Final answer:
Following the Dutch East India Company's establishment of a factory in Masulipattanam in 1605, the English and French also formed their presence in India. The English East India Company started trading in the spice islands in 1601, and expanded to Surat and other locations, while the French established a factory in Surat in 1668 and later moved to Pondicherry.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Dutch East India Company, established in Masulipattanam in 1605, was followed by numerous other trade posts and factories in India. The English entered the trade in India in 1600, with the first voyage of the East India Company landing in the spice islands in 1601. By 1608, the English had established their first factory in Surat and later expanded to Goa, Madras, Bombay, and Chittagong. The French, trailing the Dutch and British in the early 17th century, eventually founded their factory in Surat in 1668 and moved their base to Pondicherry in 1673.
Trade in India was complex, with the Indian government demanding payments in silver and European traders adjusting to the competition among various trading nations as well as within the diverse political landscape of India. By the later part of the 1600s, European countries such as England, France, and Portugal were deeply involved in Indian trade, leading to control conflicts that eventually favored British dominance in the early 1800s.