| Surrender of Tranquebar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the English Wars | |||||||||
_-_Kulturhistorisk_museum,_UiO_-_UEM4452_(cropped).jpg) Tranquebar, by former governor, Peter Anker | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 United Kingdom | Template:Country data Denmark-Norway | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
James Watson United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Thomas Caulfield |
Template:Country data Denmark-NorwayScript error: The function "pwarning" does not exist. Peter Hermanson  | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
14th Foot Regiment EIC's artillery United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland HMS Russell United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland HMS Monmouth |
Template:Country data Denmark-NorwayScript error: The function "pwarning" does not exist. Dansborg garrison Template:Country data Denmark-NorwayScript error: The function "pwarning" does not exist. HDMS Nancy Template:Country data Denmark-NorwayScript error: The function "pwarning" does not exist. HDMS Charlotte Template:Country data Denmark-NorwayScript error: The function "pwarning" does not exist. HDMS Sophia | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
8 merchantmen 2 ships 74 cannons | 3 ships | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| None | None | ||||||||
The Surrender of Tranquebar (Danish: Overgivelsen af Trankebar) or the Capture of Tranquebar (Danish: Overtagelsen af Trankebar) was a surrender of the capital of Danish India, Tranquebar, in 1808 to the British East India Company as a result of the English Wars. The capital surrendered almost immediately after the arrival of a British force.
Background[edit | edit source]
In 1801, hostilities between Denmark–Norway spread to their colonial holdings, including India. On 12 May 1801, Tranquebar, the capital of Danish India, surrendered to the British under Richard Wellesley.[1] Similar events would happen to Serampore and the Danish West Indies, however, hostilities ended after the Treaty of Amiens, where it was decided Britain was to embark from the Danish possessions in 1802.[2][1]
Surrender[edit | edit source]
In early 1808, hostilities broke out again, and as a response, the British sent HMS Russell and HMS Monmouth with a detachment of the 14th Regiment of Foot and 74 cannons to Tranquebar.[1][3] Upon anchoring off Tranquebar on 12 February 1808,[1] the British recommended the Danish governor, Peter Hermanson,[4] to surrender, which he quickly did.[1][3] At 10 PM, articles of capitulation were signed, between Colonel James Watson and Captain Thomas Caulfield, on behalf of the British, and Governor Hermanson on behalf of the Danish.[4][3]
Aftermath[edit | edit source]
Tranquebar and the other Danish possessions in India were occupied by Britain until 1815, however, the damage to the trade never recovered, and in 1845 Denmark sold its Indian holdings to Britain for 1.125.000 Danish Rigsdaler.[5]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Liisberg 2020.
- ↑ Glover 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Gold 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Larsen 1940, p. 76.
- ↑ "Tranquebar, 1620-1845". danmarkshistorien.dk (in dansk). Retrieved 21 June 2024.
Works cited[edit | edit source]
- Glover, Gareth (30 September 2018). "10". The Two Battles of Copenhagen, 1801 and 1807: Britain and Denmark in the Napoleonic Wars. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4738-9833-2.
- Liisberg, H. C. Bering (13 January 2020). Danmarks søfart og søhandel. Bind 1 (in dansk). Lindhardt og Ringhof. ISBN 978-87-26-30660-6.
- Larsen, Kay (1940). Guvernører, Residenter, Kommandanter og Chefer (PDF) (in Danish). Copenhagen: Arthur Jensens Forlag.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - Gold, Joyce (2014). The Naval Chronicle. Vol. 20. Joyce Gold. p. 145.