Jean Law de Lawriston was nominated commissaire for the kind and the Governor of all French establishments in India on 18th March 1764. Law made Karaikal his headquarters, as Pondicherry was in ruins. As the first step, the French Government suspended the Company’s monopoly of trade; later in August 1770 the Company was liquidated and its territories and properties were taken over by the king; the trade with India was thrown open to all French citizens; this was followed by some reforms and modifications in the administration and army.

The Battle of Plassey inflicted a serious blow on French trade in Bengal. But the amazingly quick recovery of Pondicherry revealed that the French were determined to overcome the difficulties and build up a new image of their nation in India. In June 1778, the news of the outbreak of war between France and England reached India. The first to attack were the British who besieged Chandernagore. A little later, Masulipatam was laid siege to and occupied on 9th August 1778, de Boistel evacuated Karaikal.

Notwithstanding these victories the year 1780 proved critical for the English; in September of that year, Haider Ali marched on to Arcot. All the great forts of the Carnatic like Ambur, Wandewash, Vellore, Perumalkovil and Chingleput were brought under simultaneous siege.

This brilliant campaign with which Haider opened the second Mysore war was so inspiring to the supporters of the French cause that there was a general uprising in September 1780 in occupied Pondicherry against British authority. Hostilities were terminated by the Treaty of Paris in September 1783, as for the French in India, it provided for status quo ante 1776.

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The news of the outbreak of the French Revolution reached India in 1790; it created a stir in all the French settlements, which were seething with discontent and demand for reforms. Inspired by the progress of the revolution in France and threatened by the move of the French authorities to withdraw the remaining 300 European troops from Pondicherry (which meant that Pondicherry would be left defenseless) the French citizen of Pondicherry called together a General Assembly (excluding Indians) and stated introducing reforms.

The British forces once again entered the French town and in spite of the resistance offered by the French, Pondicherry fell in their hands on 23 August 1793; and it remained under them till 1816. Karaikal also was brought under the sway of the British on 19th June 1793.

The presence of the French army as auxiliaries of the Indian princes enraged the English; many of the local princes reorganised their armies on French model under French j commanders. The services rendered by De Boigne under Mahadji Sindhia, Raymond under Nizam Ali, De Lallee and Ripaud under Tipu Sultan are very significant in the respect.

Nepoleon, during his ‘consulate’ tried to preserve the French in India and using the respite of the Treaty of Amiens (signed on 25th March 1802) which provided for the status quo ante bellum, dispatched an expeditionary force to India.

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On 6th September 1803 news reached Madras (now Chennai) that war was begun against Napoleon; the English at Madras (now Chennai) promptly called upon Binot in Pondicherry to surrender. But Binot turned down the demand and tried to hold- on its villenour; but later he submitted.

According to the peace treaty and convention on 1814-1815 Chandernagore and Pondicherry were restored to the French on 4th December 1816 and Karaikal, on 18th January 1817. Mahe was taken over by Philibert from Vaughan, the Collector of Malabar, on 22nd February 1817, Yanam was returned on 12th April 1817. The treaty provided for the restoration of all French settlements and ridges in India which they possessed on 1st January 1792; but no fortification of French settlements or keeping of soldiers above the necessary requirement to maintain internal law and order was permitted.

Again, the French troops in the service of local princes, including the officers in the Holkar’a service, were to be disbanded. The most significant and determining term of the convention was the recognition by the French, of English paramountcy over all parts of India.

The period between 1816 and 1852 was characterised by some significant administra­tive changes, when some constructive programmes were carried out in French India. Several educational institutions were set up. The outbreak of rebellion in 1857 and its spread alarmed the people in French India and consequently its European inhabitants submitted a petition to the Governor requesting him arm the citizens and organise a militia that could safeguard the settlements from this unexpected outbreak of violence.

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The consolidation of the French colonial rule, under the Third Republic, in Asia and Africa made France a great imperialist power and Pondicherry became a link in this world- in-wide chain. One thing to be noted is that most of the advantages gained by the Third Republic in India derived through English friendship and not through contest with them.