hello everyone..there is this little confusion i,m having about carnatic wars.what i learn is that this was the based on anglo-french conflict.but i found it very imcomplete that in the books i have read it pivoted around nawabs of bengal,oudh,marhatas and the mysore state.what do u guys suggest is the precise one?

The Carnatic Wars were fought between the British East India Company and its allies and the French East India Company and its allies in southern India during the years 1746 to 1763. The wars were part of the worldwide conflict between the British and the French which enabled the British to establish their power in the south of India. From there the British captured Bengal and then the rest of India.


The primary French trading station in the Carnatic region was at Pondicherry. The primary British station was at Madras. While France and Britain were at peace, the commanders of the forts were on friendly terms, but when war broke out, they prepared for battle. The Indian prince tried to avert war between the two forts, but the French defied his orders, captured Madras, and took the entire garrison prisoner. Later on, several of the English prisoners, including Clive, escaped and took refuge in another fort, where they awaited reinforcements from Britain, and then joined in an attack on Pondicherry. The siege of Pondicherry was not successful, but peace between the two countries was soon declared, and Madras was returned to the British.


The second Carnatic war was started due to an ongoing battle between several native princes. The Moghul empire, which had reigned in India for 200 years under a largely Muslim government was breaking up and losing influence. Hindu princes were everywhere anxious to wrest power for themselves from the crumbling empire. Dupleix, The governor of the French trading had formed elaborate plans for increasing French influence in the region by making alliances with some of the up-and-coming Hindu Princes, in this case, Muzzaffar Jang and Chundra Sahib. Britain naturally took the side in opposition to the French, and supported the Moslem princes, in this case, Mohammad Ali.

The war opened as Chundra and Muzzaffar, with their French allies, defeated the Nawab of Carnatic at Ambur. They later besieged Trichinopoli where their rival had taken refuge. The case was nearly hopeless when Clive, who had played a very minor role in the wars up until this point devised a radical plan for saving Trichinopoli by attacking Arcot, the nearly deserted capital of Chundra Sahib. The desperate plan worked brilliantly—Trichinopoli was relieved, the French were dealt an unexpected setback, and Clive made a name for himself. In the following year Clive won several other dramatic victories for the British and foiled Dupleix at every turn. Eventually Britain's name became great among the native princes and even some of the Marathas, which was the largest Hindu confederacy in the region, decided to thrown in its lot with Britain.

The second Carnatic War was finally concluded in 1754 when Mohammad Ali, the Nawab that the British had supported, was recognized by all parties at the legitimate ruler of the Carnatic. The ruling family, which was also related to the Nizam of Hyderabad, were thereafter powerful allies of the British. As a result of these defeats, Dupleix was recalled to France in disgrace.



The next phase of the Carnatic Wars occurred near Calcutta in Bengal, far to the north of Madras and Pondicherry. Bengal was the wealthiest and most powerful of the Indian coastal states and its Nawab, Surajah Dowlah, permitted various European trading stations in his territory, but he disliked the British and sought to drive them out. He therefore attacked their post with an overwhelming force and put the survivors to death in a gruesome manner. By this time Clive had returned to Madras, and he was put in charge of the infantry sent to demand restitution. After winning several battles in the region, Surajah Dowlah submitted to British demands, but meanwhile Clive had made arrangements with Mir Jafar, one of the Nawab's generals, to help the English overthrow him. Depending on Jafar's promise, Clive lead a small Indian force against an overwhelmingly superior force at Plassey and gained a signal victory. Surajah Dowlah was deposed and Mir Jafar, who was largely under British control, assumed control of the government. The first concern of the Eastern India Company, as always, was money, so they demanded and received an enormous tribute from Jafar which greatly enriched the company, but caused untold strife within Bengal.

By this time the Seven Years War had broken out between France and England, and fighting resumed in the Carnatic region. The decisive battle was probably at Wandiwash. While the fighting still raged in the south, the Dutch in Bengal formed a conspiracy with Mir Jafar to try to dislodge the English from Bengal. Clive took part in these battles along the Hoogly river, and was again victorious. As a result of this rebellion the British forced Mir Jafar to abdicate in favor of his son-in-law Mir Qasim. For several years after the installation of Mir Qasim, India was at peace, but eventually Mir Qasim also tired of the British trading company's demands and led a rebellion in Bengal to try to throw them off. The British however, were by this time too powerful to be overthrown, and these battles, which occurred in 1763-64 only served to entrench Britain's dominance in the region even further.

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