September 22 is the founding day of the East India Company, which ruled India for 200 years. On September 22, 1599, 21 major British merchants held a meeting in London. The meeting discussed the issue of forming a company to do business with India, and British merchants agreed to form the East India Company.
The name India has attracted Western countries since the beginning. Because India was once called the Golden Bird. In this case, how to reach India, how to mine the mineral wealth there and bring it back to their own country was a big challenge for European countries at that time. Especially when some merchants returned to Britain and Portugal from India, they saw the splendor here.
Described.
India has always been a center of curiosity for Western countries.
After such an event, some English merchants decided to visit India. For this, a campaign was needed and more importantly, an organized company was formed to carry out the campaign. Then in 1599, a group of leading merchants and explorers from England met under a royal charter to discuss a possible East Indies adventure, i.e. to trade with the great country in the east (India). Many years before this meeting, an event had taken place.
There was a time when India’s splendor attracted the whole world.
After the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Spanish and Portuguese ships and cargo were captured, allowing English travelers to travel the world in search of fortune. A London merchant asked Queen Elizabeth I for permission to sail to the Indian Ocean. His goal was to break the Spanish and Portuguese monopoly on trade to the Far East. Queen Elizabeth granted him permission.
Greed for trade with India gave rise to the East India Company
In 1591, James Lancaster set out from England with two other ships and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to the Arabian Sea, becoming the first English expedition to reach India. He preyed on Spanish and Portuguese ships before returning to England in 1594. Earlier on August 13, 1592, at the Battle of Flores, Sir Walter Raleigh and the Earl of Cumberland captured a large Portuguese ship. When she was brought to Dartmouth, she was the largest ship ever to be captured in England.
The ship was loaded with jewels, pearls, gold and silver coins, silk clothing, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, aromatic spices, perfumes and medicines. The ship’s Rutter (sailor’s manual) was also valuable. It contained important information about trade routes between China, India and Japan.
It was very difficult to reach India at that time
Seeing this, in 1596, three more English ships sailed eastward, but all were lost at sea. A year later, Ralph Fitch arrived. He was a brave merchant. Together with his companions, he spent an extraordinary nine-year journey, covering Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean, India, and Southeast Asia. Fitch consulted on Indian affairs and provided Lancaster with more valuable information.
This is how the idea of forming the East India Company came about.
After this, Fitch, together with Lancaster, decided to go to the Eastern countries, namely India. For this purpose, a group of merchants was formed. The group included Stephen Soam, the then mayor of London; Thomas Smith, a powerful politician and administrator of London. He founded the Levant Company; Richard Hakluyt, the author and advocate of British colonialism in America; and many other sailors who served with Drake and Raleigh.
The Queen of England agrees
On September 22, 1599, the organization notified the Queen of its intentions. Under this, he wanted to travel to the East Indies, the rich and powerful country in the East (India), and establish a big business from there. Only then was the East India Company established. A year later, the merchants received a royal invitation, the Queen agreed to their decision, and the East India Company was established. In this way, in 1601, Sir James Lancaster embarked on the first voyage of the East India Company on the Red Dragon.
Also read: September 21: It was once an independent princely state.. and this is how it became a part of India, know the story of Manipur
Other important events:
On September 22, 1539, the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev, died in Kartarpur.
On September 22, 1922, the Council of the League of Nations approved the Mandate for Palestine.
On September 22, 1980, the Polish trade union and political party Solidarity was founded. The party spoke out against Soviet control.
September 22 is World Rhino Day. Its aim is to raise awareness of the five rhino species and save them from extinction.
Also Read: September 20: The Last Day of Mughal Empire in India… The British arrested the last emperor.
Follow us On Social Media Google News and Twitter/X
