Danish–Mughal war

01A quarrel at Pipli

The Danes had held Tranquebar on the Coromandel coast since 1620 by grant of the Nayak of Thanjavur, and traded north to the ports of Odisha and Bengal, chiefly Pipli and Balasore. Around 1640 the Mughal governor of Odisha seized Danish goods and imprisoned their agents over debts and duties. The Danes demanded redress, and when none came their commanders declared war in 1642 and began to capture ships bound to and from Bengal.

02Fifty years of seizures

The war was fought in single incidents rather than battles: Danish ships taking Bengali and Mughal-owned vessels in the Bay, the Mughals expelling the Danes from Balasore and seizing their property, ships lost and recaptured. The Danish company was too small to force a decision, and the Mughals had no navy to pursue it. Trade suffered on both sides. In 1698 a settlement was reached with the Bengal authorities, and the Danes opened a factory near Chandernagore.