The Anglo-French rivalry in India reflected the long-standing rivalry between England and France, which began with the start of the Austrian War of Succession(1740-1748) and ended with the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763).British and French arrived in India for trade, they were eventually dragged into Indian politics.In India, their rivalry in the form of three Carnatic wars(1740-1763) decided once for all the English and not French were more competent to establish their rule all over India.

The Anglo-French Struggle for Supremacy

• The Anglo-French competition in India mirrored the customary rivalry between England and France throughout their histories; it began with the commencement of the Austrian War of Succession and culminated with the Seven Years’ War.
• South India’s political status was unsettled and perplexing in 1740.
• Nizam Asaf Jah of Hyderabad was old and busy fighting the Marathas in the western Deccan, while his subordinates speculated about the ramifications of his death.
• To the south of his dominion was the Coromandel Coast, which lacked a strong monarch to preserve power balance.
• Instead, there was the remainder of the former Vijayanagara empire in inner Mysore, Cochin, and Travancore on the Malabar Coast, and minor realms of Madura (Madurai), Tanjore (Thanjavur), and Trichinopoly in the east (Thiruchirapally).
• The loss of Hyderabad signalled the end of Muslim expansionism, and the English adventurers prepared their plans accordingly.

First Carnatic War (1740-48)

The First Carnatic War (1746–1748) was the first in a series of Carnatic Wars (1740-1763) that established early British control on the east coast of the Indian subcontinent during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) .Carnatic is the term used by Europeans to refer Coromandel Coast region.During this war, the British and French East India Companies competed on land for control of their respective commercial centres in Madras, Pondicherry, and Cuddalore.The campaign paved the way for the fast expansion of French power in southern India during the Second Carnatic War(1749-1754) which was led by French Governor-General Joseph Francois Dupleix.

Background

• The Coromandel coast and its hinterland were given the name Carnatic by Europeans.
• The First Carnatic War was a European extension of the Anglo-French War triggered by the Austrian War of Succession (1740 – 1748)
• The First Carnatic War is famous for the Battle of St. Thome (in Madras), which took place between French forces and the forces of Anwar-ud-din, the Nawab of Carnatic, to whom the English called for assistance.
• Although France, aware of its inferior position in India, did not want hostilities to be extended to India, the English fleet under Barnet captured some French ships in order to antagonise France.
• In 1746, France replied by taking Madras with the assistance of a squadron from Mauritius, the French island of Mauritius, led by Admiral La Bourdonnais, the French governor of Mauritius.
• As a result, the first Carnatic War began.

Course of the war

• The War of Austrian Succession, which erupted in Europe in 1740, pitted France and Britain against one other.
• Due to the Anglo-French rivalry, their commercial businesses in India competed for domination.
• Dupleix, the French Governor of Pondicherry, had established an army of Indian sepoys in India under French command.
• In 1720, France nationalised the French East India Company, and France had imperialistic plans for India.
• In 1745, Britain launched a naval attack against a French fleet, putting Pondicherry in jeopardy.
• Dupleix, with the help of extra French forces from Mauritius, repelled the invasion and took Madras, which had been under English hands.
• The English launched a second attempt on Pondicherry, but suffered a devastating defeat. The English requested assistance from Anwaruddin Khan, the Nawab of Carnatic (Arcot).
• The Nawab requested that Madras be returned to the British by the French.
• Dupleix tried unsuccessfully to persuade the Nawab that Madras would be given up to him at a later date.
• The Nawab then dispatched a massive army to combat the French. In 1746, this army was destroyed by a small contingent of French soldiers in Mylapore (modern-day Chennai).
• This revealed the inferiority of the Indian monarchs’ troops in comparison to the well-trained armies of the European powers.