Among the case files preserved at the Archives Nationales d’Outre-mer under call number C² 164 is one of the fiercest critiques of the activities undertaken by the European trading companies in India. Penned by Father Saint-Estevan in 1776, it states that the trading companies, including the French East India Company, consisted of ‘mere merchants wielding despotic authority that resulted in the loss of more than 20,000 of their kings’ subjects, ruined legions of their compatriots and saw more than a million Indians perish.’ The reason for this critique?

The provisions of the Treaty of Paris of 30 May 1814 pertaining to India were aimed at preventing France’s commercial and political resurgence. The trading posts had been demilitarised and, to facilitate its monitoring of French activities, the East India Company maintained lookout posts within the territory of Pondicherry, making it appear something of a Harlequin.

Catholic missions in India in the early modern period were initially extensions of both the European mercantile and colonial expansion. 

The French presence remained relatively limited in North India.

The French established settlements and trading posts along the Coromandel Coast, including Pondicherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam and had significant presence in South India. 

The British Raj began formally in 1858 following the dissolution of the British East India Company and the transfer of power to the British Crown after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It lasted until India gained independence from British rule on August 15, 1947. It encompasses various aspects of British colonial administration in India, including the establishment of British institutions, the implementation of British laws and policies, and the economic exploitation of Indian resources for the benefit of the British Empire.