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The Battle Of Porto Novo was fought on 1st July 1781. The battle was fought between the British East India Company and Hyder Ali of Mysore. It resulted in the victory of the British East India Company and the establishment of their stronghold in South India. Let us get to know further about this war in detail.
| Battle of Porto Novo Overview | |
| Battle Took Place On | 1st July,1781 |
| Place | Tamil Nadu |
| Fought Between | Hyder Ali Vs British East India Company |
| Won By | British East India Company |
Background Of The Battle Of Porto Novo
In the year 1780, a war was fought between Mysore’s Hyder Ali and the Britishers, known as the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
- This war was because Hyder Ali declared war against the British East India Company, in response to their attack on Mahe, which was a French possession in Hyder Ali’s dominion.
- In July of that same year, Ali invaded the region of Carnatic, which resulted in a huge defeat for the British.
- As a result, Hyder renewed the siege of Arcot, prompting the Britishers to strengthen their forces in South India.
- The Britishers sent further reinforcements to Madras, under the command of Sir Eyre Coote, who was a British army officer.
- Despite being initially repulsed by Ali, Coote was able to defeat him in successive battles, starting with the Battle of Porto Novo, also known as the Battle of Chelambram.
- At that time, Porto Novo was called Parangipettai and is now located in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.
- Coote commanded a force of just over 8,000 men, while Ali had 40,000 men under his command.
- Despite the numerical odds against him, Coote emerged victorious, and the British credited him with curbing Hyder Ali’s expansionist plans.
- After his defeat at Porto Novo, Ali also suffered defeats at Pollilur and Sholinghur, both at the hands of Coote.
Outcome of The Battle
The Second Anglo-Mysore War finally came to an end with Tipu Sultan and the East India Company signing the Treaty of Mangalore on March 11, 1784. Under the terms of the treaty, Both Mysore and the Company agreed to restore the territories they captured and to release any prisoners.
Hyder Ali died in the year 1782, and his son Tipu succeeded him. There were two more wars between the English and Mysore’s army, and ultimately, the English emerged victorious after the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799, during which Tipu Sultan was killed.
Relevant Blogs
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