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 would surrender almost immediately after the arrival of a British force.
| Surrender of Tranquebar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the English Wars | |||||||||
_-_Kulturhistorisk_museum,_UiO_-_UEM4452_(cropped).jpg) Tranquebar, by former governor, Peter Anker | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 United Kingdom |
 Denmark-Norway | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
James Watson Thomas Caulfield |
Peter Hermanson  | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
14th Foot Regiment EIC's artillery HMS Russell HMS Monmouth |
Tranquebar garrison HDMS Nancy HDMS Charlotte HDMS Sophia | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
8 merchantmen 2 ships 74 cannons | 3 ships | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| None | None | ||||||||
Background
editIn 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
editIn 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
editTranquebar and the other Danish possesions in India would be occupied by Britain until 1815, however, the damage on the trade would never recover, and in 1845 Denmark sold its Indian holdings to Britain for 1.125.000 Danish Rigsdaler.[5]
See also
edit- Battle of West Kay – 1801 naval battle between the United Kingdom and Denmark
- Battle of Copenhagen (1807) – Part of the Gunboat War and Napoleonic Wars
- Plunder of Nancowry – 1805 plunder of a Danish colony
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Liisberg 2020.
- ^ Glover 2018.
- ^ a b c Gold 2014.
- ^ a b Larsen 1940, p. 76.
- ^ "Tranquebar, 1620-1845". danmarkshistorien.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-06-21.
Works cited
edit- Glover, Gareth (2018-09-30). "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 (2020-01-13). Danmarks søfart og søhandel. Bind 1 (in Danish). Lindhardt og Ringhof. ISBN 978-87-26-30660-6.
- Larsen, Kay (1940). Guvernører, Residenter, Kommandanter og Chefer (PDF) (in Danish). Copenhagen: ARTHUR JENSENS FORLAG.
- Gold, Joyce (2014). The Naval Chronicle. Vol. 20. Joyce Gold. p. 145.