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{{Short description|Battle of the War of the Austrian Succession}}
{{For|the 1759 siege|Siege of Madras}}
{{For|the siege of Trichinopoly 1743| Siege of Trichinopoly (1743)}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Madras
| partof = [[First Carnatic War]]
| image = Surrender of The City of Madras 1746.jpg
| image_size = 300
| caption = Surrender of The City of Madras 1746, by [[Jacques François Joseph Swebach-Desfontaines]]
| date = 7–9 September 1746
| place = [[Chennai|Madras]], [[Madras Presidency]], India
| casus =
| territory =
| result = French victory
| combatant1 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
*{{flagcountry|East India Company}}
| combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Kingdom of France}}
*{{flagcountry|French India}}
| commander1 = {{flagicon|Kingdom of Great Britain}} [[Nicholas Morse]]
| commander2 = {{flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais]] <br /> {{flagicon|Kingdom of France}} [[Joseph François Dupleix]]
| strength1 = 300
| strength2 =
| casualties1 =
| casualties2 =
| casualties3 =
| notes =
}}
{{Campaignbox First Carnatic War}}

The '''Battle of Madras''' or '''Fall of Madras''' took place in September 1746 during the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] when a [[Early Modern France|French]] force attacked and captured the city of [[Chennai|Madras]] from its [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] garrison.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Forrest |first=G. W. |date=1908 |title=The Siege of Madras in 1746 and the Action of la Bourdonnais |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3678377 |journal=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |volume=2 |pages=189–234 |doi=10.2307/3678377 |issn=0080-4401}}</ref>

French forces occupied Madras until the end of hostilities when it was exchanged for the British conquest of [[Louisbourg]] in [[North America]] as part of the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]]. One of the British defenders, [[Robert Clive]] made his name by escaping from the French captors and carrying news of the city's fall to his superiors at [[Fort St David]].

==Background==
Since the 1720s the colonial rivalry between Britain and France in India had been growing in intensity. Following the French decision to join the [[War of the Austrian Succession]] on the opposing side to Britain, the British despatched a [[Royal Navy]] squadron under Commodore [[Curtis Barnett]] to raid and harass French settlements in India.<ref>Harvey p.30-31</ref> During 1745 this force attacked a number of French ships, disrupting commerce, and ruining several leading French merchants.

In response the French despatched a similarly-sized fleet under the [[Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais]]. After fighting an inconclusive battle the two fleets withdrew to repair, with the British retreating to [[Ceylon]] and the French using their base at [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]]. Wary of fighting another major naval battle – the British commander, [[Edward Peyton]], chose to stay away from the [[Coramandel coast]] and withdrew to the safety of [[Bengal]], leaving the British settlements on the Coramandel badly exposed to the French.<ref>Harvey p.31</ref>

The French Governor of Pondicherry Dupleix authorised an attack on [[Chennai|Madras]]. To gain local Indian approval for this he promised the Nawab of the Carnatic that he would hand over Madras to him once he had captured it from the British.

==Battle==
On 7 September 1746 the inhabitants of [[Chennai|Madras]] woke to find a French fleet sitting offshore – and an expedition of soldiers being landed on the shore. The French ships opened fire on the town – but with little effect, struggling to find the correct range and by nightfall a large portion of the garrison had been lulled into a false sense of security.<ref>Harvey pp. 31–32</ref>

The following morning the French resumed their bombardment from both land and shore, this time with much more accuracy. The fortifications of Madras had been poorly constructed and were largely unable to resist such an attack. As the number of British casualties grew, the morale of the discipline of the troops collapsed. After a direct strike on the liquor stores, a number of soldiers abandoned their posts and drank themselves into a stupor. Civilians from the town took their places manning the defences – but it was clear resistance was collapsing.<ref>Harvey pp. 32–33</ref>

==Surrender==
[[File:Prise de Madras en 1746 Ozanne N au lavis Louvre.jpg|thumb|left|350px|The siege of [[Chennai|Madras]] in 1746 for Joseph Francois Dupleix troops and ships of La Bourdonnais. The city surrendered in September 1746. Madras was returned to England in 1748 to restore peace.]]
On 9 September the Governor of [[Madras Presidency|Madras]], [[Nicholas Morse]] sued for peace. The terms offered to him by La Bourdonnais were surprisingly generous – the French were to take over the fort and warehouses, but the rest of the town would remain under British control. The British troops who had surrendered would be petitioned. This caused a dispute with his superior [[Joseph François Dupleix]] who favoured total French annexation of Madras. La Bourdonnais insisted on honouring the peace terms – and for a month the peace agreement he had signed held.<ref>Harvey pp. 33–34</ref>

However, when a violent storm blew up in October, La Bourdonnais and his fleet were forced to withdraw and sail for the safety of [[Puducherry (city)|Pondicherry]] – a third of his ships were lost in the storm and Dupleix was now in full command of [[Chennai|Madras]]. Dupleix revoked the previously lenient terms and locked up a number of the garrison and civilians. He then set about looting and preparing to destroy Fort St George.<ref>Harvey pp. 34–35</ref>

A handful of these prisoners led by [[Robert Clive]], a young clerk, dressed up as natives and managed to slip out of their prison. Once outside they were challenged by real Indians, who spoke to them in languages they didn't understand. Clive and his companions hurried on before they could be exposed. After a three-day journey, made mostly by night, they reached [[Fort St David]] hundred miles away carrying news of the disastrous French attack on Madras.<ref>Harvey pp. 35–36</ref> The story of Clive's escape was the first to bring him wider attention.

==Aftermath==
The French occupied the town for the duration of the war. Despite Dupleix's promise earlier to hand the territory over to the Nawab of the Carnatic, Dupleix refused to do so.<ref>Naravane pp. 152–153</ref> A force of 10,000 sent by the Nawab to enforce the agreement was routed by a small French force led by Captain Louis Paradis at the [[battle of Adyar]] on 24 October 1746. The French subsequently tried to take [[Fort St David]] but found the resistance much tougher, and were ultimately forced to withdraw.

The [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]] that ended the war made provision for [[Chennai|Madras]] to be returned to the British in exchange for [[Louisbourg]] in [[Acadia]] which had been [[Siege of Louisbourg (1745)|captured by British forces]] in 1745.<ref>Keay p. 285</ref> The French [[Siege of Madras|besieged Madras again in 1759]], this time without success.

==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
* [[History of Chennai]]

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=Harvey |first= Robert |title=Clive: The life and Death of a British Emperor |publisher= Hodder and Stoughton |year=1998}}
* {{cite book |last=Keay |first= John |title=The Honourable Company: A History of the English East India Company |publisher=Harper Collins|year=1993}}
* {{Cite book |last=Naravane |first=M.S. |title=Battles of the Honorourable East India Company |publisher=A.P.H. Publishing Corporation |year=2014 |isbn=9788131300343}}

{{coord missing|Tamil Nadu}}
{{Chennai Topics}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

[[Category:Battles of the War of the Austrian Succession|Madras]]
[[Category:Battles involving British India|Madras]]
[[Category:Battles involving France|Madras]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1746|Madras]]
[[Category:1746 in India]]
[[Category:Military history of the Madras Presidency|Madras]]

Battle of Madras - Revision history

imported>Thenightaway at 18:34, 20 April 2025