Question

Where was the headquarters of the French settlement in India?
A. Surat
B. Pondicherry
C. Chandranagore
D. Mysore

Answer 1

Hint: Among the other colonies such as Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, the French were the last to be formed in 1664. The initial attempts of the French East India company found a colony in Madagascar which failed, then in 1667, the company under Francis Caron established its first factory at Surat and the other at masulipatnam.

Complete answer: In 1674 the French East India company under Francois Martin established its settlement at Pondicherry which became their chief trading centre. Earlier the Pondicherry was captured by the Dutch in 1693 but they returned it to France later. Apart from this French acquired the areas Mahi, Yanam and Karaikal in different periods and established factories in Bengal. Finally in 1701 Pondicherry became the capital of the French settlements and Francois Martin became the President of the superior council and director-general of French affairs in India.
Now considering the other options given above:
-Surat was the first trading centre of the English East India company in 1612. It was after the treaty signed between Mughal emperor Jahangir and the English company which gave exclusive rights to established factories in Surat and other areas.
-Chandannagar or Chandranagore became a French colony in 1673 after the permission of Ibrahim Khan who was then the Nawab of Bengal. He gave the rights of trading to the company on the river Hooghly and it became a permanent settlement of French in 1688.
-The Mysore or the kingdom of Mysore believed to have been found in 1399. The Kingdom is famous for various Anglo-Mysore wars fought between the rulers and English companies. With the defeat and death of Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo Mysore war, The Kingdom fell into the hands of British.
Thus, the correct answer is option-B.

Note: In 1741, Joseph Francois Duplex began to cherish the desire of the French Empire in India but could not achieve it. As several conflicts began between Britishers and the French. Finally, in 1744 Robert Clive arrived in India and ruined the hopes to create a French colonial India.