Page 12 - SST Class 08

goods. By the end of the 18th century, the British signed. As per this treaty. The French had to return
had established themselves in India firmly.
THE ANGLO-FRENCH RIVALRY IN INDIA
By 18th century, the British and the French got
established as the two major western powers in
India. Their trade competition forced the
Portuguese and the Dutch out of the Indian trade.
Therefore, for nearly twenty years, from 1744 to
1763, the French and the British fought for the
control of the trade and territories of India. These
wars were known as the Carnatic Wars . Pondicherry and the war was brought to a close in
First Carnatic War (1746 - 1748)
In 1740, the Austrian war of succession between
Austria and Prussia broke out in Europe. In this
war, England and France were at opposite sides.
The war also spread to India. The first Carnatic
War took place when French ship belonging to
French Governor Dupleix, was destroyed by the
British. In turn, the British settlement at Fort St.
George in Madras was attacked by the French
under Joseph Dupleix with the help of a newly
arrived French fleet and
was occupied by the
French. The war in Europe
ended in 1748 and as part
of the peace settlement
Madras was restored to the
British. The war was
indecisive but it raised the
Dupleix
prestige of Dupleix.
Second Carnatic War (1749-1754)
The second war between the two rivals was
fought over the issue of succession to the throne
of Hyderabad and Carnatic. A war of succession
broke out in both these states. The French and
British supported opposite groups in Hyderabad
and Carnatic. The British supported Muhammad
Ali in Carnatic and Nasir Jung in Hyderabad;
while the French supported the rival candidates
Chanda Sahib and Muzaffar Jang respectively. The
French were defeated and Dupleix had to leave
for France. This happend under the able
leadership of Robert Clive a young clerk in the
British East India Company. A peace treaty was
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all the territories captured by them. This war
boosted the prestige of the British and led to the
establishment of British control over Carnatic.
Third Carnatic War (1758-1763)
Peace between the British and the French was
however temporary. Two years later, another war
broke out in 1756 known as the Seven Years War .
The war was fought at Wandiwash in 1760. The
French forces led by Count de Lally were
decisively defeated. The English captured
1763 by the treaty of peace. The Pondicherry was
given back to the French only for trade and the
French dream of building an empire in India was
shattered. This war paved the way for the British
to become master of India.
THE CONQUEST OF BENGAL
After these glorious victories, the British became
more ambitious. They turned their attention to
Bengal, the richest province of India and the one
where they had been trading since 1717. In 1740,
Alivardi Khan became the Nawab of Bengal. He
always followed a policy of keeping the European
merchants under control. After his death in 1756
his grandson Siraj-ud-Daulah became the Nawab.
The new Nawab was distrustful of the British from
the very beginning. He was
young and inexperienced his
succession led to court
intrigues. Now, the British
began to interfere in the court
matters. The English did not
pay any tax on trade there as
permitted by Farukhsiyar the
Mughal emperor. They were Alivardi Khan
also misusing the right to tax-
free trade. Siraj-ud-Daulah,
the Nawab of Bengal, did not
like this as it affected his
income. In order to stop this,
Siraj-ud-Daulah tried to
enforce taxes and demanded
EEIC to stop fortifications in
Culcutta. He occupied Fort
Siraj-ud-Daulah