The Kingdom of Travancore was established formally during the rule of Marthanda Varma from 1729 to 1758. He first took control of the kingdom of Venad (Thrippappur) and later defeated a union of feudal lords. He then led several military campaigns to conquer many regions from Kanyakumari in the south to Kochi in the north. During some of these military campaigns, he had to fight against the armies of Dutch East India Company who supported many local rulers. The major turning point in the history of Travancore Kingdom was when Marthanda Varma and his army defeated the Dutch East India Company in the Battle of Colachel in 1741. Marthanda Varma The Dutch admiral, Eustachius De Lannoy was appointed as Captain of His Highness' Body-guard and later Senior Admiral. De Lannoy introduced firearms and artillery to the Travancore army. After defeating Zamorin of Kozhikode in the battle of Purakkad in 1755, Travancore kingdom became one of the most powerful kingdoms of South India. This event is considered as another high point in Travancore history. Ramayyan Dalawa was the Prime Minister under Marthanda Varma from 1737 to 1756. He played a vital role in managing the expanding kingdom. Marthanda Varma dedicated the Kingdom of Travancore to Padmanabha, an avatar of Vishnu, on 3rd January 1750. The Travancore royal family served as servants of Padmanabha since then. Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma or Dharma Raja became the next king and ruled the kingdom from 1758 to 1798, a period known as the Golden Age of Travancore History. He shifted the capital from Padmanabhapuram to Thiruvananthapuram in 1795. He implemented several social reforms and was an able administrator. Tipu Sultan and his son Hyder Ali of Mysore attacked Travancore in 1789 during the battle of the Nedumkotta. Dharma Raja took help from the East India Company and managed to defend their territories. Velu Thampi Dalawa The next king, Balrama Varma was the weakest king in the history of Travancore Kingdom. The kingdom became a protectorate under the East India Company. Prime Minister Velu Thampi Dalawa tried his best to handle the internal conflicts and rebellions by taking the support of East India Company. When the Company started dominating, Velu Thampi and the Diwan of Cochin kingdom, Paliath Achan Govindan Menon declared a war on the Company. The Company managed to defeat its enemies. The Maharaja of Travancore also joined the Company army to defeat Velu Thampi. The Travancore army was disbanded because of these mutinies and the Company started serving the king during internal and external wars. Travancore princely state became a part of British Empire in the 19th Century and finally became a part of Kerala after Independence.
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AuthorPassionate collector of coins, banknotes & stamps who loves researching about ancient, medieval & modern Indian history! Archives
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