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VariousFranco-Indian Alliances were formed betweenFrance and variousIndiankingdoms from the 18th century to the ascent ofNapoleon. Following the alliances ofDupleix, a formal alliance was formed between byKing Louis XVI during theAmerican Revolutionary War in an attempt to oust theBritish East India Company from theIndian subcontinent. Later, numerous proposals of alliance were made byTipu Sultan, leading to the dispatch of a French fleet of volunteers to help him, and even motivating an effort byNapoleon to make a junction with theKingdom of Mysore through his 1798campaign in Egypt.
In the 17th century,François Bernier (1625–1688), aFrenchphysician and traveler, became the personal physician of theMughal emperorAurangzeb for 12 years.
In the early 18th century, France was actively involved in the powerplay inIndia. The French GeneralDupleix was allied toMurzapha Jung in theDeccan, andChanda Sahib in theCarnatic Wars, in their conflict againstRobert Clive of theEast India Company. These relationships were beneficial to the French, and French allies gifted areas such as theAlamparai Fort in return for the services provided by the French in conflicts against the British.
The French won a victory in theBattle of Madras in 1746, and the French and Indians fought together and vanquishedAnwaruddin in 1749, but failed in theBattle of Arcot in 1751 and finally surrendered in 1752.[1] The French again had a success at the capture ofFort St. David in 1758 underLally, but were finally defeated atMasulipatam (1759) andWandewash (1760).[2]
French had lost preeminence in India with theTreaty of Paris in 1763, although five trading posts were being maintained there, leaving opportunities for disputes and power-play withGreat Britain.[3] France was successful in supporting theAmerican Revolutionary War in 1776, and wished to oust the British from India as well.[4]
In 1782,Louis XVI sealed an alliance with thePeshwaMadhav Rao Narayan. As a consequenceBussy moved his troops to Île de France (Mauritius) and later contributed to the French effort in India in 1783.[5][6]Suffren became the ally ofHyder Ali in theSecond Anglo-Mysore War in 1782–1783, engaging in five battles against theRoyal Navy off the coasts of India andCeylon.[7][8]
Between February 1782 and June 1783, Suffren fought with the British admiralSir Edward Hughes, and collaborated with the rulers of Mysore.[9][10] Suffren fought in theBattle of Sadras on February 17, 1782, theBattle of Providien on April 12 nearTrincomalee, theBattle of Negapatam on July 6 offCuddalore, after which Suffren seized upon the anchorage of Trincomalee compelling the small British garrison to surrender. An army of 3,000 French soldiers collaborated with Hyder Ali to captureCuddalore. Finally, theBattle of Trincomalee took place near that port on September 3. These battles can be seen as the last battles of the Franco-British conflict that encompassed theAmerican War of Independence, and would cease with the signature of theTreaty of Versailles of 1783 establishing peace and recognizing American independence.
Following the 1783 Treaty of Versailles and the removal of French support,Tipu Sultan, the son of Hyder Ali, was unable to recaptureMangalore from the British, although he later managed to regain control after a 10-monthsiege in 1784.[11] He finally made peace with the British in spring 1784.[12]
In 1786, Tipu Sultan nevertheless sent an embassy to France throughConstantinople, but the embassy had to be cancelled.[13] In July 1787, Tipu Sultan sent a new embassy directly to Paris, formed of three ambassadors Mohammed Dervich Khan, Akbar Ali Khan and Mohammad Osman Khan, who were accompanied by the French trader fromPondicherry, M. Monneron. After arriving inToulon, the ambassadors were able to meet with Louis XVI in August 1788 in Versailles.[14] However, France, which was now at peace with London, did not wish to resume hostilities.[15]
Tipu Sultan again proposed an offensive and defensive alliance to France in October 1794, and April 1796.[16] France was hampered in its support to India by theFrench Revolution, but contacts would resume with the rise of Napoléon.[17]
In 1794, with the support of French Republican officers, Tipu helped found theJacobin Club of Mysore for 'framing laws comfortable with the laws of the Republic' He planted a Liberty Tree and declared himself Citizen Tipoo.[18]
French soldiers, mobilized byFrançois Ripaud in 1797 to support Tipu Sultan, were buried in a cemetery atHarohalli, which has fallen into disrepair as the locals steal iron grills, bricks, metal plaques, and expensive marble.[19][20]
Tipu again made a proposal in October 1797 throughMalartic, the Governor ofÎle de France (Mauritius).[21] Malartic, who could not deplete his forces in Île de France, sent a group of 150 volunteers in thefrigateLa Preneuse, on 7 March 1798.[22]La Preneuse arrived inMangalore in April 1798.[23] A group of French officers numbering 124 men, under the Command ofMichel Raymond, was also leading an army of 14,000 for theNizam, Subhadar of theDeccanAli Khan Asaf Jah II, but following British diplomatic intervention, the Nizam was persuaded to remain neutral in the conflict.[24]
Napoleon Bonaparte, who wished to establish a French presence in the Middle East, took the opportunity of hiscampaign in Egypt to plan a junction with Tipu against the British.[25] Napoleon assured to theDirectoire that"as soon as he had conquered Egypt, he will establish relations with the Indian princes and, together with them, attack the English in their possessions."[26] According to a 13 February 1798 report byTalleyrand:"Having occupied and fortified Egypt, we shall send a force of 15,000 men fromSuez to India, to join the forces of Tipu-Sahib and drive away the English."[27] The Directory, though troubled by the scope and cost of the enterprise, agreed so the popular general would be absent from the centre of power.[28]
Napoleon was defeated by a combined Ottoman-British force at theSiege of Acre in 1799, and at theBattle of Abukir in 1801, so that by 1802, France's presence was completely rolled back from the Middle-East.[29] Soon however, from 1803, Napoleon went to great lengths to try to convince the Ottoman Empire to fight againstRussia in theBalkans and join his anti-Russian coalition.[30] Napoleon sent GeneralHorace Sebastiani as envoy extraordinary, promising to help the Ottoman Empire recover lost territories.[31] Napoleon also formed aFranco-Persian alliance in 1807 during theNapoleonic Wars, with the continuous aim of having an eventual open path to attack British India.[32]
Napoleon's interest in the Middle East and India waned when he finally vanquished Russia at theBattle of Friedland in July 1807, leading to the Treaty of Tilsit, in December 1807.[33] France as an ally of Russia became a strong repellent to both theOttoman Empire andPersia. Great Britain signed a mutual defense treaty with ShahShuja al-Mulk ofAfghanistan on 17 June 1809 in order to better resist the Franco-Persian threat, but by that time Persia had already denounced its alliance with France and was moving towards Great Britain.[34] These last events rendered the Franco-Indian alliance impossible to pursue further.
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