Q. Which English merchant adventurer was the first to arrive in India via a land route prior to the formation of the English East India Company?
Answer: John Mildenhall
Notes: Before the formation of the English East India Company, also known as "The Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies", which was established in 1600 AD, it was John Mildenhall, a merchant adventurer, who first arrived in India via a land route. His aim was to engage in trade with Indian merchants, marking the earliest known English trading activity in the Indian subcontinent.