18th century wars between the French and the British
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The
Carnatic wars
were a series of military conflicts in the middle of the 18th century in India's coastal
Carnatic region
, a dependency of
Hyderabad State
, India. The first Carnatic wars were fought between 1740 and 1748.
The conflicts involved numerous nominally independent rulers and their vassals, struggles for succession and territory, and furthermore included a diplomatic and military struggle between the
French East India Company
and the British
East India Company
. They were mainly fought within the territories of
Mughal India
with the assistance of various fragmented polities loyal to the "Great Moghul".
As a result of these military contests, the British East India Company established its dominance among the European trading companies within India. The French company was pushed to a corner and was confined primarily to
Pondicherry
. The East India Company's dominance eventually led to control by the British Company over most of India and eventually to the establishment of the
British Raj
.
Background
[
edit
]
The
Mughal
Emperor
Aurangzeb
died in 1707. He was succeeded by
Bahadur Shah I
, but there was a general decline in central control over the empire during the tenure of
Jahandar Shah
and later emperors.
Nizam-ul-Mulk
established Hyderabad as an independent kingdom. A power struggle ensued after his death between his son,
Nasir Jung
, and his grandson,
Muzaffar Jung
, which soon involved foreign powers eager to expand their influence. France aided Muzaffar Jung while Britain aided Nasir Jung. Several erstwhile Mughal territories were autonomous such as the Carnatic, ruled by Nawab
Dost Ali Khan
, despite being under the legal purview of the
Nizam of Hyderabad
. French and British support soon became intertwined with the affairs of the Nawab. Dost Ali's death sparked a power struggle between his son-in-law
Chanda Sahib
, supported by the French, and
Muhammad Ali
, supported by the British.
[2]
One major instigator of the Carnatic wars was the Frenchman
Joseph Francois Dupleix
, who arrived in India in 1715, rising to become the French East India Company's governor in 1742. Dupleix sought to expand French influence in India, which was limited to a few trading outposts, the chief one being
Pondicherry
on the
Coromandel Coast
. Immediately upon his arrival in India, he organized Indian recruits under French officers for the first time, and engaged in intrigues with local rulers to expand French influence. However, he was met by the equally challenging and determined young officer from the British Army,
Robert Clive
.
"The Austrian War of Succession in 1740 and later the war in 1756 automatically led to a conflict in India...and British reverses during the American War of Independence (1775?1783) in the 1770s had an impact on events in India."
[2]
First Carnatic War (1746?1748)
[
edit
]
In 1740, the
War of the Austrian Succession
broke out in Europe. Great Britain was drawn into the war in 1744, opposed to
France
and its allies. The trading companies of both countries maintained cordial relations in India while their parent countries were bitter enemies on the European continent. Dodwell writes, "Such were the friendly relations between the English and the French that the French sent their goods and merchandise from
Pondicherry
to
Madras
for safe custody."
[3]
Although French company officials were ordered to avoid conflict, British officials were not, and were furthermore notified that a
Royal Navy
fleet was en route. After the British initially captured a few French merchant ships, the French called for backup from as far afield as
Isle de France
(now
Mauritius
), beginning an escalation in naval forces in the area. In July 1746, French commander
La Bourdonnais
and British Admiral
Edward Peyton
fought
an indecisive action
off Negapatam, after which the British fleet withdrew to Bengal. On 21 September 1746, the French
captured the British outpost at Madras
. La Bourdonnais had promised to return Madras to the British, but
Joseph Francois Dupleix
withdrew that promise, and wanted to give Madras to Anwar-ud-din after the capture. The Nawab then sent a 10,000-man army to take Madras from the French but was decisively repulsed by a small French force in the
Battle of Adyar
. The French then made several attempts to capture the British
Fort St. David
at
Cuddalore
, but the timely arrivals of reinforcements halted these and eventually turned the tables on the French. British Admiral
Edward Boscawen
besieged Pondicherry
in the later months of 1748, but lifted the siege with the advent of the
monsoon
rains in October.
[2]
With the termination of the
War of the Austrian Succession
in Europe, the
First Carnatic War
also came to an end. In the
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
, Madras was given back to the British in exchange for the French
fortress of Louisbourg
in North America, which the British
had captured
. The war was principally notable in India as the first military experience of
Robert Clive
, who was taken prisoner at Madras but managed to escape, and who then participated in the defence of Cuddalore and the siege of
Pondicherry
. The French retained their position as the protectors of nizams of Hyderabad.
Second Carnatic War (1749?1754)
[
edit
]
Though a state of war did not exist in Europe, the
proxy war
continued in India. On one side was
Nasir Jung
, the Nizam and his protege Muhammad Ali, supported by the British, and on the other was
Chanda Sahib
and
Muzaffar Jung
, supported by the French, vying to become the Nawab of
Arcot
. Muzaffar Jung and Chanda Sahib were able to capture Arcot while Nasir Jung's subsequent death allowed Muzaffar Jung to take control of
Hyderabad
. Muzaffar's reign was short as he was soon killed, and
Salabat Jung
became Nizam. In 1751, however, Robert Clive led British troops to capture
Arcot
, and successfully
defend it
. The war ended with the
Treaty of Pondicherry
, signed in 1754, which recognised
Muhammad Ali Khan Walajah
as the
Nawab of the Carnatic
.
Charles Godeheu
replaced Dupleix, who died in poverty back in France.
[2]
Third Carnatic War (1757?1763)
[
edit
]
The outbreak of the
Seven Years' War
in Europe in 1756 resulted in renewed conflict between French and British forces in India. In this time the French were facing many financial problems. The
Third Carnatic War
spread beyond southern India and into
Bengal
where British forces captured the French settlement of
Chandernagore
in 1757. However, the war was decided in the south, where the British
successfully defended Madras
, and
Sir Eyre Coote
decisively defeated the French, commanded by the
Comte de Lally
at the
Battle of Wandiwash
in 1760. After Wandiwash, Pondicherry
fell to the British in 1761
.
[2]
Aftermath
[
edit
]
The war concluded with the signing of the
Treaty of Paris
in 1763, which returned Chandernagore and
Pondicherry
to France, and allowed the French to have trading posts in India, but forbade French traders from administering them.
[
citation needed
]
The French agreed to support British client governments, thus ending French ambitions of an Indian empire and making the British the dominant foreign power in India.
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Benians, Ernest Alfred; Newton, Arthur Percival; Rose, John Holland (1929).
The Cambridge History of the British Empire
. p. 126
. Retrieved
16 December
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Naravane, M.S. (2014).
Battles of the Honorourable East India Company
. A.P.H. Publishing Corporation. pp. 150?159.
ISBN
9788131300343
.
- ^
Dodwell, H. H. (ed), Cambridge History of India, Vol. v.
- ^
"Niall Ferguson ? Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World ? Why Britain? 4/5"
. Archived from
the original
on 31 March 2021
. Retrieved
28 September
2014
– via YouTube.
- ^
Palk Manuscripts
, four-volume collection of the correspondence of Sir Robert Palk relating to Indian affairs,
Historical Manuscripts Commission: Report on the Palk manuscripts in the possession of Mrs Bannatyne of Haldon, Devon
, p.XII
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