Anglo-French Rivalry in the Carnatic
(Longman Pearson)
Review Exercise
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. The British sailor Sir Thomas Roe visited Jahangir's court in 1615.
2. The farman issued by Aurangzeb allowed the British to exempt from payment of custom duties in Bengal.
3. The British settlement at Madras was captured by the French forces in the First Carnatic War.
4. Dupleix defeated the army of the Indian ruler Anwaruddin during the First Carnatic War.
5. The Seven Years' War in Europe actually led to the start of the Third Carnatic War in India.
6. The territories of Northern Circars were given by the Nizam of Hyderabad to the British after the Third Carnatic War.
7. Arcot was the capital of the Carnatic region.
8. The War of Austrian Succession came to an end in Europe through the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle signed in 1748.
9. The fortified trading post of the English East India Company established in Madras was named Fort St George.
10. The English East India Company established its first factory at Surat in 1612.
11. The English East India Company was formed in the year 1600.
12. The Third Carnatic War was an extension of the Seven Years' War fought in Europe.
13. The Treaty of Pondicherry was signed in 1754 between Godeheu and the English East India Company.
14. The French East India Company was established in the year 1664.
15. In 1717, the Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar granted the British a farman which allowed them to carry their trading activity without paying custom duties in the regions of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa(now Odisha).
II. Choose the correct option.
1. __________ visited the court of Jahangir, in 1615, to obtain rights and permissions for the English East India Company.
a) Dupleix. [ ]
b) Sir Eyre Coote. [ ]
c) Count-de-Lally. [ ]
d) Sir Thomas Roe. [✓]
2. Pondicherry remained a territory of the French till ________ .
a) 1760. [ ]
b) 1754. [ ]
c) 1954. [✓]
d) 1756. [ ]
3. The French governor in India during the Third Carnatic War was ________ .
a) Count-de-Lally. [✓]
b) Robert Clive. [ ]
c) King Charles II. [ ]
d) Sir Eyre Coote. [ ]
4. King Charles II received _________ as dowry when he married a Portuguese princess.
a) Madras. [ ]
b) Bombay. [✓]
c) Calcutta. [ ]
d) Bihar. [ ]
5. The _______ was an extension of the War of Australian Succession fought in Europe.
a) Seven Years' War. [ ]
b) First Carnatic War. [✓]
c) Battle of Plassey. [ ]
d) Second Carnatic War. [ ]
III. Answer these questions.
1. When were the French and British trading companies formed?
= The French East India Trading Company was established in 1664. They also tried to establish themselves in India and founded their factory at Pondicherry (now Puducherry) on the Coromandel Coast.
The English East India Trading Company was formed in 1600 by private merchants after Queen Elizabeth I granted them a charter.
2. Mention two British settlements in India during the seventeenth century.
= Two British settlements in India during the seventeenth century are - Bombay and Madras.
3. Name the presidency cities. Which fortified trading centres were present in these presidencies?
= The presidency cities are - Madras, Bombay and Calcutta.
The fortified trading centre in Madras was Fort St George.
The fortified trading centre in Bombay was the trading settlement on the west coast of India.
The fortified trading settlement in Calcutta (now Kolkata) was Fort William.
4. What were the causes and consequences of the First Carnatic War?
= ❐ Causes of the First Carnatic War : The First Carnatic War was an extension of the War of Austrian Succession fought in Europe between France and England. The war spread to India as well.
❐ Consequences of the First Carnatic War : The war had far reaching consequences.
i) The English got back Madras as per the treaty between both the empires.
ii) The war revealed the weakness of the Indian rulers. The Nawab of Carnatic failed to stop a war in his own territory. This provided motivation to the European companies to meddle further in Indian affairs for their own advantage.
iii) It also established the fact that the Europeans were far superior to the Indians in terms of strength and discipline.
iv) Dupleix tried to take advantage of the situation to establish French control and influence in the kingdoms of South India. These kingdoms were marked by constant struggle for power and instability.
5. Which rival factions did the French and the British support in Hyderabad and Carnatic?
= The French supported Muzaffar Jung in Hyderabad and Chanda Sahib in Carnatic.
The British supported Muhammad Ali in Carnatic.
6. Who won the Anglo-French rivalry and what were the reasons for this victory?
= After the Third Carnatic War, the French defeated completely. The defeat of the French East India Company completely shattered their dream of establishing an empire in India. The French Company was confined to trading activities alone. They remained in control of Pondicherry till 1954.
There were several reasons for the success of the British.
❐ Though the English East India Company was financially supported by the British Government, the government did not interfere affairs of the Company which was not the case with the French.
❐ The British had the strongest navy among all the European nations. They also had more superior arms and weapons.
❐ The English East India Company had many able generals. Dupleix, the French general, was no match to the excellent leadership qualities of Robert Clive.
❐ The British had some of the best trading centres and ports in India compared to those of the French.
❐ Acquisition of the riches of Bengal gave the British more wealth at their disposal. The British, therefore, were not also responsible for the defeat of the French. His complete involvement in the political intrigues in the Carnatic and Hyderabad blinded him towards the financial problems of the French Company.
7. How did Dupleix interfere in the internal affairs of the Carnatic?
= Dupleix, the French Governor of Pondicherry, initiated hostilities by ransacking Fort St George and capturing Madras. The English sought the help of Anwaruddin, the Nawab of Carnatic, who ordered Dupleix to leave Madras, but Dupleix refused. Anwaruddin sent a large army against the French. The Nawab's army was defeated by the French. This was the first conflict between a European power and an Indian ruler.
8. What do you think happened to the French East India Company after the Third Carnatic War?
= The final consequence of the Anglo-French rivalry was the absolute defeat of the French whose political influence got confirmed to Chandernagore and Pondicherry. The British now had no obstacle in the way to achieving complete supremacy over Indian colonies. I think the French East India Company had been diminished or disbanded after the Third Carnatic War.
9. Which European wars influenced Anglo-French rivalry in India?
= The War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War had influenced Anglo-French rivalry in India.
10. Explain the course of events which took place during the Second Carnatic War.
= ❐ The French defeated Nasir Jung in Hyderabad and made Muzaffar Jung the Nawab. Muzaffar Jung gave Dupleix a large jagir in South India. However, Muzaffar Jung died accidently. The French placed Salabat Jung on the throne. Salabat Jung gave the French control over the Northern Circars, a region in Andhra Pradesh.
❐ In the Carnatic, the French defeated and killed Anwaruddin and made Chanda Sahib the Nawab. Muhammad Ali escaped to the fort of Trichinopoly, where he was besieged by Chanda Sahib. Muhammad Ali sought help from the British.
❐ The British realised that if the growing French power in the south was left unchecked, it would be dangerous for their interest. They decided to support Muhammad Ali. The English East India Company asked Robert Clive, an able English officer, to help Muhammad Ali. Clive captured Arcot, the capital of the Carnatic.
❐ The French army immediately took action and left for Arcot. They dispatched their troops from Trichinopoly to recover Arcot. But despite a long seize Dupleix could not regain Arcot and the French were defeated.
❐ Chanda Sahib was killed and the British declared Mohammad Ali the Nawab of Carnatic.
11. Why were the trading companies allowed to have trade with the East?
= The trading companies were allowed to have trade with the East because it was quite profitable. The Company bought goods from the East and sold them at high prices in the European market. The Queen herself was a shareholder of the company.
12. What was the course of events during the First Carnatic War?
= ❐ Dupleix, the French Governor of Pondicherry, initiated hostilities by ransacking Fort St George and capturing Madras. The English sought the help of Anwaruddin, the Nawab of Carnatic, who ordered Dupleix to leave Madras, but Dupleix refused. Anwaruddin sent a large army against the French. The Nawab's army was defeated by the French. This was the first conflict between a European power and an Indian ruler.
13. Write a short note on how the grants by Mughal emperors helped the trading companies to flourish in the Indian subcontinent.
= In 1615, Sir Thomas Roe visited the court of Jahangir to obtain rights and permissions for the East India Company. The Mughal Emperor granted many concessions to the Company and soon established factories at several places. By 1623, factories of the English East India Company came up in several places such as Surat, Broach, Ahmedabad, Agra and Masulipatnam.
By 1647, the English East India Company had established twenty-three factories in India. Each of these factories was placed under the command of a factor or master merchant and governor. The Company won further privileges from the Mughal Emperor in later years that helped them establish a strong foothold in India.
In 1691, the British were granted a farman by Aurangzeb that exempted the British Company from paying custom duties in Bengal.
In 1717, the Mughal Emperor, Farrukhsiyar, granted the British another farman extending the same privileges to the Company in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (now Odisha).
14. What factors were responsible for the loss of the French trading company in India?
= The factors responsible for the loss of the French trading company in India are :
❐ Though the English East India Company was financially supported by the British Government, the government did not interfere affairs of the Company which was not the case with the French.
❐ The British had the strongest navy among all the European nations. They also had more superior arms and weapons.
❐ The English East India Company had many able generals. Dupleix, the French general, was no match to the excellent leadership qualities of Robert Clive.
❐ The British had some of the best trading centres and ports in India compared to those of the French.
❐ Acquisition of the riches of Bengal gave the British more wealth at their disposal. The British, therefore, were not also responsible for the defeat of the French. His complete involvement in the political intrigues in the Carnatic and Hyderabad blinded him towards the financial problems of the French Company.
15. Who was Robert Clive? Why did he capture Arcot?
= Robert Clive was an able English officer.
Arcot was the capital of the Carnatic. It was important to capture Arcot to capture Carnatic.
IV. Write short notes.
1. The causes and results of the Third Carnatic War.
= ❐ The causes of the Third Carnatic War : The Third Carnatic War began in 1756. It was an extension of the Anglo-French war in Europe known as the Seven Years' War.
❐ The results of the Third Carnatic War : The defeat of the French East India Company completely shattered their dream of establishing an empire in India. The French Company was confined to trading activities alone. They remain in control of Pondicherry till 1954.
2. Anglo-French rivalry.
= By the early eighteenth century, the Portuguese, the Spaniards and the Dutch lost the important trading position they held in trade with India to the British and the French. The British and French companies came to dominate Indian trade with Europe. The two companies clashed over trading benefits in India and this finally led to a bitter long-drawn rivalry known as the Carnatic Wars.
3. The causes and results of the Second Carnatic War.
= ❐ Causes of the Second Carnatic War : The Second Carnatic War broke out when both the British and French decided to meddle in the political scenario of the Carnatic region. The spark for the second war in the Carnatic was provided by a war of succession.
After the death of the Nizam of Hyderabad, a war of succession broke out between Nasir Jung, the son of the Nizam of Hyderabad and Muzaffar Jung, the grandson of the Nizam. The French supported the claim of Muzaffar Jung in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Chanda Sahib, a rival to the throne of the Carnatic, conspired against Anwaruddin (the Nawab of Carnatic). With the help of the French, Chanda Sahib defeated Anwaruddin and because the Nawab of Carnatic.
The curb the growing influence of the French in the Carnatic, the English supported the rival factions. They supported Nasir Jung in Hyderabad and Mohammad Ali, the son of Anwaruddin, in Carnatic. The consequent Anglo-French rivalry led to the outbreak of the Second Carnatic War.
❐ Results of the Second Carnatic War : Dupleix was sent back to France in 1754 and his successor Godeheu signed the Treaty of Pondicherry (1754) with the British. The Second Carnatic War, therefore, greatly increased the prestige and power of the British in the south.
V. Match the columns.
=
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1. Treaty of Pondicherry
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a. 1754. [1]
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2. Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
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b. visited the court of Jahangir. [4]
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3. replaced Dupleix as the governor
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c. received Bombay as dowry. [5]
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4. Sir Thomas Roe
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d. 1748. [2]
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5. King Charles II of England
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e. Godeheu. [3]
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VI. State whether true or false.
1. The Third Carnatic War was an offshoot of the War of Australia Succession. [T]
2. The two English ambassadors who visited the court of Jahangir were Hawkins and Dupleix. [F]
3. The East India Company succeeded in India because of superior military technology. [T]
4. The French supported the claim of Muzaffar Jung in Hyderabad. [T]
5. The French forces were defeated in the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760. [T]
VII. Give reasons.
1. Britain and French fought wars in India.
= Britain and French fought wars in India to gain monopoly over the lucrative trade in India.
2. The French and the British trading companies were hostile to each other from the beginning.
= The British and French companies came to dominate Indian trade with Europe. The French and the British trading companies were hostile to each other from the beginning. The two companies clashed over trading benefits in India and this finally led to a bitter long-drawn rivalry known as the Carnatic Wars.
3. The English East India Company emerged victorious in the Anglo-French rivalry.
= The English East India Company emerged victorious in the Anglo-French rivalry because the British had the strongest navy among all the European nations. They also had more superior arms and weapons.
