François Martin (1634– 1706) was the first
Governor-general
Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
of
Puducherry in
French India
French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...
. In 1673, Sher Khan Lodi, the ruler of Valikandapuram under the
Sultan of Bijapur granted Bellanger de l'Espinay a site for a settlement. A shrewd and able administrator, François Martin, former director of the
Machilipatnam
Machilipatnam (), also known as Masulipatnam and Bandar (), is a city in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and the administrative headquarters of Krishna district. It is also the Tehsil, mandal ...
lodge of
French India
French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...
, developed
Puducherry, the future capital of
French India
French India, formally the (), was a French colony comprising five geographically separated enclaves on the Indian subcontinent that had initially been factories of the French East India Company. They were ''de facto'' incorporated into the ...
in 1674, into a thriving port. He is known as the Father of
Puducherry.
[Donald F. Lach, Edwin J. Van Kley, ''Asia in the Making of Europe, Volume III: A Century of Advance'' (1998), p. 258.]
The town was taken and sacked by the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
in 1693. François Martin, his family and followers, including Father Tachard, were taken captives to
Batavia. Martin and everyone else eventually negotiated their return to
Chandannagar
Chandannagar (), also known by its former names Chandannagore and Chandernagor (), is a city in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is headquarter of the Chandannagore subdivision and is a part of the area covered by Ko ...
and then they were returned to
Puducherry. The forces of the
French East India Company took and sacked the town of
Pazhaverkadu and returned and restored both the towns to the French and Dutch respectively.
He was the Commissioner of
French East India Company before holding this post and was preceded by François Baron and succeeded by Pierre Dulivier. His ''Mémoires'' provide an accurate account of
early French settlements in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
. There is a street named after François Martin in
Puducherry.
References
Titles
Governors of French India
1634 births
1706 deaths
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