In the early 18th century, the Carnatic was a crucible of competing powers, where Mughal-appointed rulers like Raja Swarup Singh Bundela, commander of Gingee Fort, clashed with the English East India Company’s ambitions at Fort St. David. The 1710 capture of two English officers, Lieutenant James Hugonin and Ensign Ray, by Swarup Singh’s forces sparked a fierce response in 1711, escalating into a costly conflict that devastated the Valudavur countryside. Drawing from Fort St. David consultations, Fort St. George correspondence, and despatches to England, this blog post details the English retaliation, their alliance with the poligar Chola Naik, Mahabat Khan’s threats, and the eventual French mediation, offering a vivid glimpse into a pivotal moment in Gingee’s history.
Retaliatory Measures: Targeting Gingee’s Chiefs
By late February 1711, the prolonged detention of Lieutenant James Hugonin and Ensign Ray, captured in June 1710 and subjected to brutal treatment at Gingee Fort, drove the Fort St. David Council to escalate their response. On February 24, 1711, the Council learned that “some of the chief men of the Gingee government” were present at villages near Fort St. David—Pandasolanallur, Ramapuram, and Allanganattam. The Deputy Governor authorized a mission to seize these officials as leverage for the captives’ release. Gunner Hugonin, leading 100 soldiers and 50 peons, was instructed to capture suitable targets in the Valudavur country, avoiding bloodshed with Mahabat Khan, the killedar of Valudavur, unless attacked, in which case he was to “repel force by force.”
The operation turned violent, resulting in the deaths of three of Swarup Singh’s men, including a mokhasaddar (revenue official), in an affray. One Mohan Singh was captured and held as a prisoner. Gunner Hugonin, fearing reputational damage, filed a petition to clarify that a “Moor” was killed by his companions’ gunshot during a struggle, not by his direct action, as noted in the Fort St. David Consultations of February 24, 1711. The incident heightened tensions, prompting the English to fortify bastions and outposts at Cuddalore, Tiruppapuliyur, and Bandipalayam with troops stationed in block-houses and redoubts. A February 25, 1711, letter expressed alarm that Mahabat Khan was making “great preparations” to march against Fort St. David, leading to urgent requests to Fort St. George for provisions, stores, and ammunition to secure the settlement.
Escalation in Valudavur: A Campaign of Destruction
Determined to pressure Swarup Singh, the English intensified their campaign in the Valudavur region, part of his Mughal-granted jagir worth 12 lakhs of pagodas, which included Cuddalore and Tegnapatam. In March 1711, Captain Roach and Captain Courtney were dispatched to the Valudavur country with orders to “use all manner of hostility” to compel the release of the captives, as recorded in a March 1711 letter to Roach. The English forces inflicted significant damage, burning villages and destroying paddy crops despite opposition from Swarup Singh’s men, who suffered considerable losses in horse and foot.
The English targeted the agricultural season, impeding ploughing and sowing to cripple Swarup Singh’s revenue, as noted in a May 16, 1711, letter. This deliberate disruption aimed to devastate the local economy, with a Fort St. George letter from May 18, 1711, lamenting that the “successful skirmishes” failed to “bring that savage inhuman shape to a compliance.” Swarup Singh remained unyielding, demanding 30,000 chuckrams for the captives’ release, as reported on April 17, 1711. The Fort St. George Council granted Fort St. David discretionary powers to continue harassing the Valudavur countryside, warning Swarup Singh of “the ruin of his country” if he did not relent.
Alliance with Chola Naik: A Strategic Turn
A critical development emerged in February 1711 when Chola Naik, a powerful poligar near Gingee and an enemy of Swarup Singh, sought English protection for his people in Tiruppapuliyur (modern Cuddalore New Town). The Fort St. David Council, seeing an opportunity, agreed to send forces to damage Gingee’s territories, aligning with Chola Naik’s interests. A March 1711 letter to Captain Roach emphasized that “nothing but force will obtain [the captives’] enlargement and reinstate the English to the good opinions of the natives.” Chola Naik joined the English in plundering the Valudavur country, amplifying the destruction of villages and crops.
Fort St. George, while approving the alliance, cautioned Fort St. David to monitor Chola Naik closely, fearing he might reconcile with Swarup Singh. This strategic partnership, documented in the Fort St. David Consultations, bolstered the English campaign but highlighted their reliance on local power dynamics to counter Swarup Singh’s influence.
Mahabat Khan’s Threats and Failed Diplomacy
Mahabat Khan, the killedar of Valudavur and a staunch ally of Swarup Singh, escalated tensions by demanding that the English refrain from entering Gingee’s territory. His preparations to attack Fort St. David, noted in the February 25, 1711, letter, heightened English fears. Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts faltered. Envoys sent to Gingee with letters and presents returned after being threatened, as recorded in the same letter. Previous attempts in 1710 to secure the captives’ release with presents worth 150–200 pagodas and an agent’s negotiations had failed, partly due to the influence of Swarup Singh’s “hungry officers,” as noted in the 1701–1711 despatches to England.
The Fort St. George Council expressed frustration over Fort St. David’s “injudicious” actions and the garrison’s “great disorder,” as debated in July 1711. Recognizing the need for external mediation, they enlisted M. Hebert, the French Governor of Pondicherry, who had previously mediated disputes. Checca Serappa, a cunning Company merchant from Madras, was tasked with assisting, leveraging his reputation to support negotiations. On August 10, 1711, Ralph Raworth, a Fort St. George Council member, arrived at Fort St. David with five English ships to assume the role of Deputy Governor and expedite the war’s resolution.
The Human and Economic Cost
The English retaliation wreaked havoc on the Valudavur countryside, ruining peasants and disrupting agriculture, a critical revenue source for Swarup Singh. The burning of villages and crops, combined with skirmishes that killed his men, imposed a heavy toll. The Fort St. George letter of May 18, 1711, expressed “great anxiety” over the conflict’s impact on the English, a small trading community whose commercial interests were undermined by prolonged hostilities. Swarup Singh’s refusal to release the captives, despite the destruction, underscored his obstinacy, rooted in grievances over unpaid rents by Fort St. David’s merchants and the escape of renters like Sheva Reddi Nayak, facilitated by Governor Gabriel Roberts.
Historical Context and Legacy
The 1711 retaliation against Swarup Singh was a flashpoint in Mughal-English relations, reflecting the broader struggle for control in the Carnatic. Swarup Singh’s jagir, granted after Zulfikar Khan’s conquest of Gingee, placed him in direct contention with the English, who had secured Fort St. David through earlier grants from the Marathas and Zulfikar Khan. His defiance of Nawab Sadatullah Khan, who reported 70-lakh-rupee arrears to the Mughal court, further isolated him. The alliance with Mahabat Khan, who later supported Swarup Singh’s son Tej Singh (Desing) in his 1714 rebellion, underscored the regional power dynamics at play.
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