Carnatic Wars

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The Carnatic Wars (also spelled Karnatic Wars) was a series of military contests during the 18th century between the British, the French, the Marathas, and Mysore for control of the coastal strip of eastern India from Nellore (north of Madras) southward (the Tamil country). The name Carnatic itself refers to the region occupied by the Kannada-speaking people, which roughly corresponds to the modern Indian state of Karnataka (formerly Mysore). In the 18th century the coastal Carnatic was a dependency of Hyderabad, within the Mughal Empire. There were three Carnatic Wars between 1744 and 1763. The Carnatic wars are in part named for "carne", the Spanish word for meat because one British general once jokingly cited them as the "Meat Wars".

[edit] The First Carnatic War (1744-1748)

The Governor of the French East India Company, Dupleix, wanted to achieve a French colony in India, and immediately upon arrival in India, organized Indian recruits under French officers for the first time. Both English and French wanted to place royal figures on the throne of Austria, and both wanted also to expand their colonies in the Americas. Since Mughal power was in decline in India, this period was seen as a good opportunity to establish Indian trade.

After the English initially captured a few French ships, the French called for backup from as far afield as Mauritius, and on 21 September 1746, English held Madras fell to the French. Among the prisoners of war, was Robert Clive.

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 English.

[edit] The Second Carnatic War (1748-1755)

After the death of the Nizam of Hyderabad, a civil war for succession broke out in south between Nasir Jung and Muzaffar Jung. Also, a person named Chanda Sahib began to conspire against the Nawab Anwaruddin in Carnatic. Dupleix sided with Chanda Sahib and Muzaffar Jung to bring them into power in their respective states. But soon the English intervened. To offset the French influence, they began supporting Nasir Jang and Mohammad Ali (son of deposed Nawab Anwaruddin). The second carnatic war broke out.

The war ended with the Treaty of Pondicherry signed in 1754. Mohammad Ali was recognized as the Nawab of Carnatic.

Dupleix was asked to return to France. He was allowed to die in poverty. The directors of the French East India company were dissatisfied with the political ambitions of Dupleix, which had lead to immense financial loss. In 1754,Godheu replace Dupleix.

[edit] The Third Carnatic War (1756-1763)

The outbreak 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. At the 1763 Treaty of Paris, which allowed the French to have factories in India but disallowed the French traders to administrate the factories, the war ended, and Chandernagore and Pondicherry were returned to France. However, 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.