FranklynDavitt2 at 20:43, 13 March 2026

2026-03-13T20:43:40Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{short description|Battle of the First Carnatic War}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict =Battle of Adyar
|partof = [[Carnatic Wars]] <br>[[First Carnatic War]]
|image =
|caption =
|date = 24 October 1746
|place =[[Adyar river]]
|coordinates =
|map_type =
|map_relief =
|latitude =
|longitude =
|map_size =
|map_marksize =
|map_caption =
|map_label =
|territory = Nawab of Arcot defeated
|result = French victory
|status =
|combatant1 = [[File:Flag of the Mughal Empire.png|25px]] '''[[Mughal Empire]]'''
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the principality of Carnatic.gif}} [[Nawab of Arcot]]
|combatant2 =[[File:Royal Flag of France.svg|18px]] [[Kingdom of France]]
* [[File:Drapeau du régiment de la Compagnie des Indes en 1756.png|15px]] [[French Indies Company|French East India Company]]
|commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the principality of Carnatic.gif}} [[Anwaruddin Khan]] <br> {{flagicon image|Flag of the principality of Carnatic.gif}} Mahfuz Khan
|commander2 =[[File:Royal Flag of France.svg|18px]] Louis Paradis
|units1 =
|units2 =
|strength1 = 10,000 infantry and cavalry
|strength2 = 350 French soldiers<br/>700 French-trained Indian Sepoys
|casualties1 = 300
|casualties2 = 2 Sepoys killed
|notes =
|campaignbox ={{Campaignbox First Carnatic War}}
}}
The '''Battle of Adyar''' (also the '''Battle of Adyar River)''' took place on 24 October 1746.<ref>{{cite book | title=The origins of the Sepoy Military System: 1498-1770 | publisher=University of Wisconsin--Madison | author=Hoover, James W. | year=1993 | pages=56}}</ref> The battle was between the [[French Indies Company|French East India Company]] men and forces of [[Nawab of the Carnatic|Nawab of Arcot]], [[Anwaruddin Khan]] over the [[Fort St. George, India|St. George Fort]], which was held by the French. It was part of the [[First Carnatic War]] between the English and the French.<ref name="Naravane">{{Cite book |last=Naravane |first=M.S. |title=Battles of the Honorourable East India Company |publisher=A.P.H. Publishing Corporation |year=2014 |isbn=9788131300343 |pages=153}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=The Anarchy :The Relentless Rise of The East India Company|last=Dalrymple|first=William|publisher=Bloomsbury|year=2019|location=Great Britain|pages=52}}</ref>

== Background ==
The French captured [[Fort St. George]] from the [[British East Indian Company]]. Nawab of Arcot, a close ally of the British, set out to regain it by sending troops, led by his son Mahfuz Khan, to [[Madras]]. While leading an army of 10,000, he was dispersed by French forces, forcing him to move south. Khan seized [[Santhome|San Thomé]] and formed a battle line on the north bank of the [[Adyar River]] on 22 October to prevent the French from moving up reinforcements from [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]].

==Battle==
Led by the Swiss engineering officer, Major Louis Paradis, some 350 French and 700 French-trained Indian troops force marched from Pondicherry, crossed [[Quibble Island]] and took positions on the south bank of the [[Adyar River]] and faced ineffective artillery fire from Khan's forces.

On 24 October, Paradis was informed that a similar sized army led by de le Tour was on its way from St. George Fort. He decided to ford the [[Adayar river]] to attack the rear of Mahfuz Khan's battle line. de la Tour arrived too late to support Paradis, who with disciplined firing and then charging with bayonets, broke the Nawab's line. Mahfuz Khan's troops fled and the Battle of the Adyar River, which began on the morning of 24 October 1746, ended that evening with the French retaining control over Fort St. George.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/chen-arts/chen-history-and-culture/madras-miscellany-the-battle-of-the-adyar/article4130267.ece | title=Madras Miscellany: The Battle of the Adyar | work=The Hindu | date=November 25, 2012 | access-date=11 December 2014 | author=Muthiah, S}}</ref>

==Significance==
The battle of Adyar was one of the first that illustrated the overwhelming superiority of 18th century European military firepower in the Indian sub-continent, while also demonstrating that even a sizeable cavalry force was no match for a well-equipped, disciplined infantry. The [[Flintlock mechanism|flintlock]] [[musket]] and a flexible and mobile artillery enabled around one thousand defenders of the French-held fort to vanquish ten thousand Mughal troops.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kolappan |first=B |date=August 23, 2019 |title=The Battle of Adyar, a turning point in Indian history |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/the-battle-of-adyar-a-turning-point-in-indian-history/article29225859.ece |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=[[Chennai]] |access-date=October 8, 2022}}</ref>

After the battle cemented the French position in Madras, they and the English continued to [[Siege of Cuddalore (1748)|spar]] over French-controlled [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]] and British-held [[Fort St. David]] without either side gaining territory. The [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle]] resulted in the French handing Madras back to the British, in exchange for [[Louisbourg]] in 1748.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adyar, Battle of}}
[[Category:Battles involving France]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1746]]
[[Category:1746 in India]]
[[Category:First Carnatic War]]

Battle of Adyar - Revision history

FranklynDavitt2 at 20:43, 13 March 2026