Carnatic Wars

Lord Clive meeting with Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey,
oil on canvas (Francis Hayman, c. 1762)
Date 1744-1763
Location Carnatic region, South India
Result British victory
Belligerents
Mughal
Empire
[1]
Nizam of
Hyderabad
Nawab of
Carnatic
Nawab of
Bengal
Kingdom
of France
French
East
India
Company
Kingdom
of Great Britain
East
India
Company
Commanders and leaders
Alamgir II
Anwaruddin
Nasir Jung
Muzaffar Jung
Chanda Sahib
Raza Sahib
Wala-Jah
Dupleix
De Bussy
Comte de Lally
d'Auteil (POW)
Law (POW)
De la Touche
Robert Clive
Stringer
Lawrence
Carnatic Wars
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Carnatic Wars (also spelled Karnatic Wars) were a
series of military conflicts in the middle of the 18th century
on the Indian subcontinent. The conflicts involved
numerous nominally independent rulers and their vassals,
struggles for succession and territory, and included a
diplomatic and military struggle between the French East
India Company and the British East India Company. They
were mainly fought on the territories in India which were
dominated by the Nizam of Hyderabad up to the Godavari
delta. 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 Pondichry. The British company's dominance
eventually led to control by the United Kingdom over most
of India and the establishment of the British Raj.
In the 18th century the coastal Carnatic region was a
dependency of Hyderabad. Three Carnatic Wars were
fought between 1746 and 1763.
Contents
1 Background
2 First Carnatic War (17461748)
3 Second Carnatic War (17491754)
4 Third Carnatic War (17571763)
5 See also
6 References
Background
The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb died in 1707 CE. 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. Several erstwhile
Mughal territories were autonomous such as the Carnatic
was ruled by Nawab Dost Ali Khan in the 1730s, despite
being under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad
(who was nominally the emperor's viceroy over that
Carnatic Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_Wars
1 of 5 10/14/2014 11:11 PM
Murtaza Ali
Abdul Wahab
Hyder Ali
Dalwai Nanjaraja
Salabat Jung
territory). Dost Ali's death sparked a power struggle
between his son-in-law Chanda Sahib and the Nizam's own
son and natural heir to the throne, Anwaruddin Muhammed
Khan.
One major instigator of the Carnatic Wars was the
Frenchman Joseph Franois 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.
First Carnatic War (17461748)
Dupleix meeting the
Subedar of the Deccan,
Muzaffar Jung.

Siege of Arcot was a
major battle fought
between Robert Clive
and the combined
forces of the Mughal
Empire's Nawab of the
Carnatic, Chanda
Sahib, assisted by a
small number of troops
from the French East
India Company.
In 1740 the War of the Austrian Succession broke out in Europe. Great Britain was only drawn into the war in
1744, when it entered the war opposed to France and its allies. The trading companies of both countries
maintained cordial relations among themselves 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."
[2]
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 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. Dupleix, to placate the Nawab of Arcot, had promised him Madras, but withdrew that
promise 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
Carnatic Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_Wars
2 of 5 10/14/2014 11:11 PM
Death of the Nawab Anwaruddin
Muhammed Khan in a battle (battle of
Ambur) against the French in 1749 (by Paul
Philipoteaux).
capture the British outpost 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.
With the termination of the War of 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, escaped, and then
participated in the defense of Cuddalore and the siege of Pondicherry.
Second Carnatic War (17491754)
After the death of the Nizam-ul-Mulk in 1748, the Nizam of
Hyderabad, a civil war for succession, now known as the Second
Carnatic War, broke out in the south between Mir Ahmad Ali
Khan (Nasir Jung), the son of the Nizam-ul-Mulk, and Hidayat Muhi
ud-Din Sa'adu'llah Khan (Muzaffar Jung), the grandson of Nizam-
ul-Mulk.
This opened a window of opportunity for Chanda Sahib, who
wanted to become Nawab of Arcot. He joined the cause of
Muzaffar Jung and began to conspire against the Nawab
Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan in Arcot. The French allied with
Chanda Sahib and Muzaffar Jung to bring them into power in their
respective states. But soon the British also intervened. To offset the
French influence, they began supporting Nasir Jung and Muhammad
Ali Khan Walajah (son of the deposed Nawab Anwaruddin
Muhammed Khan of Arcot). Initially, the French succeeded in both
states in defeating and murdering their opponents and placing their
supporters on thrones in 1749. In 1751, however, Robert Clive led
British troops to capture Arcot. Clive's success led to additional
victories for the British and their Nizam and Arcot allies. The war
ended with the Treaty of Pondicherry, signed in 1754. Muhammad
Ali Khan Walajah was recognized as the Nawab of Arcot. The
French leader Dupleix was asked to return to France. The directors
of the French East India Company were dissatisfied with Dupleix's
political ambitions, which had led to immense financial loss. In
1754, Charles Godeheu replaced Dupleix.
Third Carnatic War (17571763)
The outbreak in 1756 of the Seven Years' War in Europe resulted in renewed conflict between French and
British forces in India. The Third Carnatic War spread beyond southern India and into Bengal where British
forces captured the French settlement of Chandernagore (now Chandannagar) in 1757. However, the war was
decided in the south, as British commander Sir Eyre Coote decisively defeated the French under the Comte de
Lally at the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760. After Wandiwash, the French capital of Pondicherry fell to the British
in 1761. The war concluded with the signing of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, which returned Chandernagore and
Pondichry to France, and allowed the French to have "factories" (trading posts) in India but forbade French
traders from administering them. The French agreed to support British client governments, thus ending French
Carnatic Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_Wars
3 of 5 10/14/2014 11:11 PM
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Carnatic
Wars.
ambitions of an Indian empire and making the British the dominant foreign power in India.
Lally at Pondicherry.

Jean Law's Memoire:
Mmoires sur quelques
affaires de lEmpire
Mogol 1756-1761
contains detailed
information about the
campaign of the
Mughal Emperor Shah
Alam II and his French
allies against the British
East India Company.
[3]
See also
French India
Subedar of Deccan
Nawab
Hyder Ali
Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan
References
^ "The Cambridge History of the British Empire"
(http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=Y-08AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA126&
dq=chanda+sahib&hl=en&sa=X&ei=GP7GT7CCB8PtOcunpeYO&
ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=mogul&f=false). Retrieved 28
September 2014.
1.
^ Dodwell, H. H. (ed), Cambridge History of India, Vol. v. 2.
^ "Niall Ferguson - Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World - Why Britain? 4/5" (http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=YRK1x3GSmYk). YouTube. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
3.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carnatic_Wars&oldid=628052225"
Carnatic Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_Wars
4 of 5 10/14/2014 11:11 PM
Categories: Carnatic Wars 1740s conflicts 1750s conflicts 1760s conflicts Wars involving India
Wars involving France Wars involving Great Britain Colonial India 18th century in India
History of Tamil Nadu Military history of India 1746 in India 1749 in India 1757 in India
Seven Years' War History of Tiruchirappalli
This page was last modified on 3 October 2014 at 07:23.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Carnatic Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_Wars
5 of 5 10/14/2014 11:11 PM