Willem Leyel's war on Golconda

Last updated
Willem Leyel's war on Golconda
Elephant Hunt Danish India.png
Elephant hunt in Danish Tranquebar, presumably early 19th century.
Datec.1645
Location
Result Inconclusive
Territorial
changes
Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Danish Colonial Merchant Ensign India.png  Danish India Qutbshahi Flag.svg Golconda Sultanate
Commanders and leaders
Danish Colonial Merchant Ensign India.png Willem Leyel Qutbshahi Flag.svg Abdullah Qutb
Units involved
Danish Colonial Merchant Ensign India.png ChristianshavnQutbshahi Flag.svg Unknown
Strength
Ukn. amount of ships Ukn. amount of ships
Casualties and losses
Negligible Some ships

Willem Leyel's war on Golconda (Danish : Willem Leyels krig mod Golconda), or simply the Dano-Golconda War (Danish: Dansk-Golcondanske Krig), was a brief privateering war between Sultanate of Golkonda and the Danish East India Company led by Willem Leyel. The hostilities quickly resulted in a peace treaty and the two parties would soon reconcile.

Contents

Background

During Bernt Pessart's time as overhoved of Danish India, Masulipatnam was the centre of the cotton trade and Pessart would rather prefer residing in Masulipatnam than Tranquebar. [1] Masulipatnam was originally an unimportant fishing village located in the Sultanate of Golconda, however, in the 17th century its commercial importance began to grow, and the Danes established a factory there. [2]

View of Masulipatam in 1676. Roland Crappe (admin. 1621-1636) made Masulipatam the centre for the company's trade, and Bernt Pessart additionally made it the official headquarters. Masulipatam mg 8557.jpg
View of Masulipatam in 1676. Roland Crappé (admin. 1621–1636) made Masulipatam the centre for the company's trade, and Bernt Pessart additionally made it the official headquarters.

Prelude

Initially, the relations with the local sultan remained stable, and he had been eager to acquire cloves from the Danish Company. [3] However, as the company's finances suffered, the relations would deteriorate. By 1638, Pessart's debts in the trading town amounted to 35,000 pagodas. [4] In 1639 Dutch, English, and Danish agents in Masulipatnam had been ordered to present the sultan with a gift of 600,000 pagodas. [5] When the Danes could not deliver this, their trading post was ransacked. [6] In 1640, the St. Jacob wrecked off Masulipatnam. It was a serious blow to the company, and led Pessart's creditors to demand his imprisonment. [7]

Because of the financial situation, Christian IV sent Captain Willem Leyel to Dansborg to investigate the company's affairs. [8] When Leyel arrived he assumed Pessart's leadership, however, the conditions in Masulipatnam was still at place. [9]

War

The disordered state of affairs with regard to trade with the Sultanate of Golconda continued, [4] and Leyel was finally forced to declare war on Golconda. [10] [4] Leyel initiated a blockade of Masulipatnam, [4] the biggest trading town in the Sultanate, and launched privateering ventures to the Coromandel Coast. [10] [4] These ventures eventually led to the capture and seizure of a couple of Golcondian ships. [10] As a result, Leyel and the Golcondian sultan, Abdullah Qutb Shah, would agree to a peaceful settlement. [10] [4]

Aftermath

This peace settlement put an end to the lucrative market, in which the Danish officers had been involved, and it may be assumed that this settlement caused a mutiny in Tranquebar in 1648. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish India</span> Former settlements and trading posts of Denmark and Norway on the Indian subcontinent

Danish India was the name given to the forts and factories of Denmark in the Indian subcontinent, forming part of the Danish overseas colonies. Denmark–Norway held colonial possessions in India for more than 200 years, including the town of Tharangambadi in present-day Tamil Nadu state, Serampore in present-day West Bengal, and the Nicobar Islands, currently part of India's union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Danish and Norwegian presence in India was of little significance to the major European powers as they presented neither a military nor a mercantile threat. Dano-Norwegian ventures in India, as elsewhere, were typically undercapitalized and never able to dominate or monopolize trade routes in the same way that British, French, and Portuguese ventures could.

Capture of the ship <i>The Bengali Prize</i> 1642 Danish hijacking of a Bengali ship

The Capture of The Bengali Prize, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Dansborg (1644)</span> Siege in Tranquebar, India 1644

The Siege of Dansborg or the Siege of Fort Dansborg, was a short siege lasting from 20 to 30 December 1644, between general Tiagepule of Thanjavur and the Danish command at Fort Dansborg. The conflict started over the Danish rejection of the general's demand to tax Tranquebar, and as a result, a series of confrontations followed. The confrontations had no major result, and an armistice may have been signed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem Leyel's siege of Dansborg</span> Siege of Fort Dansborg, 1644

The Siege of Dansborg alternatively the Siege of Fort Dansborg sometimes also referred to as Willem Leyel's siege of Dansborg, was a siege initiated by traveler and seafarer, Willem Leyel, against the men loyal to governor Bernt Pessart. The siege was concluded after the men at Dansborg opened the gates for Willem Leyel, surrendered, and accepted Leyel as the new governor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Dansborg (1624)</span> Siege on Danish fort in India, 1624

The Siege of Dansborg or the Siege of Fort Dansborg, was a siege of the newly finished Danish fort of Dansborg in Trangebar in 1624. The siege was initiated by the nayak of Thanjavur, Raghunatha, because of the Danish rejection of the demands from the nayak. The Siege, laid by general Calicut, was abandoned after the arrival of Danish reinforcements from sea. The event is mostly described by Icelander, Jón Ólafsson, in his work The Life of the Icelander Jón Ólafsson, Traveller to India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland Crappé's raids on Portuguese colonies</span> Danish raids in India and Sri Lanka, 1619

Roland Crappé's raids on Portuguese colonies refers to a series of raids by Dutchman in Danish service, Roland Crappé, on Portuguese Ceylon and India. The raids were partially unsuccessful, in that Crappé's ship, Øresund, caught fire and sank.

Willem Leyel or Willum Leyel was a Danish governor of Tranquebar and captain in the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skirmish at the Strait of Malacca</span> Skirmish between Danes and Dutch in Malacca, 1644

The Skirmish at the Strait of Malacca was a skirmish in 1644 between the claimed governor of Tranquebar, Bernt Pessart, and the local authorities of Dutch Malacca. The confrontation led to the imprisonment or death of all of Pessart's crew and the confiscation of the vessel, Dend gode Haab. Although Pessart and his crew would later be released and cooperate with the Dutch to spy on the Spanish in Manila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambush near the Bay of Manila</span> Ambush of Danish and Dutch sailors in the Philippines, 1645

The Ambush near the Bay of Manila, alternatively the Death of Bernt Pessart, was an ambush by the Indigenous peoples of the Philippines, against a combined Dano-Dutch espionaging expeditionary force in 1645. The ambush led to the death of former governor and president of Danish India, Bernt Pessart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sieges of Tranquebar (1655–1669)</span> Sieges in Tranquebar, India 1655–1669

The Sieges of Tranquebar or the War between Tranquebar and Thanjavur refers to the warfare between the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom and Danish Tranquebar between 1655 – 1669. The Thanjavurian sieges were repelled, mainly due to the new fortifications being built around Tranquebar, and a peace agreement was issued in 1669.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conflict between Willem Leyel and Bernt Pessart</span> Conflict and Danish civil war in India, between 1643–1645

The Conflict between William Leyel and Bernt Pessart refers to the tensions and minor civil war between Willem Leyel and Bernt Pessart over the governorship of Tranquebar and the Danish East India Company. The conflict led to the escape of Bernt Pessart, and the command at Tranquebar accepted Willem Leyel as governor of Danish India.

Capture of the <i>St. Michael</i> Capture of Bengali ship by the Danes in 1644

The Capture of St. Michael or the Seizure of St. Michael, was a Danish seizure of a Bengali ship in the Bay of Bengal. The Danes captured the Bengali ship and the vessel was subsequently incorporated into the Danish Navy given the name St. Michael.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Balasore</span> Battle between Mughals and Europeans in Balasore, 1647

The Battle of Balasore was an engagement between Bengali and English ships against Danish ships at Balasore. When the English failed to persuade the Danes, the Bengalis started attacking the English vessel, yet the English were rescued by the Dutch.

Roland Crappé or Roelant Crappé was a Dutch colonial official serving the Dutch and Danish East India Company. He became director general of the Ceylonese department of the Danish East India Company in 1618 and became commander in chief and governor of Tranquebar upon his seventh arrival in the Indies in 1624. During his leadership, new factories and offices were established and Danish trade went exceptionally well. He died in 1644 only a few years after his homecoming to Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tranquebar Rebellion</span> 1648 rebellion in Danish India

The Tranquebar Rebellion also known as the TranquebarMutiny was a bloodless mutiny and uprising against the governor of Tranquebar, Willem Leyel, at Tranquebar in 1648. The mutineers succeeded in arresting Leyel, and he would be replaced by the leader of the rebellion, Paul Hansen Korsør.

Bernt Pessart, Berndt Pessart or Berent Pessart was a Dutch overhoved and self-proclaimed President of Danish India from 1636 to 1643. In his earlier years, he would serve the Dutch East India Company in Bantam, and in September 1636 he would land in Danish Tranquebar on the St. Jacob. Here he would serve the Danish East India Company until his deposure in 1643. His claim to being governor of Tranquebar, would lead to a confrontation known as the 1644 Skirmish at the Strait of Malacca with the local authorities of and end with the capture of Pessart and his crew. He again would serve the Dutch East India Company by espionage on the Spanish Philippines. He would die in June 1645 by an ambush of local natives near Manila.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expulsion of Danes from Balasore</span> 1643/1644 ousting of Danes in Balasore

The Expulsion of Danes from Balasore was a violent expulsion and ousting of the Danish East India Company from the Mughal habour and trading hub of Balasore in 1643 or 1644 by the local Mughal governor, Malik Beg.

Sinking of the <i>Flensborg</i> 1630 sinking of a Danish ship

The Sinking of the Flensborg, also known as the Sinking of the Flensburg, was a minor skirmish between Danish and Portuguese vessels in 1630 off the Portuguese-controlled Cape of Good Hope. The skirmish resulted in the sinking of the Danish man-of-war Flensborg and caused great financial concerns about the Danish project in India.

The frigate and man-of-war Flensborg, or Flensburg, was a Danish East Indiaman sent on 2 December 1629 to Tranquebar as the third cargo to India. However, it was blown up by the Portuguese off the Cape of Good Hope in 1630.

Anders Nielsen was a Danish colonist and acting governor of Tranquebar from 1643 to 1648, in times when overhoved Willem Leyel was absent. During his service as acting governor of Tranquebar, Nielsen would defend the town from Thanjavurian General Tiagepule and support a mutiny against overhoved Leyel.

References

  1. "B. Pessart". foreningen-trankebar.dk. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  2. Bredsdorff 2009, p. 14.
  3. Wirta 2018, p. 78.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sethuraman 2016, p. 474.
  5. Bredsdorff 2009, p. 73.
  6. Bredsdorff 2009, p. 74.
  7. Bredsdorff 2009, p. 75.
  8. "1639 - 55 - www.foreningen-trankebar.dk". 123hjemmeside.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  9. Bredsdorff 2009, p. 91.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Den danske tropekoloni i Trankebar". www.aerenlund.dk. Retrieved 2024-07-10.

Works cited