wars. Pondicherry – The Nerve Centre of French
- Francois Martin, the director of the Masulipatnam factory, was granted a location for a colony in 1673 by Sher Khan Lodi, the administrator of Valikandapuram (under the Bijapur Sultan).
- Pondicherry was established in the year 1674. Caron was succeeded as French governor by Francois Martin the next year.
- Other sections of India, notably the coastal regions, were also home to the French company’s plants.
- The French East India Company’s commercial centres included Mahe, Karaikal, Balasore, and Qasim Bazar.
- Francois Martin established Pondicherry as a significant location after gaining command in 1674. It was, after all, the French’s bastion in India.
First Carnatic War (1740–48)
- The Anglo-French War in Europe was triggered by the Austrian War of Succession, and the First Carnatic War was a continuation of that conflict.
- The Treaty of Aix-La Chapelle, which brought the Austrian War of Succession to a close, concluded the First Carnatic War in 1748.
- Madras was returned to the English under the provisions of this treaty, while the French received their colonies in North America in exchange.
Second Carnatic War (1749–54)
- Dupleix, the French governor who had led the French armies to victory in the First Carnatic War, aspired to expand his authority and political influence in southern India by engaging in local dynastic rivalries to beat the English.
- The English and the French agreed not to intervene in native rulers’ quarrels.
- Furthermore, each side was left in control of the territory that they had occupied at the time of the pact.
- It became clear that Indian authority was no longer required for European success; rather, Indian authority was growing increasingly reliant on European backing.
Third Carnatic War (1758–63)
- When Austria attempted to reclaim Silesia in 1756, the Seven Years’ War (1756– 63) broke out in Europe.
- Once again, the United Kingdom and France were on opposing sides.
- The Treaty of Peace Paris (1763) restored the French industries in India, but after the war, French political dominance vanished.
- The Dutch having already been beaten in the Battle of Bidara in 1759, the English became the dominant European force on the Indian subcontinent.
English Success and the French Failure – Causes
- The English company was a private enterprise, which instilled in the people a sense of pride and self-assurance.
- The French company, on the other hand, was a government-owned enterprise.
- The French government-controlled and regulated it, and it was boxed in by government policies and decision-making delays.
- The English navy was superior to the French fleet, and it assisted in cutting off the important maritime route between France and its Indian colonies.
- Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras were all under English control, whilst Pondicherry was under French control.
- The French prioritised territorial ambition over business interests, leaving the French enterprise cash-strapped.
