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The Theft of India: The European Conquests of India, 1498-1765
In the three centuries that followed Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route from Europe to India, European powers made a beeline for India’s fabled riches, its spices, gold and gems. Though they ostensibly came for trade and commerce and the thrill of discovering a new land, the lines between exploration and exploitation soon blurred.
The Theft of India documents the intense rivalry for spoils that played out between the British, the French, the Dutch and the Portuguese and the impact this had on Indians. It details the political intrigue, the agreements and the betrayals, the oppression, swindling and greed of these foreign powers as they each tried to strengthen their grip on this vast and ‘exotic’ land.
Roy Moxham’s work, though, is no dry study of textual materials. Through probing research, he unearths eyewitness accounts and memoirs from the era. Moxham supplements these with an exhaustive study of academic works on the subject. The result is an unflattering picture of the ‘civilized’ West as it systematically strips India of its riches.
The Theft of India documents the intense rivalry for spoils that played out between the British, the French, the Dutch and the Portuguese and the impact this had on Indians. It details the political intrigue, the agreements and the betrayals, the oppression, swindling and greed of these foreign powers as they each tried to strengthen their grip on this vast and ‘exotic’ land.
Roy Moxham’s work, though, is no dry study of textual materials. Through probing research, he unearths eyewitness accounts and memoirs from the era. Moxham supplements these with an exhaustive study of academic works on the subject. The result is an unflattering picture of the ‘civilized’ West as it systematically strips India of its riches.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
About the author
Roy Moxham
7 books21 followersRoy Moxham is author of The Great Hedge of India (2001). After thirteen years in Africa, he became first a dealer in African Art, then a book conservator, now in charge of preservation and conservation at the University of London Library.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 26, 2020
Roy Moxham tells us that no western country was left a stone unturned to exploit the country. We have Dutch, Portuguese, French, Danes and of course British. The author is well known for highlighting little known historical facts. It has lots of interesting incidents and facts. It tells us about Europeans power struggle in India and its ocean. You have to read more further to get clear picture of history Somehow i felt author could have gone into more details of the topics he has covered. We need more books on such topic.
January 26, 2017
On Colonialism, standard textbook history paints a story of Europeans ostensibly coming to India, lured by its wealth of spices, gems and gold. It says that they came for trade, commerce, exploration, adventure and discovery. Author Roy Moxham puts this proposition to deeper analysis. He subjects it to the test of veracity by delving into eyewitness accounts, memoirs, journals and travelogues of both Europeans and Indians, who lived through those times. He supplements it by looking into academic works on the subject. This book covers the period 1498-1765, when the Portuguese came first, followed by the Dutch, the Danes, the British and finally the French. What emerges is not the pretty picture of an ‘enlightened West’ meeting the ‘exotic East’. It is a story of intense rivalry between the European Powers for plundering India’s spoils. It is a story of wars, destruction and colonization. It is a story of systematic swindling and organized loot, leaving India impoverished. It is a story of famines, due to the exploitative agricultural policies of the colonizers.
My interest in reading this book was to find out about Indian experiences under European rule that is not common knowledge. In this regard, the book did not disappoint me. There is plenty in the book for the interested reader. Let me elaborate on some of them.
A first revelation was that there was a big slave trade in and out of India during those three centuries. Export of slaves from India, mainly to the East Indies, was rampant. Indian slaves were widely in use by the Europeans within India as well. A high-ranking Portuguese official would have hundreds of slaves. The British had slaves from India, Mozambique and Madagascar. The East India Company traded in both textiles and slaves out of Madras. Apparently, slaves were commonplace in Madras (my hometown!). At least 500 Indian slaves were sent to the East Indies each year by the Dutch. To round off the picture, it must be admitted that slavery was not new to India. The Travancore kingdom in Malabar was known to have employed slaves in their kingdom for a long time as well.
The second surprise was that piracy was wantonly encouraged by the British on the Indian coastal waters. In 1635, King Charles I officially encouraged piracy on the Indian coast in order to ‘appropriate the treasures, merchandize, goods and commodities of the infidels’. He licensed various ships to capture vessels and the goods of any nation not friendly to England. The author adds that piracy was known in these waters from time immemorial and there were pirates from Arabia and India as well. However, the most dangerous ones were European and the English were the most successful among all the European pirates.
Apart from piracy, there was also a trade in mercenaries. Once the British and the French made peace in Europe in the 18th century, their respective huge armies in India could not be used against each other. It was expensive to maintain them and so the British were the first ones who decided to interfere in the affairs of the princely states in India by using them as mercenary soldiers on one side or the other.
The third revelation from the author is that the British were tolerant towards religious freedom and largely confined themselves to peaceful trade till the 18th century when they conquered Bengal. On the other hand, the Catholic Portuguese and the Calvinist Dutch were not so. The author says that the Portuguese let loose a reign of terror in which entire communities were massacred. This happened as part of their missionary zeal in proselytization. Given the syncretic culture of India, many converted Christians still maintained their previous practices and forms of worship as Hindus. This was unacceptable and they were tortured and victimized for this through Inquisitions, which cost thousands of lives. The Portuguese were particularly barbarous towards the Moplah Muslims due to the long historical enmity they had with Islam. Proselytization of Hindus was intense and resulted in the destruction of all Hindu temples in Goa and expropriation of all temple lands.
The Europeans, however, made a great horticultural contribution to India. Tomatoes, potatoes, pineapples, custard apples, papaya, prickly pears, guavas, passion fruits, cashew nuts, groundnuts, cassava, maize and chillies were all brought by the Portuguese. What a surprise that chillies became a part of Indian cuisine only after the 16th century! On the debit side, the Europeans also brought the tobacco!
The author challenges the notion that prevails in Europe today that Mughal India was a land of plenty, as evidenced by the marble palaces and their chest of jewels. He says that the Mughals did nothing to improve the economy or the life of the common people. Emperor Akbar was the sole exception. It is true that the land in India gave plentiful yield, but the Mughal rulers and their corrupt ministers grabbed up to two thirds of the produce or its cash equivalent from the cultivators, particularly, non-Muslims. To square the picture and be fair, the author adds that they were great patrons of art, architecture, poetry and dance. Mughal India had a good deal of religious tolerance in spite of abuses by emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. He says that Mughal India was more tolerant than many Muslim countries and more than most of the countries of Europe at that time.
The major focus of the book, however, as the title says, is the theft of India by the Europeans. There is so much of detail on this that it is not possible to discuss it in this review. I can just give a couple of examples to indicate the scale and size of the loot. In just eight years between 1757 and 1765, the East India Company’s senior officers received a total of £3,770,833 and despatched it to Britain, when a British laborer’s family might make £37 a year and a Bengali family less than £2 ! Under Robert Clive, the Company made a profit of 6 million Indian rupees in just three years and sent it to England when the basic wage of the Bengalis was just one or two rupees a month! The author believes that in the thirteen years of British rule between 1755 and 1768, more harm was done to the people of India than by all the other European invaders of the centuries before. Severe indictment indeed!
History tells us that the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe were the Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment advocated freedom, democracy and reason as the primary values of society. Looking at the terrible depredations in India during the same centuries, it seems that these lofty ideas hardly percolated either to the elite or to the lower classes. Probably, the ideas of Enlightenment and Reason were appreciated only a couple of centuries after they were advanced.
I found the book an engrossing read and a help to me to re-assess the role played by the Europeans in India between the 15th and 18th centuries. Little by little, the positive gloss on Colonialism is being overturned by the researchers. Highly recommended.
My interest in reading this book was to find out about Indian experiences under European rule that is not common knowledge. In this regard, the book did not disappoint me. There is plenty in the book for the interested reader. Let me elaborate on some of them.
A first revelation was that there was a big slave trade in and out of India during those three centuries. Export of slaves from India, mainly to the East Indies, was rampant. Indian slaves were widely in use by the Europeans within India as well. A high-ranking Portuguese official would have hundreds of slaves. The British had slaves from India, Mozambique and Madagascar. The East India Company traded in both textiles and slaves out of Madras. Apparently, slaves were commonplace in Madras (my hometown!). At least 500 Indian slaves were sent to the East Indies each year by the Dutch. To round off the picture, it must be admitted that slavery was not new to India. The Travancore kingdom in Malabar was known to have employed slaves in their kingdom for a long time as well.
The second surprise was that piracy was wantonly encouraged by the British on the Indian coastal waters. In 1635, King Charles I officially encouraged piracy on the Indian coast in order to ‘appropriate the treasures, merchandize, goods and commodities of the infidels’. He licensed various ships to capture vessels and the goods of any nation not friendly to England. The author adds that piracy was known in these waters from time immemorial and there were pirates from Arabia and India as well. However, the most dangerous ones were European and the English were the most successful among all the European pirates.
Apart from piracy, there was also a trade in mercenaries. Once the British and the French made peace in Europe in the 18th century, their respective huge armies in India could not be used against each other. It was expensive to maintain them and so the British were the first ones who decided to interfere in the affairs of the princely states in India by using them as mercenary soldiers on one side or the other.
The third revelation from the author is that the British were tolerant towards religious freedom and largely confined themselves to peaceful trade till the 18th century when they conquered Bengal. On the other hand, the Catholic Portuguese and the Calvinist Dutch were not so. The author says that the Portuguese let loose a reign of terror in which entire communities were massacred. This happened as part of their missionary zeal in proselytization. Given the syncretic culture of India, many converted Christians still maintained their previous practices and forms of worship as Hindus. This was unacceptable and they were tortured and victimized for this through Inquisitions, which cost thousands of lives. The Portuguese were particularly barbarous towards the Moplah Muslims due to the long historical enmity they had with Islam. Proselytization of Hindus was intense and resulted in the destruction of all Hindu temples in Goa and expropriation of all temple lands.
The Europeans, however, made a great horticultural contribution to India. Tomatoes, potatoes, pineapples, custard apples, papaya, prickly pears, guavas, passion fruits, cashew nuts, groundnuts, cassava, maize and chillies were all brought by the Portuguese. What a surprise that chillies became a part of Indian cuisine only after the 16th century! On the debit side, the Europeans also brought the tobacco!
The author challenges the notion that prevails in Europe today that Mughal India was a land of plenty, as evidenced by the marble palaces and their chest of jewels. He says that the Mughals did nothing to improve the economy or the life of the common people. Emperor Akbar was the sole exception. It is true that the land in India gave plentiful yield, but the Mughal rulers and their corrupt ministers grabbed up to two thirds of the produce or its cash equivalent from the cultivators, particularly, non-Muslims. To square the picture and be fair, the author adds that they were great patrons of art, architecture, poetry and dance. Mughal India had a good deal of religious tolerance in spite of abuses by emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. He says that Mughal India was more tolerant than many Muslim countries and more than most of the countries of Europe at that time.
The major focus of the book, however, as the title says, is the theft of India by the Europeans. There is so much of detail on this that it is not possible to discuss it in this review. I can just give a couple of examples to indicate the scale and size of the loot. In just eight years between 1757 and 1765, the East India Company’s senior officers received a total of £3,770,833 and despatched it to Britain, when a British laborer’s family might make £37 a year and a Bengali family less than £2 ! Under Robert Clive, the Company made a profit of 6 million Indian rupees in just three years and sent it to England when the basic wage of the Bengalis was just one or two rupees a month! The author believes that in the thirteen years of British rule between 1755 and 1768, more harm was done to the people of India than by all the other European invaders of the centuries before. Severe indictment indeed!
History tells us that the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe were the Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment advocated freedom, democracy and reason as the primary values of society. Looking at the terrible depredations in India during the same centuries, it seems that these lofty ideas hardly percolated either to the elite or to the lower classes. Probably, the ideas of Enlightenment and Reason were appreciated only a couple of centuries after they were advanced.
I found the book an engrossing read and a help to me to re-assess the role played by the Europeans in India between the 15th and 18th centuries. Little by little, the positive gloss on Colonialism is being overturned by the researchers. Highly recommended.
April 12, 2024
There are a few incidents in history which don’t make much immediate impact as and when they unfold, but which later turn out to be world-shattering in its long-term consequences. One such event is the conquest of Constantinople by Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453. This won’t have made much of an impact had it occurred two centuries earlier, when Europe was still tired of the futile crusades and laboring in the Dark Ages. But the fall of the great city came at a moment when Europe was on the cusp of Renaissance and a soaring spirit of adventure was steeling the nerves of the petty kingdoms. Besides, the key to European trade now lay with the Arabs and Turks who controlled all trade routes to India, China and the Spice islands. The Spanish quest for finding a trade route by the sea opened up a whole new continent that was as vast in area as it was rich in resources. European states established trading outposts all over the world and these enterprises slowly transformed into colonial administrations. The trading companies openly picked the pockets of the oriental kingdoms, and the colonial regimes made laws that helped pick the money with greater ease. It took nearly three centuries for the colonies to gain independence from their masters, but profound changes had taken place in the meantime for the countries and their societies. India was also no exception and this book spells the story as it began in 1498 with the arrival of Vasco da Gama and runs to the grant of the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765 to the East India Company. The British thus consolidated their hold on Bengal, which was one of the richest provinces. This book is compiled from the narrative accounts of traders, company officials and travelers to the realms. Roy Moxham is not an academician, but is more than compensated for this drawback on account of many years of first-hand service in managing tea estates and organizing art in Africa. He is a qualified book and paper conservator and has authored many history books and novels. Following retirement from active work, he spends half his time in London and the other half travelling, principally in South and South East Asia.
The story of the subjugation of India started in 1498 according to this book, when Vasco da Gama disembarked at Calicut. This is rather odd. India had been subject to disastrous raids and colonization by Muslim invaders for another 500 years before this date. But the author has cleverly chosen to omit this period, perhaps for being politically correct! In the Indian academic circles dominated by Leftist historians who are more loyal than the king, anyone attempting to cast aspersions on the Muslim invasions are certain to be beaten black and blue in reviews and criticisms. These Islamic invasions are in fact as disastrous, unsettling and tragic as the European ones. Some of the cruelties of the Mughal officials recounted in the book make us feel that the Europeans, especially the British, treated Indians far better. Some of the Mughal kings were tolerant by the standards of the times, but the petty officials through which the sultan’s writ was run were bigoted and extremely corrupt. The Mughal officials were reported to be ‘employing Hindus taking from them nothing but their bad mud-walled ill thatched houses, and a few cattle to till the ground, besides other miseries’ (p.68). And mind you, the Mughals were the most humane of the Muslim kings who ruled India! Under the reign of Aurangzeb, the torture reached its extreme. He pulled down many places of worship, whether they be Hindu or Jain and erected mosques in its stead. Moxham reports from eyewitness accounts that if a Muslim man was asked to repay a debt taken from a Hindu, he’d threaten to report him for insulting the prophet, forced to circumcise as a punishment and become a Muslim (p.96). If you think this practice to be medieval and has died out from the world, stop for a moment before learning that such misdeeds are reported from Pakistan even today. The Portuguese were no better in granting freedom of worship and respect for human rights. Merchants and learned men usually fled from their strongholds. One of the greatest advantages that accrued to the British was that a lot of talent and money flowed into Bombay when the East India Company set up a trading post there. The comparatively free and liberal policies of the company made the marshy island attractive to traders who later developed it into India’s largest metropolis.
There are no analyses presented in the book on anything. Moxham presents the narrative in an interesting style that is based on the records of eyewitnesses or travelers. It is a pertinent question as to why the country lost out so miserably to foreign invaders. India lost its superiority of land-based forces to the Afghan and Turk conquerors at first. Capitalizing on the weakness of the native rulers, they set up expansive regimes that grew to pervade all available space for kingship. After settling down for a few centuries, the conquerors became too emphatic and dependent on land-based armies. They were oblivious to the sweeping changes taking place in navigation and ocean exploration. The Europeans were forced to venture the seas as the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, thereby controlling all possible avenues of trade with the East. This necessity prompted Spain and Portugal to explore the oceans to find a sea route to the Indies. This head-start helped the Europeans to develop better techniques of naval warfare. The Indian sultans neglected to build up their navies. This was because all maritime trade with India was handled mostly by the Arabs, who were the co-religionists of the sultans. So, when the axe fell, they were unprepared to take on the European naval men. The astounding thing was that the Arab kingdoms were also defenseless against this new threat. Portugal could bring the entire Indian ocean under their effective control. Others could ply their ships and carry on trade only with a written permit called ‘cartaz’ issued by the Portuguese authorities. Moxham makes a comparison of the prospects of the Portuguese and the Dutch, who lost out on the race for India against the English, who turned out immensely successful in the end. This is ascribed to the scarce use of military power by the British, at least in the initial stages of consolidation in the seventeenth century. This was in stark contrast with the Portuguese who fought everywhere with the native principalities and overstretched themselves. The British brought in their military recruited mainly from Indians only towards a very late stage of political drama.
The Europeans were overawed at first by the immense number of infantry troops gathered by Indian princes and probably thought that they didn’t stand a chance against that formidable force. This bubble was pricked in 1746 when the French defeated Mahfuz Khan’s Carnatic army in Madras. It convinced the Europeans that they might challenge the supremacy of the huge Indian armies with modernly equipped and well trained soldiers. It was then a short step to the British overrunning Bengal under Robert Clive. The book presents the very grave danger of the traders becoming rulers of the land, and the Bengal famine that ensued. The company grabbed the revenue of Bengal as gratification for its officers and transported this money to England. When the monsoons failed that year, the local administration couldn’t buy food from other parts of India, plunging the province into a severe famine. An estimated ten million out of the total population of thirty million perished in it. At the peak of the famine, the company displayed the temerity to hike the land tax by a further ten percent. This instance serves as a warning to separate the commercial interests from administration in any government – past, present or future.
The book is easy to read, interestingly written and well structured. Being sourced from narrative accounts, a lot of interesting anecdotes are also retold. The Danes were one of the runners in the race for India, but most history books omit them, being an insignificant story in the grand game. Moxham includes details of them too. The book also incorporates a good bibliography and an index.
The book is highly recommended.
The story of the subjugation of India started in 1498 according to this book, when Vasco da Gama disembarked at Calicut. This is rather odd. India had been subject to disastrous raids and colonization by Muslim invaders for another 500 years before this date. But the author has cleverly chosen to omit this period, perhaps for being politically correct! In the Indian academic circles dominated by Leftist historians who are more loyal than the king, anyone attempting to cast aspersions on the Muslim invasions are certain to be beaten black and blue in reviews and criticisms. These Islamic invasions are in fact as disastrous, unsettling and tragic as the European ones. Some of the cruelties of the Mughal officials recounted in the book make us feel that the Europeans, especially the British, treated Indians far better. Some of the Mughal kings were tolerant by the standards of the times, but the petty officials through which the sultan’s writ was run were bigoted and extremely corrupt. The Mughal officials were reported to be ‘employing Hindus taking from them nothing but their bad mud-walled ill thatched houses, and a few cattle to till the ground, besides other miseries’ (p.68). And mind you, the Mughals were the most humane of the Muslim kings who ruled India! Under the reign of Aurangzeb, the torture reached its extreme. He pulled down many places of worship, whether they be Hindu or Jain and erected mosques in its stead. Moxham reports from eyewitness accounts that if a Muslim man was asked to repay a debt taken from a Hindu, he’d threaten to report him for insulting the prophet, forced to circumcise as a punishment and become a Muslim (p.96). If you think this practice to be medieval and has died out from the world, stop for a moment before learning that such misdeeds are reported from Pakistan even today. The Portuguese were no better in granting freedom of worship and respect for human rights. Merchants and learned men usually fled from their strongholds. One of the greatest advantages that accrued to the British was that a lot of talent and money flowed into Bombay when the East India Company set up a trading post there. The comparatively free and liberal policies of the company made the marshy island attractive to traders who later developed it into India’s largest metropolis.
There are no analyses presented in the book on anything. Moxham presents the narrative in an interesting style that is based on the records of eyewitnesses or travelers. It is a pertinent question as to why the country lost out so miserably to foreign invaders. India lost its superiority of land-based forces to the Afghan and Turk conquerors at first. Capitalizing on the weakness of the native rulers, they set up expansive regimes that grew to pervade all available space for kingship. After settling down for a few centuries, the conquerors became too emphatic and dependent on land-based armies. They were oblivious to the sweeping changes taking place in navigation and ocean exploration. The Europeans were forced to venture the seas as the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, thereby controlling all possible avenues of trade with the East. This necessity prompted Spain and Portugal to explore the oceans to find a sea route to the Indies. This head-start helped the Europeans to develop better techniques of naval warfare. The Indian sultans neglected to build up their navies. This was because all maritime trade with India was handled mostly by the Arabs, who were the co-religionists of the sultans. So, when the axe fell, they were unprepared to take on the European naval men. The astounding thing was that the Arab kingdoms were also defenseless against this new threat. Portugal could bring the entire Indian ocean under their effective control. Others could ply their ships and carry on trade only with a written permit called ‘cartaz’ issued by the Portuguese authorities. Moxham makes a comparison of the prospects of the Portuguese and the Dutch, who lost out on the race for India against the English, who turned out immensely successful in the end. This is ascribed to the scarce use of military power by the British, at least in the initial stages of consolidation in the seventeenth century. This was in stark contrast with the Portuguese who fought everywhere with the native principalities and overstretched themselves. The British brought in their military recruited mainly from Indians only towards a very late stage of political drama.
The Europeans were overawed at first by the immense number of infantry troops gathered by Indian princes and probably thought that they didn’t stand a chance against that formidable force. This bubble was pricked in 1746 when the French defeated Mahfuz Khan’s Carnatic army in Madras. It convinced the Europeans that they might challenge the supremacy of the huge Indian armies with modernly equipped and well trained soldiers. It was then a short step to the British overrunning Bengal under Robert Clive. The book presents the very grave danger of the traders becoming rulers of the land, and the Bengal famine that ensued. The company grabbed the revenue of Bengal as gratification for its officers and transported this money to England. When the monsoons failed that year, the local administration couldn’t buy food from other parts of India, plunging the province into a severe famine. An estimated ten million out of the total population of thirty million perished in it. At the peak of the famine, the company displayed the temerity to hike the land tax by a further ten percent. This instance serves as a warning to separate the commercial interests from administration in any government – past, present or future.
The book is easy to read, interestingly written and well structured. Being sourced from narrative accounts, a lot of interesting anecdotes are also retold. The Danes were one of the runners in the race for India, but most history books omit them, being an insignificant story in the grand game. Moxham includes details of them too. The book also incorporates a good bibliography and an index.
The book is highly recommended.
September 24, 2019
Interesting read.
December 15, 2018
There has always been this question at the back of my mind - how did a land like India, of many great warriors and emperors, filled with a population of many millions ended up being enslaved by puny European armies? This book provided a comprehensive answer to that question. Starting from the arrival of the Portugese to the final, decisive Bengal battles that affirmed the British dominance across the vast land, this book covers a period of almost three centuries. The downfall of the subcontinent, began from the arrival of Vasco da Gama at the West coast. Coming originally with the intention to trade and partake in the fabled wealth of India, slowly colonizing it by acquiring land and power from each of the petty kings and landlords who were too busy in their own personal feuds to notice the change of tides, fighting off the other European powers that were eager to join the party and ultimately enslaving this vast land, stripping it of all dignity and glory - it is all in here.
The amount of corruption, treachery, selfishness, petty egos, deceit and differences that handed over 'India' to the colonial powers is sure to make your blood boil. Short. Succinct. To the point. A good read.
The amount of corruption, treachery, selfishness, petty egos, deceit and differences that handed over 'India' to the colonial powers is sure to make your blood boil. Short. Succinct. To the point. A good read.
May 31, 2020
This is a fairly precise and factual reproduction of various conquests undertaken by Europeans in the sixteenth and seventeenth century Indian subcontinent. Moxham has used extremely lucid language to bring out the events that shaped the eventual British colonisation of India.
The advent of Portuguese, Dutch, French, Danes, and British has been reconstructed with the help of quoted narratives and in-depth research.
The title of the book has been justified invariably. To quote Moxham "It seems likely that in the first thirteen years of British rule, more harm was done to the people of India than by all the other European invaders of the centuries before." However, one should be wary of prematurely acquitting the other European powers based on the statement.
Moxham has thrown light on the mind-boggling violence unleashed by almost all these powers sometimes, unfortunately so, in concordance with the rulers of the land. This is a must read for history enthusiasts who often find themselves struggling with the debilitated school history textbooks in India.
The advent of Portuguese, Dutch, French, Danes, and British has been reconstructed with the help of quoted narratives and in-depth research.
The title of the book has been justified invariably. To quote Moxham "It seems likely that in the first thirteen years of British rule, more harm was done to the people of India than by all the other European invaders of the centuries before." However, one should be wary of prematurely acquitting the other European powers based on the statement.
Moxham has thrown light on the mind-boggling violence unleashed by almost all these powers sometimes, unfortunately so, in concordance with the rulers of the land. This is a must read for history enthusiasts who often find themselves struggling with the debilitated school history textbooks in India.
November 6, 2018
Roy brought out the facts which led to decline of Portuguese as colonial power despite of early movers very well. Could have given more inputs on dutch and danish efforts. Mughal empire despite of its deeply polarizing king aurangazeb was succeesful in keeping the colonial powers at borders. Section on maratha navy and their acts of piracy on colonial ships was an interesting read.
July 26, 2020
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in Indian History - about how the Europeans came to trade since opening up the direct sea-route to the Indies and then conquered. The book narrates events till the establishment of the British Rule after the Battle of Plassey and Battle of Buxar and the Famine of 1769!
December 26, 2018
If you think Brits were cruel to us then you haven't heard the whole story. Roy Moxham's The Theft of India is an insight to all Indians who had a little erudition of Colonialism in India. Incontrovertibly Brits were the cruellest in India but before them there was Portugese and Dutch and along with Brits there were French. All our academic books upbraided the looting and plundering of Brits and gave less importance to other colonial powers. But the truth is that mass killing and molestation, plundering and looting done by others were additionally same. The book narrates about the darker side of colonization and how Portuguese find a sea route to India via Arabian Sea and their monopolization of the whole trade in India. Also the book gave far sight to the establishment of colonial power like Britain, Dutch and France in India.
Most of the textbook minimized the story of French Colonialism in India. But considering the fact that once French hold the majority area of South India and French took the Madras from Britain shows the vigor and valor of French troops in India. They were the first colonial power to subjugate an astronomically immense Indian army with a less number of men and modern weapons. This fact made other colonial power to consider taking down Indian army with their modernisation. So the effect French troops in India has so much paramountcy which needn't to be minimized in our academics.
The Battle of Plassey was also well narrated and depicted by author. How Robert Clive with such a small army vanquished Siraj ud Daulah was orderly portrayed in the book. The author used historical accounts and their notes to protray the whole image of larceny in India. This is why Theft of India has some important events and stories which we miss in our conventional books. I appreciate the effort of author on his research and book.
Most of the textbook minimized the story of French Colonialism in India. But considering the fact that once French hold the majority area of South India and French took the Madras from Britain shows the vigor and valor of French troops in India. They were the first colonial power to subjugate an astronomically immense Indian army with a less number of men and modern weapons. This fact made other colonial power to consider taking down Indian army with their modernisation. So the effect French troops in India has so much paramountcy which needn't to be minimized in our academics.
The Battle of Plassey was also well narrated and depicted by author. How Robert Clive with such a small army vanquished Siraj ud Daulah was orderly portrayed in the book. The author used historical accounts and their notes to protray the whole image of larceny in India. This is why Theft of India has some important events and stories which we miss in our conventional books. I appreciate the effort of author on his research and book.
June 2, 2020
What a shocking discovery of real events that took place so long ago which shaped the history but it didnt change the fact that Dutch, Spanish and Italian ruled various parts of Southern India even when they did really horrible things. Vasco De Gama wasnt a very adventurous guy I always thought of. Sailors were never like that.
A really good book. An Eye Opener !!!!!!!!!!!!!
A really good book. An Eye Opener !!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 8, 2019
This should be part of references that needs to be taught in the school in India as part of history in the curriculum. This correlates the Indian history as seen from the eyes of the foreigners with the actual facts taught in school books.
December 10, 2022
The Theft of India narrates the tales of horrible suffering imposed on Indians by European invaders who arrived after Vasco De Gama's discivery...
July 25, 2020
The Theft of India: The European Conquests of India, 1498-1765 by Roy Moxham provide us how European had conquered India which was one of the wealthiest country in world which had a GDP of 25% of world.
This book gave me fantastic information about my birthplace(from district of Cannanore ). I am a person from Kerala where All the conquest started. Vasco-Da- Gama landed in Kappad Beach in Calicut which is my neighboring District. Calicut was ruled by Zamorin during that time and my place Kannur was ruled by Kolathunad and Arakal during that Era. Some of the interesting information I received was a place near my home Valapatanam was Base of British and EIC had established a factory there. I would like to quote a para below from the book about my place at that time in journal of Edward Barlow in 1760.
'After leaving Goa,the ship continued down the coast to the Company's factory at Karwar,where it dropped off money and letters from England.Three days further south,it went up an estuary to the recently established Company base at Valapattanam. Some lead was off loaded for the Company to use in exchange for spices.Barlow bought some coconuts to take home to England as curios.He writes that the local people would not sell them cows,but that for a small sum,you may buy their children.One of the ship's men jumped into the water and disappeared ,presumed to have been taken by crocodiles.'
After Portuguese Dutch and France had established colony in India and English started trading from Surat. The battle of Arcot , Battle of Plassey etc made the Brithish to be sole monarch in India is discussed in this book.
This book gave me fantastic information about my birthplace(from district of Cannanore ). I am a person from Kerala where All the conquest started. Vasco-Da- Gama landed in Kappad Beach in Calicut which is my neighboring District. Calicut was ruled by Zamorin during that time and my place Kannur was ruled by Kolathunad and Arakal during that Era. Some of the interesting information I received was a place near my home Valapatanam was Base of British and EIC had established a factory there. I would like to quote a para below from the book about my place at that time in journal of Edward Barlow in 1760.
'After leaving Goa,the ship continued down the coast to the Company's factory at Karwar,where it dropped off money and letters from England.Three days further south,it went up an estuary to the recently established Company base at Valapattanam. Some lead was off loaded for the Company to use in exchange for spices.Barlow bought some coconuts to take home to England as curios.He writes that the local people would not sell them cows,but that for a small sum,you may buy their children.One of the ship's men jumped into the water and disappeared ,presumed to have been taken by crocodiles.'
After Portuguese Dutch and France had established colony in India and English started trading from Surat. The battle of Arcot , Battle of Plassey etc made the Brithish to be sole monarch in India is discussed in this book.
December 25, 2019
I LIKE THIS BOOK.
December 26, 2018
Helped me answer two questions in particular:
a) When did the British occupation of India really start? Was it the Battle Of Plassey?
The school book history of the arrival of the British usually begins with the Battle Of Plassey(1757). This book covers the messy 300 years before that, providing context to that pitol event in our history.
b) How did a few Europeans come to dominate a country as vast and diverse as India?
This book helps answer that comprehensively.
a) When did the British occupation of India really start? Was it the Battle Of Plassey?
The school book history of the arrival of the British usually begins with the Battle Of Plassey(1757). This book covers the messy 300 years before that, providing context to that pitol event in our history.
b) How did a few Europeans come to dominate a country as vast and diverse as India?
This book helps answer that comprehensively.
November 6, 2019
A good piece of history to own.but little confusing in narration at some places
February 20, 2022
1. History of India:
Depending on School of Thought - Values.
Taxonomy for classification in narratives of Indian History:
Mytho-History (Oral-Tradition)
Nehru's vision (Discovery of India)
Pre-James Mill -- William Jones, Orientalists
Post-James Mill -- James Mill
British Academics [Pre-1947]
Indian Academician (Contemporary)
Political History (Congress-BJP)
Post-Colonial History (This Work)
2. Which one is True?
Do you want to read a work, that you already affirm, according to your values
(or)
Do you want to seek out sources, and find out the, Truth?
May you seek and discover,
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
Depending on School of Thought - Values.
Taxonomy for classification in narratives of Indian History:
Mytho-History (Oral-Tradition)
Nehru's vision (Discovery of India)
Pre-James Mill -- William Jones, Orientalists
Post-James Mill -- James Mill
British Academics [Pre-1947]
Indian Academician (Contemporary)
Political History (Congress-BJP)
Post-Colonial History (This Work)
2. Which one is True?
Do you want to read a work, that you already affirm, according to your values
(or)
Do you want to seek out sources, and find out the, Truth?
May you seek and discover,
Deus Vult,
Gottfried
July 22, 2020
Want to know how to make the subjugation of an entire people boring as heck? Read this book!
January 22, 2021
Book: The Theft of India: The European Conquests of India, 1498-1765
Author: Roy Moxham
Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (10 November 2016)
Language: English
File size: 717 KB
Print length: 241 pages
Price: 240/-
My country! In thy days of glory past
A beauteous halo circled round thy brow
and worshipped as a deity thou wast—
Where is thy glory, where the reverence now?
Thy eagle pinion is chained down at last,
And grovelling in the lowly dust art thou,
Thy minstrel hath no wreath to weave for thee
Save the sad story of thy misery!
She had never annexed any country in her last 100000 years of history. When incalculable cultures were lone nomadic forest dwellers, over 5000 years ago, she established a forward-thinking civilization in the Sindhu Valley.
Accounts by preliminary travellers of her riches – her spices, gold and gems – had excited the imagination of the Europeans. Some of these luxuries had been brought to Europe by the Romans, but when the Roman Empire collapsed, the Europeans became reliant on supplies coming through Arabia and Persia.
In the 15th century, Portugal and Spain developed ships equipped with powerful artillery that could travel beyond Europe. To avoid clashes between the two Catholic countries, the Pope divided the world into two spheres of influence. The East, which included India, would be explored by the Portuguese.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route from Europe to India. Thereafter, Europe would no longer be dependent on India’s riches being supplied through the Middle East.
Take a leap in time. Prof. S.R. Sharma remarks that the Mughals put India on the map of the world. That remark is factual in the sense that the prosperity and magnificence of India during the rule of the Mughals dazzled the eyes of the West and many European trading companies came into being in the early 17th century to establish commercial intercourse with us.
The Portuguese were the forerunners to enter the field but were also the first to go out. Then came the English, the Dutch, the Danes and the French. Eventually it was the English who triumphed over all and were able to establish an extensive empire in the Indian sub-continent, enjoying for themselves the monopoly of trade and exhausting the wealth of our country.
As Vasco de Gama discovered a new sea route to India reaching Calicut on the 27th May, 1498, the Indo-European trade which had been paralysed by the rising power of the Turks through their capture of the land trade routes, was resumed once again. The king of Portugal at once declared the Indian trade open to all the merchants if they paid their one-fourth gains to the king and assumed for himself the high-sounding title of “Lord of the navigation, conquest and commerce of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia and India.”
But the Portuguese did not content themselves with the trade alone and attempted to involve themselves in the local political intrigues which led to their downfall and consequent eclipse from the scene.
With their control of the seas, the Portuguese established a monopoly over trade between India and Europe. They seized Goa and several other enclaves. Events in Europe then began to impact on India. Portuguese naval supremacy was gradually eroded by the Dutch and the English, who themselves began to travel to India, and who eventually destroyed the Portuguese monopoly. The English largely confined their activities to trade while the Dutch, alongside trading, colonized parts of India.
The Danes also established colonial enclaves. The French were the last great European power to arrive and set up colonial enclaves. The wars in Europe between the French and the British then spread into India. Eventually the British were victorious.
In 1600 A.D., the English East India Company was established obtaining a royal charter granting it the monopoly of commerce in eastern waters. The Dutch also set up the United East India Company of the Netherlands in March, 1602 for trading in the East.
The Danes followed suit in 1616 A.D. Other nations of the Europe were not to idle for long, the French government setting up the French East India Company in 1664 A.D., and the merchants of Flanders organizing the Ostend Company in 1722.
Of all items, it was Spices, perhaps, more than anything, which has all shades of murderes and acumbags come up for grabs upon India’s wealth. As the Dark Ages gave way to the Middle Ages, the demand in Europe for spices increased. In early medieval Europe spices were so expensive as to be the preserve of the very rich.
They were used by monarchs and prelates to impress.
In 1256, the Scottish king, Alexander III, visited Henry III of England, and celebrated the Assumption at Woodstock with a great feast that used fifty pounds weight each of ginger, cinnamon and pepper. As the Middle Ages progressed, the price of pepper dropped, opening up consumption to a larger class of the moderately wealthy. It has been said that the phenomenal demand for spices, particularly for pepper, was because of the putrid food served up to the medieval populace.
It seems unlikely that this was a major factor, since the link between stinking food and disease was well known. More likely it was used to mask the pervasive taste of the vast amounts of salt used to keep food through the winter months. Most importantly, it was used because it was the fashion – used at first by the rich for ostentation and then imitated by others as the prices fell. Whatever the motive, the demand was huge.
For most Indians, life under the Mughals was considerably worse than is generally portrayed, but at least the Mughal spoils were generally retained in India. The Europeans, however, exported not only vast amounts of India’s wealth but thousands of Indian slaves too.
The author has divided his narrative into the following nine sections:
1) The Portuguese: Spices, Christianity and Extreme Violence
2) The Portuguese: Conquest, Horticulture, the Church and the Inquisition
3) The English: Venture Capitalists and Adventurers
4) The English: Splendour and Disease
5) The English: Religious Freedom and Peaceful Trade
6) The Portuguese: Terror, Luxury and Decay
7) The Dutch, the English and the Danes: The Triumph of Peaceful Trade
8) The French and the British: Towards Conquest
9) The British: The Seizure of Bengal
It has not to be emphasised that the establishment of the trading companies in Europe helped to augment the foreign trade and shipping industry of India. As early as 1420 A.D. Niccoli Conti had stated, “The natives of India built some ships larger than ours, capable of containing 2,000 butts, and with fine sails and as many masts. The lower part is constructed with triple planks, in order to withstand the force of the tempests of which they are much exposed. But some ships are so built in compartments that should one part be shattered, the other portion remaining entire, many accomplish the voyage.”
The ship-building industry continued to flourish in latter years also along the coast in Sind, Cambay, Surat, Cochin and Bengal.
It is thus stated that Sir Henry Middleton saw at Surat in 1612, an Indian built vessel 153 feet long, 42 feet broad and 31 feet deep carrying a burthen of 15,000 tons.
European oppression began with a reign of terror by the Portuguese. Entire communities were massacred, and those who survived were often forced to convert to Christianity.
Many of them were persecuted by the Portuguese Inquisition and atrocities continued to take place under the conquests of the Dutch and French. All these European powers exported slaves, mostly to the East Indies.
Finally, the British, who until the 18th century had principally confined themselves to peaceful trade, conquered Bengal. They imposed a chaotic administration and seized much of Bengal’s wealth, which they then exported to Britain.
The impoverished population, without money to purchase food from other parts of India, could not fend off famine as they had in previous years.
Millions starved to death.
Numerous eyewitness versions by both Indians and Europeans bring all these events to life.
The author, historian Roy Moxham dedicates this book to all those across the world who campaign for equality of opportunity.
The pages of this book bring to mind the almost clichéd words of Tharoor, “Nearly every kind of manufacture or product known to the civilized world—nearly every kind of creation of man’s brain and hand, existing anywhere, and prized either for its utility or beauty—had long been produced in India. India was a far greater industrial and manufacturing nation than any in Europe or any other in Asia. Her textile goods—the fine products of her looms, in cotton, wool, linen and silk— were famous over the civilized world; so were her exquisite jewellery and her precious stones cut in every lovely form; so were her pottery, porcelains, ceramics of every kind, quality, color and beautiful shape; so were her fine works in metal— iron, steel, silver and gold.”
Moxham’s ‘The Theft of India’ highlights the terrible suffering inflicted on Indians by the European powers during the three centuries that followed Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route from Europe to India.
Read it. You would be moved, indisputably.
Author: Roy Moxham
Format: Kindle Edition
Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (10 November 2016)
Language: English
File size: 717 KB
Print length: 241 pages
Price: 240/-
My country! In thy days of glory past
A beauteous halo circled round thy brow
and worshipped as a deity thou wast—
Where is thy glory, where the reverence now?
Thy eagle pinion is chained down at last,
And grovelling in the lowly dust art thou,
Thy minstrel hath no wreath to weave for thee
Save the sad story of thy misery!
She had never annexed any country in her last 100000 years of history. When incalculable cultures were lone nomadic forest dwellers, over 5000 years ago, she established a forward-thinking civilization in the Sindhu Valley.
Accounts by preliminary travellers of her riches – her spices, gold and gems – had excited the imagination of the Europeans. Some of these luxuries had been brought to Europe by the Romans, but when the Roman Empire collapsed, the Europeans became reliant on supplies coming through Arabia and Persia.
In the 15th century, Portugal and Spain developed ships equipped with powerful artillery that could travel beyond Europe. To avoid clashes between the two Catholic countries, the Pope divided the world into two spheres of influence. The East, which included India, would be explored by the Portuguese.
In 1498, Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route from Europe to India. Thereafter, Europe would no longer be dependent on India’s riches being supplied through the Middle East.
Take a leap in time. Prof. S.R. Sharma remarks that the Mughals put India on the map of the world. That remark is factual in the sense that the prosperity and magnificence of India during the rule of the Mughals dazzled the eyes of the West and many European trading companies came into being in the early 17th century to establish commercial intercourse with us.
The Portuguese were the forerunners to enter the field but were also the first to go out. Then came the English, the Dutch, the Danes and the French. Eventually it was the English who triumphed over all and were able to establish an extensive empire in the Indian sub-continent, enjoying for themselves the monopoly of trade and exhausting the wealth of our country.
As Vasco de Gama discovered a new sea route to India reaching Calicut on the 27th May, 1498, the Indo-European trade which had been paralysed by the rising power of the Turks through their capture of the land trade routes, was resumed once again. The king of Portugal at once declared the Indian trade open to all the merchants if they paid their one-fourth gains to the king and assumed for himself the high-sounding title of “Lord of the navigation, conquest and commerce of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia and India.”
But the Portuguese did not content themselves with the trade alone and attempted to involve themselves in the local political intrigues which led to their downfall and consequent eclipse from the scene.
With their control of the seas, the Portuguese established a monopoly over trade between India and Europe. They seized Goa and several other enclaves. Events in Europe then began to impact on India. Portuguese naval supremacy was gradually eroded by the Dutch and the English, who themselves began to travel to India, and who eventually destroyed the Portuguese monopoly. The English largely confined their activities to trade while the Dutch, alongside trading, colonized parts of India.
The Danes also established colonial enclaves. The French were the last great European power to arrive and set up colonial enclaves. The wars in Europe between the French and the British then spread into India. Eventually the British were victorious.
In 1600 A.D., the English East India Company was established obtaining a royal charter granting it the monopoly of commerce in eastern waters. The Dutch also set up the United East India Company of the Netherlands in March, 1602 for trading in the East.
The Danes followed suit in 1616 A.D. Other nations of the Europe were not to idle for long, the French government setting up the French East India Company in 1664 A.D., and the merchants of Flanders organizing the Ostend Company in 1722.
Of all items, it was Spices, perhaps, more than anything, which has all shades of murderes and acumbags come up for grabs upon India’s wealth. As the Dark Ages gave way to the Middle Ages, the demand in Europe for spices increased. In early medieval Europe spices were so expensive as to be the preserve of the very rich.
They were used by monarchs and prelates to impress.
In 1256, the Scottish king, Alexander III, visited Henry III of England, and celebrated the Assumption at Woodstock with a great feast that used fifty pounds weight each of ginger, cinnamon and pepper. As the Middle Ages progressed, the price of pepper dropped, opening up consumption to a larger class of the moderately wealthy. It has been said that the phenomenal demand for spices, particularly for pepper, was because of the putrid food served up to the medieval populace.
It seems unlikely that this was a major factor, since the link between stinking food and disease was well known. More likely it was used to mask the pervasive taste of the vast amounts of salt used to keep food through the winter months. Most importantly, it was used because it was the fashion – used at first by the rich for ostentation and then imitated by others as the prices fell. Whatever the motive, the demand was huge.
For most Indians, life under the Mughals was considerably worse than is generally portrayed, but at least the Mughal spoils were generally retained in India. The Europeans, however, exported not only vast amounts of India’s wealth but thousands of Indian slaves too.
The author has divided his narrative into the following nine sections:
1) The Portuguese: Spices, Christianity and Extreme Violence
2) The Portuguese: Conquest, Horticulture, the Church and the Inquisition
3) The English: Venture Capitalists and Adventurers
4) The English: Splendour and Disease
5) The English: Religious Freedom and Peaceful Trade
6) The Portuguese: Terror, Luxury and Decay
7) The Dutch, the English and the Danes: The Triumph of Peaceful Trade
8) The French and the British: Towards Conquest
9) The British: The Seizure of Bengal
It has not to be emphasised that the establishment of the trading companies in Europe helped to augment the foreign trade and shipping industry of India. As early as 1420 A.D. Niccoli Conti had stated, “The natives of India built some ships larger than ours, capable of containing 2,000 butts, and with fine sails and as many masts. The lower part is constructed with triple planks, in order to withstand the force of the tempests of which they are much exposed. But some ships are so built in compartments that should one part be shattered, the other portion remaining entire, many accomplish the voyage.”
The ship-building industry continued to flourish in latter years also along the coast in Sind, Cambay, Surat, Cochin and Bengal.
It is thus stated that Sir Henry Middleton saw at Surat in 1612, an Indian built vessel 153 feet long, 42 feet broad and 31 feet deep carrying a burthen of 15,000 tons.
European oppression began with a reign of terror by the Portuguese. Entire communities were massacred, and those who survived were often forced to convert to Christianity.
Many of them were persecuted by the Portuguese Inquisition and atrocities continued to take place under the conquests of the Dutch and French. All these European powers exported slaves, mostly to the East Indies.
Finally, the British, who until the 18th century had principally confined themselves to peaceful trade, conquered Bengal. They imposed a chaotic administration and seized much of Bengal’s wealth, which they then exported to Britain.
The impoverished population, without money to purchase food from other parts of India, could not fend off famine as they had in previous years.
Millions starved to death.
Numerous eyewitness versions by both Indians and Europeans bring all these events to life.
The author, historian Roy Moxham dedicates this book to all those across the world who campaign for equality of opportunity.
The pages of this book bring to mind the almost clichéd words of Tharoor, “Nearly every kind of manufacture or product known to the civilized world—nearly every kind of creation of man’s brain and hand, existing anywhere, and prized either for its utility or beauty—had long been produced in India. India was a far greater industrial and manufacturing nation than any in Europe or any other in Asia. Her textile goods—the fine products of her looms, in cotton, wool, linen and silk— were famous over the civilized world; so were her exquisite jewellery and her precious stones cut in every lovely form; so were her pottery, porcelains, ceramics of every kind, quality, color and beautiful shape; so were her fine works in metal— iron, steel, silver and gold.”
Moxham’s ‘The Theft of India’ highlights the terrible suffering inflicted on Indians by the European powers during the three centuries that followed Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route from Europe to India.
Read it. You would be moved, indisputably.
Read
March 22, 2018A fascinating peek into how the Europeans gained control over what is now India.....at a lot of places felt we Indians were downright foolish, stupid, inept, doling out trade concessions to the "firangis" as if they were chocolates given to kids.....absolutely shameful performance form the then rulers of the very many princely states .......and we blame the West for the problems we have today in inda.....most of it was our own doing.
June 28, 2018
The book gives a view of the invaders treatment of India covering Portuguese, French and the British. It covers the British extensively especially the East India company. The book is neutral to the extent possible. The narration in many places, lags as the author goes into too much detail on the characters.
A more story-telling like approach would have made the book a nicer read.
A more story-telling like approach would have made the book a nicer read.
Read
March 28, 2019We generally read about Britishers exploiting India but this book highlights how it started and one by one many foreigners have explored and exploited India.
May 21, 2023
"Theft of India" by Roy Moxham sheds light on a unique aspect of India's history, revealing how external forces shaped its destiny. This review explores the book's key insights, including the inquisition of Goa, the impact of capitalism, the competitive nature of European powers, and the consequences of India's diverse society. While the book's writing style may lack a cohesive narrative, it remains intriguing and thought-provoking.
"Theft of India" uncovers a peculiar truth about India's history, illustrating the inevitability of its unfolding. Readers encounter accounts of the Goa inquisition and the horrific events surrounding Catholic conversions. The book highlights how India's vast wealth attracted numerous foreign powers, who initially sought trade but succumbed to the greed-driven monster of capitalism, resorting to extreme measures for profit.
The narrative follows the progression of European powers, such as the British, Dutch, Portuguese, and French, as they competed for dominance in India. Their expanding navies allowed them to infiltrate Mughal courts, secure governorships in various districts, and consolidate their control. Over time, they realized the military superiority of Indian kingdoms, leading to India's ultimate defeat. The book emphasizes that India's diversity, a source of pride today, played a role in its loss.
While "Theft of India" presents scattered accounts rather than a cohesive narrative, it remains an engaging and intriguing read. The book successfully captures the reader's attention, despite the fragmented approach, as it delves into the complex history of exploitation.
In conclusion, "Theft of India" by Roy Moxham offers a revealing exploration of India's history, exposing the exploitation it endured. The book sheds light on the inquisition of Goa, the detrimental effects of capitalism, the competitive nature of European powers, and the consequences of India's diverse society. Although the writing style may lack a cohesive narrative, the book maintains its allure, providing an interesting and thought-provoking examination of India's past.
"Theft of India" uncovers a peculiar truth about India's history, illustrating the inevitability of its unfolding. Readers encounter accounts of the Goa inquisition and the horrific events surrounding Catholic conversions. The book highlights how India's vast wealth attracted numerous foreign powers, who initially sought trade but succumbed to the greed-driven monster of capitalism, resorting to extreme measures for profit.
The narrative follows the progression of European powers, such as the British, Dutch, Portuguese, and French, as they competed for dominance in India. Their expanding navies allowed them to infiltrate Mughal courts, secure governorships in various districts, and consolidate their control. Over time, they realized the military superiority of Indian kingdoms, leading to India's ultimate defeat. The book emphasizes that India's diversity, a source of pride today, played a role in its loss.
While "Theft of India" presents scattered accounts rather than a cohesive narrative, it remains an engaging and intriguing read. The book successfully captures the reader's attention, despite the fragmented approach, as it delves into the complex history of exploitation.
In conclusion, "Theft of India" by Roy Moxham offers a revealing exploration of India's history, exposing the exploitation it endured. The book sheds light on the inquisition of Goa, the detrimental effects of capitalism, the competitive nature of European powers, and the consequences of India's diverse society. Although the writing style may lack a cohesive narrative, the book maintains its allure, providing an interesting and thought-provoking examination of India's past.
November 6, 2021
The Theft of India: The European Conquests of India, 1498-1765
Roy Moxham.
Rating 3.5/5
The book started out as a very interesting read to me. At least the concept was appealing.
Moxham has brought in lots of interesting details on the spice trade carried out in India. How Portugese arrived, Dutch, British, French, Danes all find a mention in the book. The book has loads of people and places and years and occurrences.
It tells you about Surat, Malabar Coast, Pondicherry, Goa, Diu, Calicut, Quilon and few other places which are very important with the trade which was carried out from India.
The rulers of the places and the various methodologies used by the merchants to trade and various annexes too are mentioned in the book.
Pros - You get to read about history, lots of information exist in the book.
Cons - When you put in a ton of information in a quarter ton book, it appears to be a hurried attempt. You read something, by the time you digest what just happened, something else (new) happens which overshadows previous page read!
The chronological order appears to be missing and you zig zag across Portuguese, Dutch, British and criss-cross between Surat, Cochin, Calicut and then Pondicherry, Chennai. The organization of the book's contents appear to be a bit complicated.
Too much mention on the voyages, ships, dates, and trade. It sometimes becomes overwhelming.
I finished reading the book sometime back and if you ask me about Edward Barlow, Alfonso de Albaquerque, Robert Clive, rules of Malabar, Nizam of Carnatic, I am unable to recollect. I can only recollect an abstract of what happened during this age, rest all just got jumbled up in my brains.
Roy Moxham.
Rating 3.5/5
The book started out as a very interesting read to me. At least the concept was appealing.
Moxham has brought in lots of interesting details on the spice trade carried out in India. How Portugese arrived, Dutch, British, French, Danes all find a mention in the book. The book has loads of people and places and years and occurrences.
It tells you about Surat, Malabar Coast, Pondicherry, Goa, Diu, Calicut, Quilon and few other places which are very important with the trade which was carried out from India.
The rulers of the places and the various methodologies used by the merchants to trade and various annexes too are mentioned in the book.
Pros - You get to read about history, lots of information exist in the book.
Cons - When you put in a ton of information in a quarter ton book, it appears to be a hurried attempt. You read something, by the time you digest what just happened, something else (new) happens which overshadows previous page read!
The chronological order appears to be missing and you zig zag across Portuguese, Dutch, British and criss-cross between Surat, Cochin, Calicut and then Pondicherry, Chennai. The organization of the book's contents appear to be a bit complicated.
Too much mention on the voyages, ships, dates, and trade. It sometimes becomes overwhelming.
I finished reading the book sometime back and if you ask me about Edward Barlow, Alfonso de Albaquerque, Robert Clive, rules of Malabar, Nizam of Carnatic, I am unable to recollect. I can only recollect an abstract of what happened during this age, rest all just got jumbled up in my brains.
February 1, 2020
I found nothing Interesting in the book.
Moreover, the writing style is very boring for a book which is based on historical facts.
I tried to google search some of the persons/incidents mentioned in the book, but didn't find any conclusive results.
I felt, the author just tried to make money by writing a book on India's history, highlighting the plunder committed by British/ Portuguese, which we love to read.
Moreover, the writing style is very boring for a book which is based on historical facts.
I tried to google search some of the persons/incidents mentioned in the book, but didn't find any conclusive results.
I felt, the author just tried to make money by writing a book on India's history, highlighting the plunder committed by British/ Portuguese, which we love to read.
April 27, 2021
This is a book I enjoyed but at the same time I'm unsure what I learned from it. By coming close to the real action and the variety of persons involved, it makes history more accessible but, as a result, it reduces overview and is inevitably rather summary on many events. Within these constraints, it's a book worth reading. The only problem is that it's predominantly from a European perspective. I wonder what the Indian sources say about the same events.
July 16, 2021
Author gives details of three centuries of exploitation of India by European countries. What one found interesting from the narrative is that people from each of these countries were cheaters and highly corrupt. Those even in high positions were busy indulging in private trade for personal benefits thus denying profits to the companies they were working for. Book also exposes how unethical Europeans were during that period. A good book for those interested in Indian history
October 9, 2022
This is the anti-colonialist history I've been waiting for. The research seems strong, the writing style crisp and understandable. This explains some horrible things Europeans did at this time, but doesn't have some of the insane hyperbole that another book with an anti-colonialist tone had.
Its readable, engaging
The author does a very good job at narrating these events,
Its readable, engaging
The author does a very good job at narrating these events,
February 6, 2022
The book has great content that is not taught in schools. It provides details on how the various European countries influenced, plundered the region of indian sub continent. Must read for all the history buffs.
November 28, 2023
Didn't described the cruelties done by british rule in india,which is about 2 decades and most plundering and cruelty happened but significantly reflected other hardships faced by indians in other European colonial forces ruled india
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews