Anglo-Mughal war
Part ofAnglo-Indian wars
French illustration ofSir Josiah Child requesting a pardon from theEmperorAurangzeb
Date January 1686 – February 1690 Location India Result Mughal victory
Belligerents
East India Company	Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Josiah Child Thomas Pitt Job Charnock	Aurangzeb Shaista Khan Daud Khan Panni Yakut Khan
Strength
Total ~3,300 Including 150 Portuguese, 600 Bengali mercenaries 2,300 at Bombay 1,000 at Madras	Total ~500,000 professional army ~400,000 militia ~50,000 Heavy Cavalry ~30,000 War Elephants Siege of Bombay[1] 14,000 total
Casualties and losses
Bombay ~115 deserters ~2,000 killed Madras Unknown	Total[2] Light to none

TheAnglo-Mughal war,^[4][5] also known as theChild's war, was the firstAnglo-Indian war on theIndian subcontinent.

TheEnglish East India Company had been given a monopoly and numerous fortified bases on the western and south-eastern coasts of theMughal Empire bythe Crown, which was permitted by the local governors. In 1682,William Hedges was sent on the behalf of the Company to negotiate with the governor of theproto-industrialisedBengal Subah,Shaista Khan, and to obtain afirman, an imperial directive that would allow the English company regular trading privileges across the Mughal provinces.

In 1685, after some breaking of negotiations byJosiah Child, the Governor of Bengal reacted by increasing the tributaries of the trade with the north-east from 2% to 3.5%. The company refused the newly introduced taxes and began to try to get the province of Bengal to accept new terms in favour of the trading power and expressed to captureChittagong, they also planned to establish a fortified enclave throughout the region, and attain independence of the surroundingsubah from the Mughal territory by bringing the local governors and theHooghly River to their control, which would later allow to form relationships with theKingdom of Mrauk U based inArakan (today'sMyanmar) and hold substantial power in theBay of Bengal.^[6]

Upon request, KingJames II^[7] sent warships to thecompany based in India, but the expedition failed.^[8] Following the dispatch of twelve warships loaded with troops, a number of battles took place, leading to the siege ofBombay Harbour and bombardment of the city ofBalasore. New peace treaties were negotiated, and the East India Company sent petitions to the emperor,Aurangzeb, about trades involving thePortuguese atHooghly and religious intolerance of theTamil community inMadras, but praised Aurangzeb's imperial majesty and compared him withancient Persia's emperorsCyrus andDarius.^[9] However, the company eventually failed to reach an agreement.

The English naval forces established a blockade of the Mughal ports on the western Indian coast and engaged in several battles with the Mughal Army, and ships withMuslim pilgrims journeying toMecca were also captured.^[10][9][11]

The East India Company navyblockaded several Mughal ports on the western coast of India and engaged the Mughal Army in battle. The blockade started to effect major cities likeChittagong,Madras andMumbai (Bombay), which resulted in the intervention ofEmperorAurangzeb, who seized all the factories of the company and arrested members of theEast India Company Army, while the Company forces commanded by Josiah Child captured further Mughaltrading ships.^[12]

Ultimately the Company was forced to concede by thearmed forces of the Mughal Empire and the company was fined 150,000 rupees (roughly equivalent to today's $4.4 million). The company's apology was accepted and the trading privileges were reimposed by Aurangzeb.^[13][14][15]

In 1682 theEnglish East India Company sentWilliam Hedges toShaista Khan, the Mughal governor ofBengal Subah, in order to obtain afirman, an imperial directive that would grant the Company regular trading privileges throughout the Mughal Empire. The intervention of the company's governor in London, Josiah Child, with Hedges's mission causedEmperor Aurangzeb to break off the negotiations. After that Child decided to go to war against the Mughals.^[16]

In 1685, Admiral Nicholson was sent out with twelve ships of war, carrying 200 pieces of cannon and a body of 600 men, to be reinforced by 400 fromMadras. His instructions were to capture and fortifyChittagong, with 200 additional guns were placed on board, to demand the cession of the encompassing territory, to conciliate theZamindars andTaluqdars, to establish a mint, and to enter into a treaty with the ruler ofArakan. But the fleet was dispersed during the voyage, and several of the vessels entered theHooghly instead of steering to Chittagong, joining English troops from Madras, and anchoring off the Company's factory.

The arrival of the formidable expedition alarmed Shaista Khan, and he offered to compromise his differences with the English; but an unforeseen event brought the negotiation to an abrupt close. Three English soldiers, strolling through the marketplace of Hooghly, quarrelled with Mughal officials, and were severely beaten. After that, Nicholson dispatched a force to capture the town.^[17]

In 1686, new negotiations started in Chuttanutty which the Mughals intentionally prolonged till their troops could be assembled to attack the English encampment, and English commander Job Charnock retired with his soldiers and establishments to the island of Ingelee, at the mouth of theHooghly River. It was a low and deadly swamp, covered with long grass, without any fresh water. In three months, half of the English troops had died from disease.^[17]

In 1688, an English fleet was dispatched toblockade the Mughal harbours in theArabian Sea on the western coast of India. Merchantmen containingMuslim pilgrims toMecca (as part of thehajj) were among those captured. Upon hearing of the blockade, Emperor Aurangzeb resumed negotiations with the English.^[10][9] However, the Company sent out reinforcements commanded by Captain Heath who on his arrival disallowed the treaty then pending and proceeded toBalasore which he bombarded unsuccessfully. He then sailed to Chittagong; but finding the fortifications stronger than he had anticipated, landed at Madras.^[17]

After that, Emperor Aurangzeb issued orders for the occupation of the East India Company's possessions across the subcontinent, and the confiscation of their property. As a result, possessions of East India Company were reduced to the fortified towns of Madras andBombay.^[17][18]

In 1689, the strong Mughal fleet fromJanjira commanded bySidi Yaqub and composed ofMappila from theEthiopian Empire blockaded the East India Company fort in Bombay. After a year of resistance, a famine broke out due to the blockade, the Company surrendered, and in 1690 the company sent envoys to Aurangzeb's court to plea for a pardon and to renew the trade firman. The company's envoys had to prostrate themselves before the emperor, pay a large imperial fine of 1,500,000 rupees, and promise better behavior in the future.Emperor Aurangzeb then orderedSidi Yaqub to lift thesiege of Bombay and the company subsequently re-established itself in Bombay and set up a new base inCalcutta.^[16]

• Henry Every
• Thomas Tew
• Battle of Buxar

• Wars involving the British East India Company
• Wars involving the Mughal Empire
• 1680s in India
• 1690 in India
• 1680s in the Mughal Empire
• 1690s in the Mughal Empire
• 1680s in the British Empire
• 1690 in the British Empire
• James II of England

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata