Joseph François Dupleix

Joseph François Dupleix

Joseph François Dupleix (January 1, 1697November 10, 1763) was governor general of the French establishment in India, and was the great rival of Robert Clive.

Biography

Dupleix was born in Landrecies, France. His father, François Dupleix, a wealthy farmer, wished to bring him up as a merchant, and, in order to distract him from his taste for science, sent him on a voyage to India in 1715 on one of the French East India Company's vessels. He made several voyages to the Americas and India, and in 1720 was named a member of the superior council at Pondicherry. He displayed great business aptitude, and, in addition to his official duties, made large ventures on his own account, and acquired a fortune. In 1730 he was made superintendent of French affairs in Chandernagore, the town prospering under his energetic administration and growing into great importance.

His reputation procured him in 1742 the appointment of governor general of all French establishments in India. His ambition now was to acquire for France vast territories in India, and for this purpose he entered into relations with the native princes, and adopted a style of oriental splendour in his dress and surroundings. He built an army of native troops, called sepoys, who were trained as infatrymen. The British took the alarm. But the danger to their settlements and power was partly averted by the bitter mutual jealousy which existed between Dupleix and Bertrand François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, French governor of the Isle of Bourbon (today's La Réunion).

When the city of Madras capitulated to the French in 1746, Dupleix opposed the restoration of the town to the British, thus violating the treaty signed by La Bourdonnais. He then sent an expedition against Fort St David (1747), which was defeated on its march by the Nawab of Arcot, the ally of the British. Dupleix succeeded in winning over the Nawab, and again attempted the capture of Fort St David, but unsuccessfully. A midnight attack on Cuddalore was repulsed with great loss.

In 1748 Pondicherry was besieged by the British, but in the course of the operations news arrived of the peace concluded between the French and the British at Aix-la-Chapelle. Dupleix next entered into negotiations which had for their object the subjugation of southern India, and he sent a large body of troops to the aid of two claimants of the sovereignty of the Carnatic and the Deccan. The British were engaged on the side of their rivals.

From 1751, Dupleix tried to expand French influence in Burma by sending the envoy Sieur de Bruno, and helping militarily the Mons in their conflict with the Burmese. ["British Empire History. Burma"' Editor Sir Reginald Coupland, K.C.M.G., C.I.E., M.A., D.LITT. Late Bcit Professor of the History of the British Empire in the University of Oxford, p78-82 [http://www.myanmargeneva.org/Burma/bur_history.pdf] ]

The conflicts between the French and the British in India continued till 1754, when the French government, anxious to make peace, sent a special commissioner to India with orders to supersede Dupleix and, if necessary, to arrest him. These orders were carried out with needless harshness. What survived of Dupleix's work was ruined at a blow, and he himself was compelled to embark for France on October 12, 1754. He had spent his private fortune in the prosecution of his public policy. The company refused to acknowledge the obligation, and the government would do nothing for a man whom they persisted in regarding as an ambitious and greedy adventurer. The greatest of French colonial governors died in obscurity and want on November 10, 1763.

In 1741 he had married Jeanne Albert, widow of one of the councillors of the company, a woman of strong character and intellect, known to the Hindus as Joanna Begum, who proved of great use to her husband in his negotiations with the native princes. She died in 1756, and two years later he married again.

Commemoration

A number of things were named in his honour:
* A square, road and metro station in the 15th "arrondissement" of Paris are named after him.
* Four French warships have borne his name (beside two commercial ships):
** The steam corvette "Dupleix" (1861–1887), famous for her involvement in the Japanese revolution
** A 7700-tonne armoured cruiser (1897–1919)
** A 10,000 tonne cruiser (1929–1942), scuttled in Toulon
** The F70 type frigate "Dupleix", currently in commission.

ee also

* French colonial empires
* Ananda Ranga Pillai
* [http://gw1.geneanet.org/index.php3?b=samlap&lang=en;p=joseph+francois;n=de+dupleix genealogy on geneanet samlap's site]

References

*1911

Further reading

*cite journal| last =Owen| first =Sidney J.| authorlink =| coauthors =| title =Joseph François Dupleix| journal =English Historical Review| volume =1| issue =4| pages =699–733| publisher =Oxford journals| date =1886| url =| doi =10.1093/ehr/I.IV.699| id =| accessdate = 2006-12-25
* [http://www.archive.org/details/Duplieix Duplieix] by Colonel John Biddulph, 1910



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  • Joseph-François Dupleix — (* 1. Januar 1697 in Landrecies; † 10. November 1763) war Generalgouverneur der Französischen Niederlassung in Indien und der große Rivale von Robert Clive. Dupleix wurde in Landrecies, Frankreich geboren. Sein Vater, François Dupleix, war ein… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph Francois Dupleix — Joseph François Dupleix Joseph François Dupleix (* 1. Januar 1697 in Landrecies; † 10. November 1763) war Generalgouverneur der Französischen Niederlassung in Indien und der große Rivale von Robert Clive. Dupleix wurde in Landrecies, Frankreich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph Francois Dupleix — Joseph François Dupleix Pour les articles homonymes, voir Dupleix. Joseph François Dupleix …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Joseph François Dupleix — Joseph François Dupleix, Denkmal in Pondicherry …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joseph François Dupleix — Joseph François Dupleix, administrador colonial y líder francés en la India durante los conflictos anglo franceses del siglo XVIII y rival de Robert Clive …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Joseph François Dupleix — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Dupleix. Joseph François Dupleix Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Joseph François Dupleix — Para otros usos de este término, véase Dupleix (desambiguación). Joseph François Dupleix, administrador colonial y líder francés en la India durante los conflictos anglo franceses del siglo XVIII y rival de Robert Clive. Estatua de Joseph… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Joseph François — may refer to:* Joseph François Dupleix (1697 1763), governor general of the French establishment in India * Joseph François Michaud (1767 1839), French historian and publicist * Joseph Louis François Bertrand (1822 1900), French mathematician *… …   Wikipedia

  • Dupleix, Joseph-François — (1697 1763)    colonial administrator    Born in Landrecies, Joseph François Dupleix served as the director of the French Indies Company (1720), then as the director general of all French bank branches in India. He had a military, as well as a… …   France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present

  • Dupleix, Joseph-François — born 1697, Landrecies, France died Nov. 10, 1763, Paris French colonial administrator who attempted to establish a French empire in India. His father, a director of the French East India Company, secured him an appointment in 1720 to the superior …   Universalium

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