• Dupleix, French governor, had conceived the possibility of using the power of guns to gain support within the country itself.
• Dupleix was a man of remarkable energy and diplomatic skills with a piercing vision into the realities of local politics, though hampered by lack of military knowledge and by a nervous sensibility which made it difficult for him to work with colleagues. 
• It happened that at this moment a breakdown occurred in the authority of the Nizam of whose dominions the Carnatic with its European settlements formed a part.
• This provided the opportunity for the second phase of the struggle, which may be termed Dupleix's private war.
• In 1748 the old Nizam, a contemporary of Aurangzeb, died and there was also rivalry for the governorship of the Carnatic.
• French help secured the defeat of the new Nizam's nominee so easily that Dupleix was tempted to go further. On the murder of the new Nizam he was able to place his own nominee on the Hyderabad throne supported by a body of French troops under officer de Bussy .
• The object of all this was to squeeze Madras by surrounding it with hostile territory. As the plan developed the English Company propped up Muhammad Ali, the son of the governor defeated in 1749.
• He held out in the rock fortress of Trichinopoly and he became a key factor in the struggle between the two companies. But Robert Clive, a British general, seized Arcot in 1751 with 210 men.
• This led to the reversal of fortune, French forces surrendered at Trichinopoly and soon their candidate for the Nizam's chair, Chanda Sahib, also died. Dupliex was soon recalled.
• The final phase was again an open struggle brought on by the Seven Years War. The English were first in the field but their force was diverted to Bengal.
• When the French forces arrived in 1758 they were crippled by jealousies and bad leadership. They failed to take Madras and were decisively defeated at Wandiwash in 1760, where de Bussy was taken prisoner.
• Brave to the last de Bussy endured an agonizing siege in Pondicherry for eight months until its fall. This was the real end of the French bid for Indian power.
• They reappeared in 1782 but it was just a passing phase only made notable by the genius of their admiral de Suffren

Battle of Buxar (1764)
• After fleeing from Bengal Mir Qasim aligned with the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and the Nawab of Oudh, Shuja-ud-daulah, who were equally aggrieved by the interference of the Company in their internal affairs.
• They declared war against the British.
• The battle was fought at Buxar (1764).
• By virtue of its superior armed the Company forces won the battle.
• The victory of the British led to the signing of the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) by Robert Clive with Shah Alam II.
• By this treaty the Company got the Diwani right to collect land revenue from the princely states of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
• Besides, the Company obtained three districts, Burdwan, Chifiagong and Midnapur, in Bengal and sovereignty over Calcutta. British virtually became the rulers of Bengal.

• The British had to fight three wars (1746- 1763) with the French to establish their supremacy, which in history are called the Carnatic wars.
First Carnatic War 1746-48:
• The Austrian War of Succession and Seven Years War fought in Europe had their repercussions in India.
• The Austrian ruler Charles VI died in 1740 and was succeeded by his daughter Maria Theresa.
• France did not support her succession and joined hands with German-speaking territories of Austria such as Bavaria, Saxony and Spain:
• Frederick II (known as Frederick the Great of Prussia) taking advantage of the emerging political situation invaded and annexed Silesia, an Austrian province, with the support of France.
• The wars fought between Britain and France in Europe also led to clashes between these two countries over their colonial possessions in North America and India.
The Second Carnatic War: 1749-54
 • In Europe peace prevailed between the British and the French. But the two colonial powers could not live in peace in India.
• They played one native ruler against the other. Dupleix wanted to enhance the French influence by involving in the wars of succession in both Hyderabad and Arcot .
The Third Carnatic War: 1756-1763
• The third Carnatic War was an echo of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) which broke out in Europe in 1756: It was a global conflict and was fought between the two arch-rivals Britain and France.
• The war was fought in North America (resulting in the American War of Independence), and West Africa (which later became the French West Africa).
• In India it manifested itself in the Third Carnatic war. Before turning our attention to the Third Carnatic War, let us see what happened in Bengal in the meantime.

Madras:
• Madras was ceded to East India Company in 1639 by the Raja of Chandragiri with permission to build a fortified factory which was named Fort St. George.
• This was the first landholding recorded by the Company on Indian soil. In 1645, the ruler of Golkonda overran the territories under the Company's control in Madras. 
• Aurangzeb conquered Golkonda in 1687 and brought the Company territories under Mughal rule. But the privileges granted to the English continued.
Within a short time Madras replaced Masulipatinam as the headquarters of the English on the Coromandel Coast.
Bombay:
• The island of Bombay, which Charles II had inherited as dowry, was transferred to the Company in 1668.
• The Charter of 1683 empowered the Company to raise military forces and the right to declare war or make peace with the powers in America, Africa and Asia. In 1688 Madras had a municipal government with a Mayor.
• In 1693 the Company obtained another grant of three villages surrounding Madras and in 1702 five more villages were granted.
Bengal
• In Bengal it was a long drawn struggle for the British to obtain trading rights. The Company obtained trading privileges from Shah Shuja, the second son of Shahjahan and the Governor of Bengal, but there Was no royal confirmation of such privileges.
• The trading rights for the British in Bengal were obtained only in 1680. Local officials interfered with the trading rights of the British and this resulted in the Company declaring war with the ruler representing the Mughals.
Calcutta:
• Peace was restored in 1690 and the Company established its first settlement at Sultanuti, a site which was fortified in 1696 and in 1698 the Company secured the zamindari rights over three villages, Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindpur in return for a payment of 1200 rupees a year.
• The fortified factory was called Fort St. William which became the headquarters of the Presidency in 1770.

• For the first time in the political history of India the Europeans conquered and seized territories from the Indian rulers.
• Indian rulers remained divided and Europeans took advantage of it.
• The Europeans adopted new methods in the warfare. Gun powder and superior artillery played a significant role.
• The Portuguese could contain the monopolistic trade of the Arabs. But it did not really help them. Instead, it benefited the British who removed pirates on the sea routes and made the sea voyage safe.
• The marriages between Europeans and Indians, encouraged by the Portuguese in the territories occupied by them, created a new Eurasian racial group. They were the ones who were later taken to other Portuguese colonies in Africa and Asia.
• The presence of Portuguese is very much evident in Chennai's San Thome. Mylapore was the Portuguese 'Black Town'. (Black Town of the British period was George Town)