Xtromirit at 18:17, 30 April 2026

2026-04-30T18:17:21Z

New page

{{Short description|18th-century wars between the French and the British}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Carnatic wars
| width =
| partof = the [[Decline of the Mughal Empire]], [[Anglo-French wars]] and the [[Anglo-Indian wars]]
| image = Lord Clive meeting with Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey.jpg
| caption = ''Lord Clive meeting with Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey in 1757'' <br /> [[Francis Hayman]], {{circa|1762}}
| date = 1744–1763
| place = [[Carnatic region]]
| coordinates =
| map_type =
| map_relief =
| map_size =
| map_marksize =
| map_caption =
| map_label =
| territory =
| result = British victory
| status =
| combatants_header =
| combatant1 = [[File:Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg|25px]] [[Mughal Empire]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-08AAAAIAAJ|title=The Cambridge History of the British Empire|access-date=16 December 2014|date=1929|page=126|last1=Benians |first1=Ernest Alfred |last2=Newton |first2=Arthur Percival |last3=Rose |first3=John Holland }}</ref>
* {{Flag|Hyderabad State|1724|name=Hyderabad}}
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Nawab.svg}} [[Carnatic Sultanate|Carnatic]]
* {{Flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Bengal Subah|Bengal]]
| combatant2 = {{Flag|Kingdom of France}}
* {{Flag|French East India Company}}
| combatant3 = {{Flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
* {{Flag|East India Company|1707|name=British East India Company}}
| commander1 = {{Ubl|{{Flagicon|Hyderabad State|1724}} [[Nasir Jung]]{{KIA}}
|{{Flagicon|Hyderabad State|1724}} [[Muzaffar Jung]]{{KIA}}
|{{Flagicon image|Flag of Nawab.svg}} [[Chanda Sahib]]{{KIA}}
|{{Flagicon|Hyderabad State|1724}} [[Salabat Jung]]{{KIA}}
|{{Flagicon image|Bengal subah flag (Nautical).svg}} [[Siraj ud-Daulah]]{{Executed}}
}}
| commander2 = {{Ubl|
{{Flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[Joseph François Dupleix]]
|{{Flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally]]
|{{Flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[Charles Godeheu]]}}
| commander3 = {{Ubl|{{Flagicon|Kingdom of Great Britain}} [[Robert Clive]]
|{{Flagicon|Kingdom of Great Britain}} [[Eyre Coote (East India Company officer)|Eyre Coote]]}}
| units1 =
| units2 =
| units3 =
| strength1 =
| strength2 =
| strength3 =
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
| casualties3 =
| notes =
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox First Carnatic War}}
{{Campaignbox Second Carnatic War}}
{{Campaignbox Seven Years' War: East Indies}}
{{Campaignbox Seven Years' War}}
{{Campaignbox Anglo-French wars}}
{{Campaignbox War of the Austrian Succession}}
}}

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.

[[File:Flag of the British East India Company (1707).svg|thumb|Flag of the [[East India Company]] (founded in 1600)]]
[[File:Bombardement de Pondichery en 1748 par la flotte anglaise.jpg|thumb|British Admiral Edward Boscawen [[Siege of Pondicherry (1748)|besieged Pondicherry]] in the later months of 1748.]]
[[File:French India 1741-1754.png|thumb|Map of [[French India]] at its peak between 1741 and 1754.]]

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 Indies Company|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 ==

{{See also|Siege of Trichinopoly (1743)}}
[[File:CarnaticRegion.jpg|thumb|left|The Carnatic Region of what is now India]]
The [[Mughal tribe|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. [[Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asif Jah I|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 Khan Wallajah|Muhammad Ali]], supported by the British.<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=150–159}}</ref>

One major instigator of the Carnatic wars was the Frenchman [[Joseph François 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 [[Puducherry (city)|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."<ref name=Naravane/>

== First Carnatic War (1746–1748) ==
{{Main|First Carnatic War}}
[[File:Dupleix meeting the Soudhabar of the Deccan.jpg|thumb|left|[[Joseph François Dupleix]] meeting the Nizam of Hyderabad [[Muzaffar Jung]]]]

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 [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]] to [[Madras]] for safe custody."<ref>Dodwell, H. H. (ed), Cambridge History of India, Vol. v.</ref> 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 (Mauritius)|Isle de France]] (now [[Mauritius]]), beginning an escalation in naval forces in the area. In July 1746, French commander [[Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais|La Bourdonnais]] and British Admiral [[Edward Peyton]] fought [[Action of 6 July 1746|an indecisive action]] off Negapatam, after which the British fleet withdrew to Bengal. On 21 September 1746, the French [[Battle of Madras|captured the British outpost at Madras]]. La Bourdonnais had promised to return Madras to the British, but [[Joseph François 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]] [[Siege of Pondicherry (1748)|besieged Pondicherry]] in the later months of 1748, but lifted the siege with the advent of the [[monsoon]] rains in October.<ref name=Naravane/>

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 [[Siege of Louisbourg (1745)|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 [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]]. The French retained their position as the protectors of nizams of Hyderabad.

== Second Carnatic War (1749–1754) ==
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 [[Siege of Arcot|defend it]]. During the onslaught, the Pari [[Velir|royal house]] who had sided with the [[French India|French]] fled from their fort at Durgam to [[Pondicherry]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lydia Graham Astor |url=http://archive.org/details/zamins-of-south-india.pdf |title=Zamins Of South India.pdf |date=2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Zamindars of South India |url=https://lydiahistorymemorabilia.blogspot.com/2012/03/zamindars-of-south-india.html |access-date=2026-04-30 |website=Zamindars of South India}}</ref> The war ended with the [[Treaty of Pondicherry]], signed in 1754, which recognised [[Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah|Muhammad Ali Khan Walajah]] as the [[Nawab of the Carnatic]]. [[Charles Godeheu]] replaced Dupleix, who died in poverty back in France.<ref name=Naravane/>

== Third Carnatic War (1757–1763) ==
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 [[Siege of Madras|successfully defended Madras]], and [[Sir Eyre Coote]] decisively defeated the French, commanded by the [[Thomas Arthur, Comte de Lally|Comte de Lally]] at the [[Battle of Wandiwash]] in 1760. After Wandiwash, Pondicherry [[Siege of Pondicherry (1760)|fell to the British in 1761]].<ref name=Naravane/>

== Aftermath ==
The war concluded with the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1763, which returned Chandernagore and [[Pondicherry district|Pondicherry]] to France, and allowed the French to have trading posts in India, but forbade French traders from administering them. {{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} 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 ==

<gallery heights="200px" mode="packed">
File:Surrender_of_The_City_of Madras_1746.jpg|''The British surrender of Madras, 1746''.
File: WAR ELEPHANTS CHARGE THE GATES OF THE FORT AT ARCOT..gif|The [[Siege of Arcot]] (1751) 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 Indies Company|French East India Company]]
File:India; (1909) (14566747909) (cropped).jpg|[[Robert Clive]] fires a cannon in the [[Siege of Arcot]].
File:Représentations des positions des escadres des navires français et anglais devant Pondichéry (sud–est de l’Inde) - Archives Nationales - MAR-B-4-77 fol 277 - (1).jpg|French and British ships position near [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]]. [[French National Archives]].
File:Death of the Nabob of the Carnatic by Paul Philippoteaux.jpg|Death of the [[Nawab]] [[Anwaruddin Mohammed Khan]] in a battle (battle of Ambur) against the French in 1749 (by [[Paul Philippoteaux]]).
File:Lally at Pondicherry by Paul Philipotteaux.jpg|Lally at [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]].
File:Hutchinsonsstory00londuoft 0234.jpg|The [[Black Hole of Calcutta]], 20 June 1756.
File:Shah Alam II, Mughal Emperor of India, reviewing the East India Company's troops, 1781.jpg|1894 illustration of Shah Alam II reviewing the British East India Company's troops in 1781
File:The battle of Plassey, June 23, 1757.jpg|English guns at the battle of [[Plassey]], 23 June 1757.
File:The Navab's arrival before Clive's position.jpg|[[Nawab of Bengal]], [[Mir Qasim]] at the [[Battle of Buxar]]
File:The Nawab's artillery at Plassey.jpg|[[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] artillerymen at Plassey during the Carnatic wars.
File:Stinger Lawrence and Nawab Wallajah.JPG|[[Stringer Lawrence]] and [[Muhammad Ali Khan Wallajah|Nawab Wallajah]] in [[Madras]]<ref>''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 [https://archive.org/stream/reportonpalkmanu00grearich/reportonpalkmanu00grearich_djvu.txt]</ref>
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[French India]]
* [[Salabat Jung]]
* [[Hyder Ali]]
* [[Anwaruddin Khan]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category}}

{{British colonial campaigns}}
{{French colonial campaigns}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnatic War 00}}
[[Category:Carnatic wars| ]]
[[Category:1740s conflicts]]
[[Category:1750s conflicts]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Kingdom of France (987–1792)]]
[[Category:Wars involving the Kingdom of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Colonial India]]
[[Category:18th century in India]]
[[Category:1746 in India]]
[[Category:1749 in India]]
[[Category:1757 in India]]
[[Category:Seven Years' War]]
[[Category:History of Tiruchirappalli]]
[[Category:Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Europe]]
[[Category:Wars of succession involving the states and peoples of Asia]]
[[Category:Military history of the Indian Ocean]]

Carnatic wars-272077 - Revision history

Xtromirit at 18:17, 30 April 2026