Capture of Serampore (1801)

For the capture and occupation in 1763, see British occupation of Serampore (1763).

Capture of Serampore
Part of the English Wars
Painting of Danish Serampore (Frederiksnagore), by Peter Anker
Date 8 May 1801 Location Serampore, Danish India (present-day India) 22°45′N88°20′E / 22.75°N 88.34°E / 22.75; 88.34 Result British victory Territorial changes Serampore occupied by Britain
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Denmark-Norway
Commanders and leaders
Dickson Shawe Armstrong Morris	Ole Bie   Unknown captain
Units involved
Fort William garrison HMS Norway	Serampore garrison HDMS Norge HDMS Charlotte
Strength
Unknown	44 men 1 ship
Casualties and losses
None	1 ship

The Capture of Serampore (Danish : Overtagelsen af Serampore), alternatively the Capture of Frederiknagore (Danish: Overtagelsen af Frederiknagore), was a British capture of the Danish colony of Serampore (Frederiknagore) on 8 May 1801 during the English Wars. The British met no resistance, and could subsequently quickly capture the settlement.

Background

During the French Revolutionary Wars in 1800 and early 180, rising tensions between Denmark–Norway and the United Kingdom arose and the Danish colonies in India subsequently received the intelligence of the rising tensions between the two nations. ^[1] As a result, Danish merchants in Tranquebar and Serampore sold their ships in order for them not to be seized by the British, and the colonies prepared for war. ^[1]

Capture

On the night of 8 May, a detachment from the British Fort William garrison, under the command of Colonel Dickson, proceeded from Barrackpore to the Danish settlement of Serampore (Frederiknagore.) ^[2] The Dano-Norwegian governor, Ole Bie, was woken up by the arrival of a British official, who demanded his surrender. ^[3] With only 44 men at his disposal, ^[4] Bie was not able to resist, and would subsequently surrender without opposition. ^{[2] [3]}

Thereby Serampore's capture was unattended by the consequences of a siege, and the British flag would be hoisted without a gun being fired. ^[5]

Aftermath

Immediately after, Colonel Dickson detached a party of sepoys under the command of Captain Morris to guard the place. ^[2] However, the occupation did not last long, and in the following year, Britain would retreat from Danish India in coordination with the Treaty of Amiens.

See also

• Capture of Tranquebar (1801)  – Capture of Tranquebar by British forces in 1801
• Surrender of Tranquebar (1808)  – 1808 capture of a European fort in India

• English Wars (Scandinavia)  – 1807–1814 war in Northern and Western Europe
• Battle of Copenhagen (1801)  – Part of the War of the Second Coalition and the English Wars
• Peter Anker  – Norwegian general, diplomat and painter (1744-1832)Pages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback

References

1. Petersen 1946.
2. Debrett 1803, p. 1.
3. Engevold 2022.
4. Lisberg 2020.
5. Hough 1845, p. 115.

Works cited

• Debrett, J. (1803). "Bengal occurences of May 1801". The Asiatic Annual Register, Or, A View of the History of Hindustan, and of the Politics, Commerce and Literature of Asia for the Year ... J. Debrett.
• Engevold, Per Ivar Hjeldsbakken (2022-03-07). Nordmenn i slavefart (in Norwegian). Humanist forlag As. ISBN   978-82-8282-218-3.
• Hough, James (1845). The History of Christianity in India: From the Commencement of the Christian Era. R.B. Seeley and W. Burnside: and sold by L. and G. Seeley, Fleet Street, London.
• Lisberg, Bering (2020). Danmarks søfart og søhandel (in Danish). Vol. 1. SAGA Egmont. ISBN   978-87-26-30660-6.
• Petersen, Sofie (1946). Danmarks gamle Tropekolonier (in Danish). Det Kongelige danske geografiske selskab. ISBN   978-87-26-30660-6.