Bot at 21:56, 1 September 2022

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{{One source|date=September 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Chandannagar
| partof = the [[Seven Years' War]]
| image = Capture de Chandernagor en 1757 par la Royal Navy.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = A painting of the battle by [[Dominic Serres]]
| date = 23 March 1757
| place = [[Chandannagar|Chandernagore]], [[Bengal Subah]]
| coordinates = {{coord|22.8559|N|88.3800|E|source:wikidata|display=title,inline}}
| map_type = India West Bengal#India
| map_relief = yes
| map_size =
| map_marksize =
| map_caption =
| map_label = Chandannagar
| result = British victory
| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg}} [[East India Company|British East India Company]]
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Drapeau du régiment de la Compagnie des Indes en 1756.png}} [[French East India Company]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg}} [[Robert Clive]] <br /> {{flagdeco|Kingdom of Great Britain|naval}} [[Charles Watson (Royal Navy officer)|Charles Watson]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Drapeau du régiment de la Compagnie des Indes en 1756.png}} Unknown
| strength1 = 3 ships of the line
| strength2 = 1 fortification
| casualties1 = 37+ killed <br /> 74+ wounded
| casualties2 = 1 fortification captured
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Seven Years' War: East Indies}}
}}

[[File:Chandannagar, 1757 RCIN 732007.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A plan of the battle]]

The '''Battle of Chandannagar''' was a successful attack on the [[French East India Company|French]]-held settlement of [[Chandannagar|Chandernagore]] by a [[East India Company|British]] force under the command of [[Robert Clive]] and [[Charles Watson (Royal Navy officer)|Charles Watson]] on 23 March 1757 during the [[Seven Years' War]]. Chandernagore remained under [[military occupation]] by the British until the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1763, which brought an end to the war.

== Background ==

Lying ten miles up the [[Hooghly River]] from [[Kolkata|Calcutta]], [[Chandannagar|Chandernagore]] was the administrative centre of the [[French East India Company]]. [[East India Company|British East India Company]] officer [[Robert Clive]], "determined to eliminate" the [[Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad|Nawab of Bengal]], decided to capture Chandernagore as a preliminary step. The French fortifications at Chandernagore was equipped with only sixteen [[Cannon|artillery pieces]] compared to the force Clive led to attack Chandernagore, which included three [[Royal Navy]] ships of the line, the ''[[HMS Kent (1746)|Kent]]'', ''[[HMS Tiger (1747)|Tiger]]'', and ''[[HMS Salisbury (1746)|Salisbury]]'' under the command of [[Charles Watson (Royal Navy officer)|Charles Watson]] in addition to Clive's land forces.{{sfn|Naravance|2006|p=38}}

== Battle ==
Though "the guns of the fort did a great deal of damage", including casualties amounting to 37 killed and 74 wounded on the ''Tiger'', the British attack was successful. In order to capture the French fortifications guarding the town, '' Kent'' and ''Tiger'' managed to edge up the Hooghly River, although the French had tried to block their passage with [[Scuttling|scuttled ships]] and [[boom (navigational barrier)|river chains]]. When they were close to the fort, they opened fire with all guns, but took a great punishment from the French artillery in the process.{{sfn|Naravance|2006|p=38}}

== Aftermath ==

The town's fortifications and many houses were demolished thereafter, and Chandernagore's importance as a commercial centre was eclipsed by that of Calcutta just downriver. Chandannagar remained under [[military occupation]] by the British until the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1763, which brought an end to the war; the treaty stipulated that Chandernagore would be restored to the French. The settlement was occupied by the British again in 1794 during the [[French Revolutionary Wars]]. The city was returned to [[Bourbon Restoration in France|France]] in 1816, along with a 3 sq mi (7.8 km2) enclave of surrounding territory. It was governed as part of [[French India]] until 1950, under the political control of the governor-general in [[Puducherry (union territory)|Pondicherry]].{{fact|date=October 2021}}

== Legacy ==

The Battle of Chandannagar was one of the many fought between the French and British on the [[Indian subcontinent]] during the Seven Years' War. It gave the British effective control of Calcutta and the Bengal hinterland. The French who escaped took shelter with the Nawab, whom Clive shortly afterwards defeated [[Battle of Plassey|at Plassey]]. Britain finished the war as the dominant European power in [[Colonial India]], and was well-placed to take advantage of the weakening political and economic power of the [[Mughal Empire]]. Chandernagore's capture was the first step in the British driving the French from Bengal.{{fact|date=October 2021}}

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book|first=M.S.|last=Naravance|title=Battles of the Honorourable East India Company: Making of the Raj|publisher=White Lotus|year=2006|isbn=978-8131300343}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandannagar, Battle of (1757)}}
[[Category:1757 in France]]
[[Category:1757 in India]]
[[Category:Battles involving the British East India Company]]
[[Category:Battles involving the French East India Company]]
[[Category:Battles of the East Indies Campaign (1757–1763)]]
[[Category:Chandannagar]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1757]]
[[Category:Third Carnatic War]]

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Battle of Chandannagar - Revision history

Bot at 21:56, 1 September 2022