Latest / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History / The Forgotten French East India Company in Bengal
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about the British and Portuguese in Bengal, but there's another European power that had a significant presence here — the French. Their Compagnie des Indes Orientales, or French East India Company, set up a major settlement at Chandannagar on the Hooghly River, about 30 kilometers north of Calcutta. Luna: I didn't know the French were that deep into Bengal. I thought they were more on the Coromandel Coast, around Pondicherry. Lucas: That's a common impression, and it's true that Pondicherry was their headquarters. But Chandannagar — also spelled Chandernagore in older English texts — became their most important trading post in Bengal. By the 1730s, it was a thriving port city, exporting silks, cotton textiles, saltpeter, and opium. The French built a fort, called Fort d'Orléans, and even maintained a small naval squadron there. Lucas: And just as an aside — if you've been stepping into history with us episode by episode, you know this show is ad-free and listener-supported. If you'd like to help keep it that way, you can head over to buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that goes a long way for us. Anyway, back to Chandannagar. Luna: Absolutely. So what made Chandannagar so competitive with Calcutta? Lucas: A big part of it was the leadership of Joseph François Dupleix, who became the governor of French India in 1742. Dupleix was ambitious — he wanted to challenge British dominance not just in trade, but in politics. He forged alliances with local rulers, got involved in succession disputes, and even built a private army of sepoys trained in European tactics. His vision was to create a French empire in India that could rival the British. Luna: So he was kind of a French version of Robert Clive, but earlier? Lucas: In some ways, yes. Dupleix was a brilliant strategist, but he also made enemies. His interventions in the Carnatic Wars — a series of conflicts in southern India between the British and French — drained resources. And back in France, the government wasn't fully behind him. The Compagnie des Indes was a private company, and shareholders wanted profits, not imperial adventures. Lucas: Meanwhile, Chandannagar itself was a cosmopolitan place. It had a mix of French, Bengali, Armenian, and Portuguese residents. There were churches, a synagogue, and even a Bengali theatre. The French built elegant mansions along the river, some of which still stand today. The town was known for its textile workshops, producing fine muslins and silks that were highly prized in Europe. Luna: It sounds almost like a little slice of France in Bengal. But that couldn't last, could it? Lucas: No, it couldn't. The Seven Years' War — which started in 1756 — gave the British the perfect excuse to eliminate French competition in India. By early 1757, Robert Clive had already secured the alliance of Mir Jafar after Plassey, and he turned his attention to Chandannagar. The British demanded that the French disarm their fortifications, but the French refused, knowing that without their fort, they'd be defenseless. Lucas: So on March 23, 1757, a combined force of British East India Company troops and Royal Navy ships attacked Chandannagar. The French put up a stiff resistance — Fort d'Orléans held out for several hours — but they were outgunned. The British had heavy cannon and naval support, and eventually the French surrendered. The fort was destroyed, and the settlement was occupied. Luna: What happened to Dupleix? Was he there? Lucas: Dupleix had been recalled to France in 1754, a few years before, partly due to the cost of his campaigns. He died in obscurity in Paris, bitterly disappointed. Meanwhile, Chandannagar never fully recovered its former glory. The British allowed it to be resettled by the French after the Treaty of Paris in 1763, but it was demilitarized and its trade was tightly controlled. It remained a French enclave until 1952, but it was never more than a shadow of its former self. Luna: So the French had this ambitious dream in Bengal, and it was crushed in a single battle. What about the French privateers you mentioned? Lucas: Ah, yes. Even after the fall of Chandannagar, some French captains turned to privateering. They operated out of ports like Mauritius and attacked British shipping in the Bay of Bengal. One of the most famous was Charles Rigault de Genouilly, who later became a French admiral. These privateers caused considerable trouble for British merchant vessels, but they couldn't change the strategic outcome. Lucas: The legacy of French Bengal isn't just military or economic. It's also cultural. Chandannagar still has a distinct Franco-Bengali character — there's an annual 'French Festival,' old colonial buildings, and even a French consulate. The town's blend of European and Bengali architecture is unique in the region. Luna: It's fascinating how these colonial rivalries shaped the map of Bengal. I'd love to visit Chandannagar someday and see those buildings. Lucas: Definitely worth a visit. And it's a reminder that the story of Bengal's colonialism isn't just British — it's a story of multiple empires, ambitions, and dreams that clashed along the Hooghly.