colony · South Asia
Dutch Suratte
Origins
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) opened a factory at Surat around 1616, shortly after the English, gaining access to the trade of Gujarat and the Mughal Empire. Surat became the headquarters of the directorate of Suratte, which also oversaw posts at Ahmedabad, Agra and Cambay.
Rule and society
The Dutch bought indigo, cotton cloth and saltpetre for export to Europe and Asia and sold spices from Indonesia, competing closely with the English East India Company. The factory was a commercial establishment, not a territorial state, operating under Mughal permission and local governors. It declined with Surat after the Maratha sacks of 1664 and 1670.
Decline and legacy
Surat's trade shifted to Bombay in the 18th century, and the Dutch presence dwindled. Britain held the post during the Napoleonic Wars and, under the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, it was formally ceded in 1825.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Dutch Suratte was a colony of Dutch Empire1616 CE – 1825 CE
- Dutch Suratte was conquered by Company rule in India1825 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Dutch Suratte. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dutch-suratte
- MLA
- “Dutch Suratte.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dutch-suratte. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Dutch Suratte.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dutch-suratte.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Dutch Suratte’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/dutch-suratte (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻