The history of Chennapatnam (modern-day Chennai, formerly Madras) SE India highlights the complex power struggles involving European settlers and regional Indian rulers during the 17th century. Initially, Chennapatnam was a modest settlement established by the British East India Company in 1639 on land granted by the local ruler Damarla Venkatadri Nayak. The settlement, later fortified as Fort St. George, marked one of the earliest British footholds in India. The main attraction are its strategic location and availability of well finished textiles, minerals,etc talented workers and artisans in many fields
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| Chennapatnam in the 1700s, columbia.edu.com |
Above image CE i600s: Chennapatnam (Chennai). The city's boundary limits underwent many changes due to several invasions from neighbouring places in the 1600s. Among the invasions 1646 invasion from the Golkonda Sultanate was a brutal one. Yet another severe impact was caused by Plague epidemic in the 1670s..............
In 1646, Madras faced its first major foreign incursion by the Golkonda Sultanate, led by General Mir Jumla, seized control of the area. This invasion was brutal, resulting in massacres and the enslavement of many European inhabitants and their Indian allies. Although Fort St. George itself remained under British control, the surrounding town was devastated, and reconstruction efforts were needed to restore the British presence in the area. Following another massacre in Black Town by anti-colonial forces loyal to Golkonda, the British reinforced Fort St. George and gradually rebuilt the colony.
The colony faced additional challenges with a severe plague epidemic in the 1670s, but by 1674, the population had rebounded to approximately 50,000, predominantly European settlers. Despite repeated conflicts with Golkonda, British influence continued to grow. The fall of Golkonda to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1687 brought Madras under Mughal suzerainty, which ultimately proved advantageous for the British, as the Mughals issued charters securing British rights in the area. With the British granted relative autonomy, Madras developed steadily under the East India Company’s administration, attracting a new wave of settlers from Britain and Anglo-Americans, thus establishing the foundation for the colonial city of Madras Based on:
https://www.navrangindia.in/2014/12/muslim-invasion-in-chennapatnam-1646.html
https://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/2018/Mar/13/islam-and-the-lies-of-historians-1786304.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chennai
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