Battle of Colachel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Colachel
Part of the Travancore-Dutch War
Eustachius De Lannoy surrendering to Raja Marthanda Varma at the battle of Colachel.
Date 10 August 1741 Location Colachel, India 8°10′N 77°14′E / 8.17°N 77.24°E / 8.17; 77.24 Result Travancore Victory End of Dutch colonial rule In India
Belligerents
Travancore	Dutch Empire Dutch East India Company
Commanders and leaders
Marthanda Varma Ramayyan Dalawa	Eustachius De Lannoy (POW)
Casualties and losses
Negligible	24 officials were taken as war prisoners Muskets, swords, and cannons were captured

The Battle of Colachel was a very important fight in India. It happened on August 10, 1741. This battle was between the Indian kingdom of Travancore and the Dutch East India Company.

King Marthanda Varma (who ruled from 1729 to 1758) led the Travancore forces. They defeated the Dutch East India Company's army. The Dutch forces were led by Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy. After this defeat, the Dutch never fully recovered. They stopped being a major threat to India.

Why the Battle Happened

In the early 1700s, the Malabar Coast (which is now part of Kerala) had many small kingdoms. In the 1730s, King Marthanda Varma of Travancore started to expand his kingdom. He took over many areas from these smaller states.

This made the Dutch East India Company worried. The Dutch had a big business in spices. They bought spices from these small states. King Marthanda Varma and his allies did not follow the old agreements. These agreements gave the Dutch special rights to buy spices. This hurt the Dutch spice trade a lot.

In 1739, a Dutch leader named Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff visited Kochi. He suggested that the Dutch should use their army. This was to protect their business in Malabar. Later that year, the Dutch made a team with other local rulers.

Van Imhoff even met King Marthanda Varma to try and make peace. He warned the King that the Dutch would go to war if their demands were not met. But King Marthanda Varma was not scared. He even joked that he might invade Europe one day!

Later in 1739, the Dutch in Malabar declared war on Travancore. They did this without waiting for more soldiers from their main base. The Dutch sent soldiers from Ceylon to fight Travancore. These soldiers were led by Captain Johannes Hackert.

At first, the Dutch and their allies won some battles. In November, they made the Travancore army retreat. They moved closer to Tangasseri. But then, the Travancore army had to leave to fight another invasion in the south. The Dutch decided to wait for more soldiers before fighting Travancore again.

Dutch East India Company ships in a battle.

In late 1740, the Dutch asked for more soldiers from Ceylon. They started a second attack on Travancore. The Travancore army then attacked Dutch bases. They captured Dutch outposts and goods. Meanwhile, a small group of 175 Dutch soldiers landed at Colachel.

Dutch Take Over Colachel

On November 26, the Dutch sent five ships to Colachel. They fired cannons at the coast. The Dutch soldiers built a small fort near the port. They put some soldiers there. The rest of the Dutch army attacked Travancore outposts nearby. They moved towards Eraniel.

On November 29, the Dutch commander announced a full blockade of the Colachel coast. This meant no ships could go in or out. Only English ships carrying goods to Edava were allowed.

On January 13, 1741, a Dutch ship was sent to anchor near Colachel. On February 10, another Dutch group arrived. They had seven large ships and many smaller ones. They landed just north of Colachel.

The Dutch hoped for more soldiers from Ceylon and Batavia. But their government in Batavia could not send any. This was because of another war they were fighting. The Dutch in Malabar had very few soldiers. So, they sent some of their army to Kanyakumari to attack Travancore.

The local Mukkuvar people were very important in defeating the Dutch. Records from Leiden University in the Netherlands show their role. They helped defeat Dutch ships and capture soldiers.

The Fight for Colachel

When King Marthanda Varma reached Kalkulam, he quickly acted. The Dutch had taken over many villages near Colachel. They planned to attack Padmanabhapuram, the capital of Travancore.

The King gathered 2000 Nair soldiers. He also had his regular army. Marthanda Varma complained strongly to the Dutch Governor. He also wrote a letter to the Dutch government in Batavia.

King Marthanda Varma asked the local Mukkuvar leaders for help. They agreed. Many Mukkuvar sea divers helped sink Dutch ships at night. After the victory, a fishing village was named Marthandam Thura. King Marthanda Varma helped build a new church there.

De Lannoy's writings also mention the Mukkuvar people. He wrote that the Mukkuvars would not betray the Travancore king. When the Dutch came ashore, the Travancore army had pulled back. The local people had also left the area.

The Dutch needed to build forts and storage areas. They wanted the Mukkuvars to help with this work. They offered a lot of money. But the fishermen refused. The Dutch then asked local priests to convince them. But the priests said the fishermen would not betray their king.

Because of this, the Dutch fired cannons at the church in Colachel. A priest was killed. Three priests were taken to a Dutch ship and hurt. The Mukkuvar community also stopped Dutch soldiers from reaching Colachel.

A small boat with a Dutch officer and some Mukkuvar men was sent for help. De Lannoy wrote that the fishermen tipped over the boat. They took the officer to the Travancore army camp. The fishermen also tricked many Dutch soldiers. These soldiers were sent as help. But the fishermen led them straight into the Travancore army. These captured Dutch soldiers then gave tips about Dutch plans to the Travancore army.

Dutch Surrender

On August 5, a cannonball from the Travancore army hit a barrel of gunpowder. This was inside the Dutch fort. The fire destroyed all their rice supply. Because of this, the Dutch had to give up on August 7.

The Dutch records say they surrendered on August 7, 1741. Other old books give slightly different dates. But historians mostly agree on August 7.

The Dutch soldiers wanted to leave with their weapons. But King Marthanda Varma did not keep this promise. He captured them as soon as they left the fort. The Travancore army took many guns and cannons from the Dutch.

They captured 24 European soldiers. These soldiers were kept at the Udayagiri Fort. Later, King Marthanda Varma gave them their weapons back. He asked them to join his army. Many European prisoners agreed. This included Eustachius De Lannoy and Duyvenschot.

De Lannoy became a very important leader for Travancore. He was promoted to "Valiya Kappithan" (Senior Admiral). He helped make the Travancore army modern. He also built the Nedumkottai. This was a line of forts in the north. These forts stopped Tipu Sultan's army in 1789. De Lannoy is buried at Udayagiri Fort. It is also called Dillanai Kottai (De Lannoy's fort).

What Happened After

De Lannoy made the Travancore army like European armies. He brought in gunpowder and firearms. These were not used much before in the kingdom. He also made the forts much stronger.

Captain De Lannoy was a very smart military leader. His skills, along with the plans of Travancore's chief minister, Ramayyan Dalawa, helped a lot. King Maharaja Marthanda Varma's leadership was also key. Together, they helped Travancore take over many northern kingdoms. These included Quilon, Kayamkulam, and Kottarakkara.

The Dutch threat to Travancore did not end right away. The Dutch kept fighting in northern Malabar. They also stayed in Kanyakumari, hoping for more soldiers. But a large Travancore army stopped them. The Dutch finally left Kanyakumari in October.

Travancore's victory at Colachel made the Dutch very sad. They realized that local rulers believed the Dutch could be forced out of Malabar.

The capture of De Lannoy and his second-in-command, Donadi, was very good for Travancore. When they were set free, they joined Travancore's army. They made the Travancore army much stronger. Before this, the army mostly used swords and spears.

De Lannoy taught the Travancore army how to use modern guns. He also taught them European fighting styles. He did his job so well that he quickly became the "Valia Kapitaan" (Commander in Chief). He was given the Udayagiri Fort to live in.

De Lannoy was one of the commanders in the important Battle of Ambalapuzha. In this battle, his old Dutch bosses were fighting against Travancore. After Travancore won, the Dutch signed a peace treaty. They later sold their forts to Travancore. De Lannoy used these forts to build the Northern Lines (the Nedumkotta). These forts protected Travancore's northern border.

The Travancore army, made strong by De Lannoy, went on to conquer more than half of modern Kerala. The Nedumkotta forts he designed stopped Tipu Sultan's army in 1791. This was during the Third Anglo-Mysore War. Donadi also became an officer in the Travancore army. It seems other Dutch prisoners also joined the King's forces.

Another important result of the Battle of Colachel was that Travancore took over the black pepper trade. This was a big change for the Dutch. In 1753, the Dutch signed the Treaty of Mavelikkara. They agreed not to stop the King's expansion. In return, they would sell him weapons. This marked the beginning of the end of Dutch power in India.

Tributes

Victory pillar in Colachel, celebrating the victory against the Dutch in 1741.

• The Indian government built a victory pillar in Kulachal. It remembers this important battle.
• The Indian Post Department released a special stamp in 2004. It celebrated 300 years of a military group called the 9th Battalion of Madras Regiment.
• The parade ground at Pangode Military Camp is named Kulachal Ground.

See also

• Battle of the Nedumkotta
• Siege of Chale