Textbook
Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
The simplest possible start: short, illustrated and the base of countless exam questions.
French India
Colonial power
Level 2
1668 – 1954
French East India Company settlements, transferred to India in 1954.
- Capital
- Pondichéry
- Region
- Coastal
- Duration
- 286 years
- Main period
- European Maritime Powers
Approximate extent over time (solid = latest, dashed = earlier).
Rulers
- Joseph François Dupleix Governor-General1742 – 1754Carnatic Wars.
Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.
Constituent & related polities
Chandernagore
1673 – 1950
Pondichéry
1674 – 1954
Mahé
1721 – 1954
Yanam
1731 – 1954
Karaikal
1739 – 1954
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1746 | French capture Madras (First Carnatic War) | Chennai |
📚 Recommended reading on the French India
Textbook
Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
Textbook
India and the Contemporary World I & II (Classes 9–10)
Nationalism in Europe and India, the French Revolution and the making of a global world.
Textbook
History of Modern India
The old-NCERT modern India classic, from the decline of the Mughals to independence.
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Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the French India for a significant part of its history.
Sultanate of the Maldives ★
Islands · c. 1153 – 1968
Malla Dynasty of Nepal ★
Himalaya · 1201 – 1769
Ahom Kingdom ★
Northeast · 1228 – 1826
Mewar (Sisodia) ★
West · 1326 – 1949
Kingdom of Mysore ★
South · 1399 – 1950
Kingdom of Kandy ★
Sri Lanka · c. 1469 – 1815
Portuguese Estado da Índia ★
Coastal · 1505 – 1961
Mughal Empire ★
North · 1526 – 1857
British East India Company ★
Pan-Indian · 1600 – 1858
Maratha Empire ★
Deccan · 1674 – 1818
Nawabs of Bengal ★
East · 1717 – 1765
Hyderabad State (Nizams) ★
Deccan · 1724 – 1948
Sikh Empire ★
North · 1799 – 1849
Kingdom of Nepal ★
Himalaya · 1816 – 2008
British Raj (Crown Rule) ★
Pan-Indian · 1858 – 1947
Kingdom of Bhutan ★
Himalaya · 1907 – present
Zamorins of Calicut
South · c. 1124 – 1766
Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur)
West · c. 1128 – 1949
Marwar (Rathore)
West · c. 1226 – 1949
Koch Kingdom (Kamata / Cooch Behar)
Northeast · 1515 – 1949
Madurai Nayaks
South · 1529 – 1736
Portuguese Bassein & Bombay
Coastal · 1534 – 1739
Portuguese Diu
Coastal · 1535 – 1961
Portuguese Daman
Coastal · 1559 – 1961
Gorkha Kingdom
Himalaya · 1559 – 1768
Dutch East India Company (VOC) in India
Coastal · 1605 – 1825
Dutch Coromandel (Pulicat)
Coastal · 1610 – 1825
Bhutan under the Zhabdrung (Druk Desi)
Himalaya · 1616 – 1907
Danish India
Coastal · 1620 – 1869
Danish Tranquebar
Coastal · 1620 – 1845
Fort St George, Madras
Coastal · 1639 – 1858
Dutch Chinsurah
Coastal · 1656 – 1825
Dutch Ceylon
Sri Lanka · 1658 – 1796
Dutch Malabar (Cochin)
Coastal · 1663 – 1795
Bombay (English East India Company)
Coastal · 1668 – 1858
Carnatic (Nawabs of Arcot)
South · 1692 – 1855
Hotak Dynasty
Northwest · 1709 – 1738
Gaekwad State (Baroda)
West · 1721 – 1949
Rohilkhand
Gangetic Plain · 1721 – 1774
Jat Kingdom of Bharatpur
North · 1722 – 1947