Between 1744 and 1763, the British and the French were involved in two wars in Europe. At the same time, British and French trade interests clashed in South India.
These factors led to three major wars, called the Carnatic Wars.
The First Carnatic War (1744-1748) was an echo of a war in Europe, in which Britain and France took opposite sides. J F Dupleix, the French governor of Pondicherry, captured Madras, but restored it to the British after the war in Europe ended.
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British and French involvement in the local politics of Hyderabad and the Carnatic caused the Second Carnatic War (1748-1754). The Carnatic, with its capital at Arcot, was a province under the Nizam of Hyderabad. However, the Nawab of Arcot was almost free from the Nizam’s control.
The death of the Nawab of Arcot and of the Nizam a few years later led to wars of succession in the Carnatic and in Hyderabad. The French and the English took opposite sides in these wars. The British succeeded in installing their candidate on the throne of Arcot, while the French installed their candidate at Hyderabad.
The Third Carnatic War (1756-1763) was a result of the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War in Europe.
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Just after the Third Carnatic War began, the British made substantial gains in Bengal and Hyderabad. These gains helped them to defeat the French at Wandiwash in 1760. The French lost all their Indian possessions.
These were restored to them by the Treaty of Paris (1763), which ended the Seven Years’ War. However, the French lost the right to fortify their Indian settlements. Hence, they ceased to be a political force in India.
