The Third Carnatic War

Introduction

The Third Carnatic War was fought by British and French to establish political control over India. The initial cause of the duo countries to enter India was the trading but soon it became a war about political supremacy. These wars were fought in the 18th century in the coastal area of the Carnatic Region.

Carnatic War and The Third Carnatic War

Wars of Carnatic were a series of military conflicts which involved many rulers along with the British and the French. Three wars of Carnatic were fought between 1746 and 1763. These were fought between the French east India Company and the British East India Company. At the end of these wars, the East India company controlled by the British was successful to establish their political and trading supremacy. It was fought in Mughal India’s territory just to prove the dominance of trading companies.

• The first war of The Carnatic − The first war was fought between the force of French and the British from1740 to 1748. This war involved the Nawab of Carnatic, Anwaruddin Khan. The main reason behind the war was the Austrian Succession. The first war resulted in Madras falling into the hands of British, while French obtained their territories in North America.

Image 1: Muhammad Anwaruddin

• The second war of The Carnatic − The second war was fought between the Nizam of Hyderabad and Carnatic’s Nawab. Either British or French forces supported them. The war started in 1749 and went on till 1754 by signing a peace treaty of Pondicherry.

The third war of Carnatic was also known as the Wandiwash battle. It was the last war in a series of military conflicts between the French and British forces. The French Army from the side of the British, the war was led by Sir Eyre Coote, who was the Lieutenant General.

Key Facts about the War

The main facts about the third war of the series were −

• The war was fought between the forces of the French and The British

• The war involved the French General of that time named Count de Lally and Sir General Eyre Coote, who was the Lieutenant-General of the British.

• The war started in the year 1757 and ended in 1763

• It was fought in the region of the Carnatic which was situated in South India

• At the end of the war, the British won.

Course of the War

• At the end of the second war of the series in 1756 for a year, there were no massive engagements between the British and French over the subcontinent of India.

• When the Battle of Plassey ended in 1757, the British took the control of Chandannagar, which was situated in the Bengal, from the French.

• The French force took over St. George and attacked the British force to establish their supremacy over Madras.

• In the battle of the Wandiwash, the French force lost to the British force which was led by Sir General Eyre Coote.

• The French lost their control over many places such as Mahe, Pondicherry and Karaikal.

• In the year 1763, the war ended by signing the Treaty of Peace of Paris.

• Because of the treaty, two places, Chandannagar and Pondicherry were returned to the French force, however, only for trading purposes.

Results of the Third Carnatic War

Image 2: Effect and reasons for the 3rd Carnatic War

• The British won the war and established themselves as the supreme European power over the subcontinent of the British. It led the way for British Colonial rule in India.

• The war ended every single possibility for the French, as they too had the same desire of establishing their empire in India.

Following were the reasons for the failure of the French −

• The naval force of the British was much stronger than the French.

• The division of the important posts between the British and French Forces was one of the main reasons. The British had Kolkata, Madras and Bombay while the French had only Pondicherry.

• The result of the Plassey Battle gave the British a new area, Bengal.

• The strong soldier base of the British was led by Robert Clive, Stringer Lawrence and Sir Eyre Coote.

Conclusion

The war between the French and The British, which provided political supremacy to the latter, was known as the Wandiwash battle. It was also referred to as the Third war of the Carnatic. In this war, Sir Eyre Coote led the British military. It was started just after the end of the second war, which ended in 1754 with a treaty. However, the third war ended every single possibility of the French rule over India and they just got trading control over Pondicherry and Chandannagar.

FAQs

Q1. What was the main reason behind the wandiwash battle?

Ans.The wandiwash battle is also known as the third Carnatic war. The battle was fought between the French and the British to take the control of trading in India. However, the main reason behind it was the desire of taking over political control.

Q2. How does the third Carnatic war end?

Ans.The third war of the Carnatic ended by signing a treaty. It was known as the treaty of peace of Paris and it was signed in 1763. This treaty stated that Pondicherry and Chandannagar would be returned to the French, but only for trading purposes.

Q3. Who fought in Panipat’s third battle?

Ans.The third battle of the Panipat was fought between Ahmad Shah Abdali who was the ruler of Afghanistan and the Marathas. It was fought in Panipat in 1761 and in this battle, the Afghans who were disciplined won over Marathas.

Q4. Which treaty helped to end the Plassey Battle?

Ans.The Plassey Battle ended by signing a treaty named the treaty of Alinagar.