Dano-Carical Conflict

The Dano-Carical Conflict (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.

Dano-Karaikal Conflict
Dutch boats in the nearby Negapatnam, by Jan Kip
Date October 1644 – February 1645 Location Carical, Portuguese India (present-day Karaikal, India) 10.932701°N 79.831853°E / 10.932701; 79.831853 Result Portuguese-Dutch victory
Belligerents
Danish India	Portuguese India Dutch India
Commanders and leaders
Anders Nielsen Simon Jansen (POW)	Unknown adigar
Units involved
Valby	Lis
Strength
6 soldiers 4 ships 1 sampan	3 ships 3 sampans 2 ships
Casualties and losses
1 dead 2 wounded 1 sampan	Many 1 sampan

Prelude

In 1643, the Danes, who had been in possession of Tranquebar since 1620, 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.

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.

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. The Portuguese carried the sampan with them and the owner of the sampan complained to Nielsen.

A typical Chinese sampan near the Poyang Lake, by William Alexander in c. 1800.

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. 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.

Nielsen then wrote a letter to the Carical authorities, threatening to get revenge when he could. 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. However, Neilsen refuted this claim as pure nonsense.

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. Jansen seized two sampans lying in the roads, however, two Dutch ships lay at anchor there. The Dutch crews boarded the Valby and Simon Jansen was brought to Carical as a prisoner.

Aftermath

See also: Siege of Dansborg (1644)

Jansen would stay as a prisoner for roughly four hours until the sampans he had seized got to safety. 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.

See also

• Conquest of Koneswaram Temple – Colonial controntation between the Portuguese and the Danish
• Sinking of the Flensborg – Danish East IndiamanPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• 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

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.