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## Arrival of the British and the French The Dutch, as well as the Portuguese, could not hold the trade dominance in Asia for too long. The reason for that was the arrival of the British and the French. The English started coming to Asia from the beginning of the 17th century and established the Br...

## Arrival of the British and the French The Dutch, as well as the Portuguese, could not hold the trade dominance in Asia for too long. The reason for that was the arrival of the British and the French. The English started coming to Asia from the beginning of the 17th century and established the British East India Company setting up the monopoly of the Queen of England in trade in Asia. They first established several warehouses in the coastal areas of India and began to gradually spread their power to other areas. As a result, India, Burma and Sri Lanka, too, became colonies of the British Empire. By the middle of 17th century, the French had established the French East India Company and had started coming to Asia. Initially they established their warehouses in Pondicherry, Karaikal and Chander Nagar in India and went on to spread their power. In this way, several European nations had arrived in Asia by the end of the 17th century and there arose disputes among themselves in their efforts to spread their political power and to gain dominance in trade in Asia. This opened up the opportunity for rulers of countries in Asia to get the support of one European nation against another. ## Activity 1. Mark the countries that were involved in the trade in Asia: * Portugal * Cape of Good Hope * Constantinople 2. Explain the reasons why the Portuguese and Dutch had to leave their trade dominance in Asia.