<P> In 1612 , James I instructed Sir Thomas Roe to visit the Mughal Emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir ( r . 1605 -- 1627 ) to arrange for a commercial treaty that would give the company exclusive rights to reside and establish factories in Surat and other areas . In return , the company offered to provide the Emperor with goods and rarities from the European market . This mission was highly successful , and Jahangir sent a letter to James through Sir Thomas Roe : </P>
<P> In 1612 , James I instructed Sir Thomas Roe to visit the Mughal Emperor Nuruddin Salim Jahangir ( r . 1605 -- 1627 ) to arrange for a commercial treaty that would give the company exclusive rights to reside and establish factories in Surat and other areas . In return , the company offered to provide the Emperor with goods and rarities from the European market . This mission was highly successful , and Jahangir sent a letter to James through Sir Thomas Roe : </P>
when did the east india company begin to trade with india
when did the east india company begin to trade with india
1612
1612