explain battles of carnatic wars
Answers
The Carnatic Wars were fought between the English and the French on the Indian soil for supremacy. These wars were fought to decide the rivalry between the English and the French and were directly connected with their rivalry in Europe.
These were really part of the great Anglo-French wars of the eighteenth century and are called the Carnatic wars because the theatre of these wars in India lay mainly in the Carnatic.
Dupleix raised an army: It was Joseph Francis Dupleix, Governor of Pondicherry, who made the first attempt to set up a colonial empire in India. In 1740, he began to train detachments of Indian soldiers under the command of the French officers. This was how the first Sepoy detachments came into existence. These Indian soldiers trained by the French officers fought so well in the First Carnatic War that the British also began forming Indian detachments.
The First Carnatic War (1746-48)
The War of the Austrian Succession broke out in Europe in 1740. In this war Britain and France joined opposite camps. As a result the English and the French Companies also became engulfed in the war. Thus the First Carnatic War was started.
At first a British fleet under Barnett captured some French ships and even endangered Pondicherry. Dupleix, the Governor General of French, then sent an appeal to La Bourdonnais, governor of Mauritius, to assist him with his fleet. With the help of this fleet Dupleix captured Madras. But soon differences flared up between Dupleix and Bourdonnais. La Bourdonnais went back with his fleet. The English then made a naval attack on Pondicherry but was repulsed with heavy loss.
Anwaruddin, the Nawab of Carnatic, did not like these hostilities in his kingdom. The English appealed to him to come to their rescue. Responding to their request the Nawab asked the French to quit Madras. Dupleix at first tried to appease him by saying that he would hand over Madras to the Nawab at an appropriate time. But the Nawab was not satisfied with this vague reply. He sent a large army to fight against the French. But to the surprise of all, a handful of French army and some properly trained Indian soldiers routed Anwaruddin’s vast army at Mylapore near St. Thomas in 1746. This exposed the military weakness of the Indian rulers. It also revealed the helplessness of an Indian army against a small body of properly trained European soldiers. Dupleix realized that a small but efficiently trained army might play a decisive role in the rivalries among the local princes. This would also ensure French influence in the courts of the Indian princes.
In the meantime the War of Austrian succession came to an end by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) on the basis of mutual restitution of conquests. Madras was restored to the English and the territory the English and the French positions remained unaltered.
But the First Carnatic War had far reaching consequences. The First Carnatic War totally changed the character of the commercial companies.
The Second Carnatic War (1749-54)
After the First Carnatic War, Dupleix fully understood the weakness of the Indian princes. Henceforth he began to look for opportunities to extend French influence by calculated interference in the internal quarrels of the Indian states.
Tripartite Understanding: Dupleix soon got his opportunity. He was able to interfere in the wars of succession that started after the death ofAsaf Jah (1748), the late Nizam of Hyderabad. He also supported the claim of Chanda Sahib, son-in-law of the late Nawab Dost Ali in the Carnatic war. In the war at Hyderabad, Dupleix pledged French support to late Nizam’s grandson Muzaffar Zang for the throne of Hyderabad. He also pledged to support Chanda Sahib for the throne of the Carnatic. Thus, a tripartite understanding was developed among the French, Muzaffar Zang and Chanda Sahib.
In order to curb the extension of French influence the English Company supported the cause of the rival candidate Nasir Zang for the throne of the Nizam and that of Muhammad Ali, after the death of Anwaruddin in the Battle of Ambur in 1749, for the Nawabship of the Carnatic. Thus began the second phase of the Anglo French War which is known as the Second Carnatic War.
It was an unofficial war fought between the European countries in India, while there was peace between them at Europe. The group led by the French defeated and killed Anwaruddin in the Battle of Ambur. His son Muhammad Ali fled to Trichinopoly and took refuge there under the protection of the English troops. Chanda Sahib was made Nawab of the Calmat. The French and their allies then marched to the Deccan. Nasir Zang was surprised by the French army and was killed. The French protege Muzaffar Zang was installed as the Nizam of Hyderabad. Dupleix’s dream of an empire seemed likely to be realized. After a short while Muzaffar Zang was killed in a skirmish.
The Carnatic Wars
The Carnatic region was the Hinterland of Coromandel coast. The Anglo-French rivalry started from here. In a span of 20 years, the British out the French in carnatic Wars to establish their supermacy. These three wars, beginning 1744, were fought over possession of territories, over the issue of successors to the throne among the heirs of the local rulers and the war of succession among other rulers of neighbouring territories.
These methods of colonisation need to be carefully noted.
The First Carnatic War ( 1746 - 1748 )
It was found in the background of Anglo-French rivalry in Europe on Indian soil. In 1746 Joseph François Dupleix was the French Governor of Pondicherry in India. The French won the first war but on account of the Austrian war of succession in which the French had lost to England, they had exchanged Madras ( Chennai ) for a place called Louisburg in America.
The Second Carnatic War ( 1749 - 1754 )
The French initially succeeded in placing their own candidates on the Thrones in Hyderabad and Carnatic. However, by a Treaty, the French and English restored the territories captured from each other.
The Third Carnatic War ( 1756 - 1760 )
It was the extension of the seven year war in Europe that is started in 1756. In this war, the French lost almost everything they had in India. Their military general, Count De Lally who had replaced Dupleix was recalled, condemned and executed.