Show Summary Details
Overview
French East India Company
Quick Reference
A commercial organization, founded in 1664 to compete with the Dutch and English East India companies. Until the 1740s it was less successful than its rivals, but led by an ambitious governor, Dupleix, the Company then made a bid to challenge English influence in India, notably by alliances with local rulers in south India. Although a number of trading ports, including Pondicherry and Chandernagore, remained in French control until 1949, the Company itself collapsed during the French Revolutionary period.
Subjects: History
