Capture of the ship The Bengali Prize

Capture of The Bengali Prize
Part of the Dano-Mughal War
A large Bengali vessel, by Frans Balthazar Solvyns
Date Late 1642 Location Off Pipley, Bay of Bengal Result Danish victory
Belligerents
Danish India	Mughal Empire Bengal Subah
Commanders and leaders
Bernt Pessart	Shah Jahan [a]
Units involved
Fortuna Valby	Bengali Prize [b]
Strength
2 ships	1 ship
Casualties and losses
Unknown	1 ship

The Capture of The Bengali Prize (Danish : Kapre af den bengalske prise), or the Seizure of The Bengali Prize, was a Danish capture and seizure of a larger Bengali vessel in late 1642 in the Bay of Bengal. The capture is known to be the first confrontation of the Dano-Mughal War, after the formal declaration of war.

Background

Further information: Dano-Mughal War § Declaration of War

Danish India had since its creation in 1620 suffered from financial difficulties. The financial situation resulted from the loss of the Jupiter in 1640 and the Nightingale (Nattergalen) in 1626, which the Danes blamed on the Bengalis. ^[1] Being appalled, Governor Bernt Pessart sent a formal declaration of war in 1642. ^[2]

Seizure

Immediately after declaring war, as early as the end of 1642, Pessart sent out two Danish privateering sloops, the Fortuna and the Valby, with cannons and crews to lookout for Bengali prizes. ^[3] In this way he hoped to recoup all his losses. ^[3]

A coin with the inscribtion NIS BE or NIJ BE and possibly stands for "Bengali", which could refer to the ship The Bengal Prize.

Before the end of the year, the two Danish sloops seized a fairly large vessel from the Great Mogul, Shah Jahan. ^[3] The vessel was renamed Den Bengalske Prise (The Bengali Prize) ^[2] and escorted to Tranquebar, where it would be incorporated into the Danish East Indian fleet. ^[3]

This capture is the only documented Danish seizure of a Bengali vessel in 1642, likely explained by size of the vessel. ^[5]

In Danish service

At Tranquebar, The Bengali Prize was armed with guns from Fort Dansborg and served the company for a couple of years. ^[3] In late 1643, she participated in a voyage from Tranquebar to Masulipatnam, however, got wrecked off the coast of Emeldy by Governor Bernt Pessart. ^{[6] [7]}

See also

• Capture of the St. Michael  – Capture of Bengali ship by the Danes in 1644
• Loss of the St. Jacob  – Seizure of a Danish ship by Benglis
• Battle of Balasore  – Battle between Mughals and Europeans in Balasore, 1647

Notes

1. Owner of the vessel
2. Name given to the vessel after its seizure

References

1. Wellen 2015, p. 447.
2. Wellen 2015, p. 448.
3. Bredsdorff 2009, p. 86.
4. "Mønter og skibe fra kaperkrigen". www.danskmoent.dk. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
5. Bredsdorff 2009, p. 73.
6. Bredsdorff 2009, p. 92.
7. "Mønter og skibe fra kaperkrigen". www.danskmoent.dk. Retrieved 2024-08-04.

Bibliography

• Wellen, Kathryn (2015). The Danish East India Company's War against the Mughal Empire, 1642-1698 (PDF). Royal Netherlands Institute for Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies.
• Bredsdorff, Asta (2009). The Trials and Travels of Willem Leyel. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN   9788763530231.
• Ipsen (1935). Tidsskrift for Søvæsen (PDF) (in Danish). Copenhagen: H.H. Thieles Bogtrykkeri.