From the 16th century to the 18th century it seems that the Europeans (Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish etc.) influence in the region increased massively and were able to exert themselves on the countries there. How did Europeans become such a powerful economic and political force in the Indian Ocean region?
Most of what I have currently read explains their dominance as a result of technological advantages, such as the caravels and cannons along with shock and awe tactics.
Mostly thanks to the weapon technology, luck and exploiting political situation there (they could always find some local allies to fight an enemy)
Just look at the battle of Cochin in 1504 where a very small Portuguese force with good tactics, superior weaponry and ships, and a lot of luck defeated a huge army of the local ruler.
After that Portuguese gained the foothold from which later capable leaders like Afonso de Albuquerque carved their Indian Ocean Empire. Then only the Ottomans were remotely close to having the power and technology to oppose Portugal, which they, too a small degree, did. Until Dutch took over. By this time the technological gap was too big for any local power to expel colonial European powers.
A History of Portugal and the Portuguese Empire, Vol 2, Disney
Just for clarification. Spanish did not have presence in the Indian ocean, and the Dutch came much later and basically just took by force the control from the Portuguese.
Edit:grammer and wording. sorry
The naval battle which won Portugal control of the Indian Ocean was the battle of Diu in 1509.
Since Vasco da Gama arrived in the Indian Ocean in 1498, the Portuguese had been fighting Calicut and allying with the Kingdom of Cochin, to establish a spice trade back to Europe around the Cape of Good Hope and undercut the old trade routes through the Mediterranean which were controlled by Mamluk Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and the Venetians.
In 1507, the Ottomans sent disassembled galleys to Egypt, which were reassembled on the red sea coast. These Turkish galleys, together with Mamluk vessels ventured into the Indian Ocean and surprised a small Portuguese fleet at Chaul in 1508. They captured one of the Portuguese ships and killed the Portuguese commander, Lourenco de Almeida. The rest of the Portuguese ships escaped.
The Muslim fleet then sailed to the port of Diu.
The Portuguese viceroy in the Indian ocean was Francisco de Almeida, father of the commander who had been killed at Chaul. He was determined to defeat the Muslim fleet, both for strategic reasons, but also for revenge. He sent the Muslim fleet a message saying that he was going to revenge himself on them, and that if they did not fight he would take the City of Diu.
Such was Francisco’s thirst for revenge that he threw his replacement as Portuguese Viceroy in the Indian Ocean into jail so he could not interfere with or take command of Francisco’s naval war.
The combined fleet of the Mamluks, the Ottomans, the Sultan of Gujarat and the Zamorin of Calicut, amounted to 12 major ships (6 carracks and 6 galleys) and over 80 smaller local dhows.
Franciso assembled 5 large ‘naus’, four smaller ‘naus’, four ‘caravelas redondas’, two ‘caravelas’, two galleys and one ‘bergantim’, and sailed these 18 ships to Diu.
The Muslim fleet decided not to come out to attack the Portuguese, but to defend the harbor of Diu, protected by the cannon of the harbor forts.
Francisco sailed straight in with all guns blazing.
The entire Muslim fleet was destroyed or captured with great losses of sailors and soldiers.
The strongly built, seaworthy, and powerfully cannon-armed Portuguese ships were the key technology which enabled the Europeans to dominate the Indian Ocean. No other power in the vast area could compete with this technology. No other power proved able to rapidly copy or duplicate this technology.
Franciso said, “as long as (we) may be powerful at sea (we) will hold India…If (we) do not posess this power, little will avail a fortress on the shore.”
The Ottomans made several subsequent attempts to reverse the defeat at Diu and re-challenge Portuguese control of the Indian Ocean. In 1538, they sent 54 ships to besiege Diu, but suffered a crushing defeat. In 1547, Suleiman the Magnificent sent another fleet to attack Diu, but this was also defeated, marking the end of Ottoman attempts to gain control of the Indian Ocean.
http://forum.worldofwarships.eu/index.php?/topic/2462-naval-battle-of-diu-indian-ocean-1509/