UPSC Prelims 2006 Q133: Modern History – Advent Of Europeans & British Expansion
In the year 1613, where was the English East India Company given permission to set up a
factory (trading post)?
- (a) Bangalore
- (b) Madras
- (c) Masulipatnam
- (d) Surat
Answer: (d) Surat
Explanation
English East India Company's factory in 1613
| Place | Link with 1613 |
|---|---|
| Bangalore | No |
| Madras | Fort St George was founded later, in 1639-40 |
| Masulipatnam | Earlier factory of 1611, not the 1613 grant |
| Surat | Mughal Emperor Jahangir permitted a factory at Surat in 1613 |
In 1613, Jahangir issued a farman allowing the English East India Company to set up a factory at Surat.
Answer: (d) Surat.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Bangalore had no English factory in 1613.
- (b) Incorrect. Madras was founded as an English settlement only in 1639-40.
- (c) Incorrect. Masulipatnam had a factory from 1611, not the 1613 permission.
- (d) CORRECT. The English were allowed to set up a factory at Surat in 1613.
Key point
In 1613 Jahangir allowed the English East India Company to set up a factory at Surat.
Remember
1613: the English got permission for a factory at Surat.
Common mistakes
- Choosing Madras, the later English stronghold.
- Confusing the 1613 grant with Sir Thomas Roe's embassy in 1615.
- Forgetting that Surat was the main Mughal port on the west coast.
Exam tip
English in India: Surat factory (1613); Fort St George, Madras (1639-40); Bombay (1668).
Sources
- Satish Chandra — Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals, Part Two (Mughal Empire, 1526–1748)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — East India Company