Dano-Carical Conflict
Dutch India
Simon Jansen (POW)
4 ships
1 sampan
3 sampans
2 ships
2 wounded
1 sampan
1 sampan
- v
- t
- e
North Atlantic
- Iceland
- Jakobshavn
- Reykjavík
- Faroe Islands
Africa
- Cape Verde
- Cape of Good Hope
- Canary Islands
- Carolusborg
- Cape Coast
- Fredericksborg
- Cape Corso
- 1st Osu
- 1st Christiansborg
- 2nd Christiansborg
- 3rd Christiansborg
- Gold Coast
- 2nd
- 4ht Christiansborg
- Crèvecœur
- Ningo
- 3rd Osu
- 5th Christiansborg
- Volta
- Dodowa
- Prinsensten
Asia
- Ceylon
- 1st Dansborg
- 1st Bengal
- 1st Pipli
- 1st Bay of Bengal
- 1st Balasore
- 2nd Bay of Bengal
- 3rd Bay of Bengal
- 4th Bay of Bengal
- 2nd Pipli
- 2nd Balasore
- Hooghly
- 1st India
- 3rd Dansborg
- Golconda
- Carical
- 1st Tranquebar
- 2nd Tranquebar
- 3rd Tranquebar
- 2nd Bengal
- Dannemarksnagore
- 4th Tranquebar
- Tillali
- Anandamangalam
- 4th Dansborg
- 1st Serampore
- Nicobar Islands
- 5th Tranquebar
- 2nd India
- 2nd Serampore
- 6th Tranquebar
- Nancowry
- 3rd Serampore
- 7th Tranquebar
- Porreiar
Caribbean
The Dano-Carical Conflict[a] (Danish: Konflikten mod Carical) was a small-scale conflict between the Danes at Tranquebar and the Portuguese at Carical (Karaikal). The conflict includes three smaller naval engagements, which eventually led to a four-hour-long imprisonment of Danish Captain Simon Jansen.
Prelude
In 1643, the Danes, who had been in possession of Tranquebar since 1620,[1] seized a sampan from the Portuguese at Carical (Karaikal). This resulted in the Portuguese wanting to restore the military balance, and this would lead to three hostile incidents between Tranquebar and Carical.[2]
Conflict
In October 1644, the Governor of Danish India, Willem Leyel, received a letter from the commander of Fort Dansborg, Anders Nielsen about a Portuguese seizure of a Danish sampan.[2][3]
First incident
According to Nielsen, the sampan, which belonged to a citizen of Tranquebar, was on its way home from Ceylon, when it was attacked by three Portuguese vessels off Carical.[3] The Portuguese carried the sampan with them and the owner of the sampan complained to Nielsen.[2][3]
Second incident
Despite having no Danish vessels to pursue the Portuguese, Nielsen set off to Carical in an Indian vessel with three white and three Indian soldiers.[2] However, the same three ships that had seized the sampan now appeared again and launched fire upon Nielsen's vessel, where he had to retreat.[2][3]
Nielsen then wrote a letter to the Carical authorities, threatening to get revenge when he could.[2][3] In response, the adrigar (a town clerk) responded that they just wanted to restore the balance from the Danish seizure of a Portuguese sampan the year before.[2][4] However, Neilsen refuted this claim as pure nonsense.[2][4]
Third incident
In February 1645, the Valby arrived at Tranquebar, and it, together with Simon Jansen, was sent to Carical to revenge the previous attacks.[5] Jansen seized two sampans lying in the roads, however, two Dutch ships lay at anchor there.[6][5] The Dutch crews boarded the Valby and Simon Jansen was brought to Carical as a prisoner.[6]
Aftermath
Jansen would stay as a prisoner for roughly four hours until the sampans he had seized got to safety.[6][5] No further hostilities would occur between the two towns, however, it was known that Carical had supported the Indian general, Tiagepule in his war on Tranquebar.[6]
See also
- Conquest of Koneswaram Temple – Colonial controntation between the Portuguese and the Danish
- Sinking of the Flensborg – 1630 sinking of a Danish ship
- Sieges of Tranquebar (1655–1669) – Sieges in Tranquebar, India 1655–1669
- Roland Crappé's raids on Portuguese colonies – Danish raids in India and Sri Lanka, 1619
Notes
- ^ Alternative names include: Dano-Carical War, Dano-Karaikal Conflict, Dano-Karaikal War, Danish-Carical War, Danish-Karaikal War, Danish-Carical Conflict, and the Danish-Karaikal Conflict.
References
- ^ "Tranquebar, 1620-1845". danmarkshistorien.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-06-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bredsdorff 2009, p. 137.
- ^ a b c d e Bredsdorff 1999, p. 140.
- ^ a b Bredsdorff 1999, p. 141.
- ^ a b c Bredsdorff 1999, p. 145.
- ^ a b c d Bredsdorff 2009, p. 141.
Works cited
- Bredsdorff, Asta (2009). The Trials and Travels of Willem Leyel. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. ISBN 9788763530231.
- Bredsdorff, Asta (1999). Søhistoriske Skrifter (PDF) (in Danish). Vol. XXI. Copenhagen: Handels- og Søfartsmuseet Kronborg.
- Leyel, Willem (1644). Rentekammerafdelingen: Willum Leyels arkiv (1639 - 1648) (in Danish). Danske Kancelli.