Battle of Balasore

The Battle of Balasore (Slaget ved Balasore) was an engagement between Bengali and English ships against Danish ships at Balasore. When the English failed to persuade the Danes, the Bengalis started attacking the English vessel, yet the English were rescued by the Dutch.

Background
In 1643 Willem Leyel deposed governor Bernt Pessart as overhoved of Danish India. In the preceding year, Pessart had declared war on the Mughal Empire. Leyel continued the privateering war against the Mughals as a source of revenue and income.

In 1647 the privateer war still waged, and in December of that year, a noticeable incident was recorded by the English at Balasore.

Battle
The English at Balasore was given a good reception at Balasore. Yet when a Danish fleet of five ships, including Christianshavn and The Bengali Prize, appeared things suddenly started to change. The Danes had come to settle their long-standing grievances and debts against the Mughal authorities by force.

Confrontation with the Danish
Danes seized one of the Moorish ships with eight elephants at the harbour. At the request of Governor Malik Beg, the English twice attempted to persuade the escaping Danish fleet. When this proved a failure for the English, the Mughals informed the English that they now would have to compensate for the damage made by the Danes since both Europeans were Christians.

Prelude
The English then tried to escape the harbour, yet were blockaded by the Mughals, who placed guns at strategic points and summoned a large force of soldiers. Meanwhile, a letter from the Nawab arrived with a captain and 500 cavalry, demanding to meet the English outside of the town. The English factors refused the demands of the letter.

Battle
When the Nawab heard the English rejection he called c 1.000 soldiers and placed nine guns in strategic positions around the harbour. The following day additional guns were planted. The English could not leave the harbour and the Budhabalanga River because of a blockade. The Bengalis had already seized 3-4 English boats and 6-8 smaller vessels in the river.

Things escalated when the Bengalis fired at the British warehouse in Balasore. The English took position with their guns and an ensuing confrontation lasted four hours.

Because of the blockade, the Dutch East India Company's business was stopped and was thus forced to join the English course. The Dutch send 60 men and 2 ships to Balasore, which unprovoked the attack on the English.

Aftermath
At the time of the Battle the Danes had presumably already managed to bring themselves and their prize to safety. The war between the Danes and Mughals in Bengal hindered the prospects of trade between the English and Dutch at Balasore.