Video narration
At your local market, traders come to buy and sell-but how did Europeans who came to trade in India end up ruling parts of it? In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, opening a sea route for Portuguese trade with India. Soon, Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French traders competed for trade. The English East India Company, a trading company, grew more powerful as Mughal authority weakened and regional rivalries created openings. Then the companies were no longer only trading: the East India Company began using armies and political alliances to gain power. The Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the Battle of Buxar in 1764 strengthened its control in Bengal. This was not instant rule over all India; it was a growing foothold. Trade opened the way; military force and Indian political rivalries gave the Company power in Bengal.