In which year was Bombay given to the British Crown as a part of the dowry of Queen Catherine of Braganza?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → 1661
Bombay came to the English king in 1661 as part of his wife’s dowry from the king of Portugal, and the king passed it on to the East India Company.
Note: This question is taken from the chapter ‘Colonial Cities’ which was there in the pre-rationalised NCERT and has been deleted from subsequent editions of NCERT, including the NCERT book (2026-27).
NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “…We will look closely at developments in three big cities – Madras (Chennai), Calcutta (Kolkata) and Bombay (Mumbai). All three were originally fishing and weaving villages. They became important centres of trade due to the economic activities of the English East India Company. Company agents settled in Madras in 1639 and in Calcutta in 1690. Bombay was given to the Company in 1661 by the English king, who had got it as part of his wife’s dowry from the king of Portugal. The Company established trading and administrative offices in each of these settlements.” |