The
Carnatic Wars (also spelled
Karnatic Wars) were a series of military conflicts in the middle of the 18th century on the
Indian subcontinent. The conflicts involved numerous nominally independent rulers and their vassals, struggles for succession and territory, and included a diplomatic and military struggle between the
French East India Company and the British
East India Company. They were mainly fought on the territories in India which were dominated by the
Nizam of Hyderabad up to the
Godavari delta. As a result of these military contests, the British East India Company established its dominance among the European trading companies within India. The French company was pushed to a corner and was confined primarily to
Pondichéry. The East India company's dominance eventually led to control by the British Company over most of India and eventually to the establishment of the
British Raj.