Many a time, the 18th century History of India is stated to be the History of the Maratha power. But very little justice has been done to this statement. The relationship between the French and the Marathas was one of the most striking features of the 17th and 18th centuries. Hence, it is imperative to carry out research on this relationship. It is indeed a coincidence that the careers of the two nations in India, i.e., the Marathas and the French ran concurrently. At the very moment, the French thought of establishing in India and the Marathas also started to carve out an independent state for themselves. In the light of the new material available and the existing primary sources, the relations can be restudied and rewritten by giving due importance to the diplomatic projects, economic aspects of the relations, the American war of Independence, the French revolution, the transformation of Maratha kingdom into a confederacy, the role played by the private merchants and traders on the Malabar coast, French freelancers, the Maratha aristocrats and the external relations of the Maratha power with indigenous powers in connection to the French power. The relations between the two were purely commercial on the side of the French, and politically and commercially motivated on the part of the Marathas. This paper particularly deals with the Franco-Maratha relations from 1668 to 1749. This period mainly deals with the French relations with the Chhatrapatis and tries to evaluate the political and diplomatic situation in the Deccan and the Karnataka.
France
was the last among the European nations to arrive in India
between the 16thand the 18thcentury.
European nations were impelled by a natural desire to secure
a share in the rich profits from the Eastern trade. The
late appearance of France was not due to lack of entrepreneurship
on the part of the Frenchmen. The commercial enterprise
of France did not get a boost due to two major political
reasons. Firstly, France during the 17thand
the 18thcenturies mostly remained engaged in
foreign wars. It was basically a center of focus of the
European polity of the contemporary period. Secondly, in
the later half of the 17thcentury, France had
to face civil strife.
Another
reason is mainly related to the geographical position of
France and the availability of abundant natural resources.
In 1661, the population of France was estimated at about
18 millions—more than that of Germany and Austria together,
and nearly three times that of England. The land was well
able to support its inhabitants, as in climate and soil
France is one of the most richly endowed countries. Though
there is no great mineral wealth, there is a variety of
products sufficient to provide all the necessities and luxuries
of life. This variety is one of the most striking features
of France. It is accounted for partly by its geological
formations, and partly by its situation between oceanic
and continental zones of climate on the one hand and between
the English Channel and Mediterranean on the other. For
example, it has mountainous Dauphine, the sunny plateaux
of Provence, the abundance of timber and luxuriant vegetation
in parts of Auvergne, the typical oceanic climate in La
Vendée and Brittany for growth of fruits and
vegetables. |
