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Question 7 of 73 · Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule
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Ralph Fitch, one of the first Englishmen to travel through India, visited the country during the reign of:

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Answer: Option C — Akbar

Detailed Solution

Ralph Fitch, an English merchant, travelled through India between about 1583 and 1591, during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar.

About Ralph Fitch:

  • He was a merchant from London.
  • In 1583, he set out with a group of English merchants, including John Newbery, carrying a letter from Queen Elizabeth I to the emperor of China and to Akbar.
  • They travelled through Syria and Mesopotamia to Hormuz, where they were arrested by the Portuguese and sent to Goa as prisoners.
  • With the help of an English Jesuit, Thomas Stephens, they were released, and escaped from Goa.

His travels in India:

  • Fitch travelled through Bijapur, Golconda, Burhanpur and Mandu to Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, around 1585.
  • He described Agra and Fatehpur Sikri as large and populous cities, each bigger than London.
  • He then travelled down the Yamuna and Ganga to Allahabad, Banaras, Patna and Bengal.
  • He went on to Burma (Pegu), Malacca and Ceylon, and returned to England in 1591.

Importance:

  • He was one of the first Englishmen to travel extensively in India and South-East Asia.
  • His account of the wealth and trade of the East encouraged English merchants to seek direct trade with India.
  • This contributed to the founding of the English East India Company.
  • His account was published by Richard Hakluyt.

Other English visitors to Mughal India:

  • Thomas Stephens: a Jesuit priest who lived in Goa from 1579 (often called the first Englishman in India).
  • John Mildenhall: visited Akbar's court around 1603.
  • William Hawkins: came to Jahangir's court.
  • Sir Thomas Roe: an ambassador at Jahangir's court.
  • Peter Mundy: an English traveller who visited India during Shah Jahan's reign.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Babur, Humayun and Shah Jahan ruled at other times.

Quick tip

Remember: Ralph Fitch = English merchant in India during Akbar's reign (about 1583-1591; found Agra and Fatehpur Sikri bigger than London); helped inspire the East India Company (1600).

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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