Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to: * Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India ** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry t ...

colonial powers Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in th ...

Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to: * Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India ** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry t ...

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' ( grc, Περίπλους τῆς Ἐρυθρᾶς Θαλάσσης, ', modern Greek '), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and ...

G.W.B. Huntingford George Wynn Brereton Huntingford (19 November 1901 – 19 February 1978) was an English linguist, anthropologist and historian. He lectured in East African languages and cultures at SOAS, University of London from 1950 until 1966.Arikamedu (now part of

Ariyankuppam Ariyankuppam (also known by its former name Ariancoupom) is a Town, Commune, Sub-Taluk, and Assembly Constituency in the Union Territory of Puducherry, India. The streets in Ariyankuppam are straight and in grid form, similar to Puducherry bou ...

), located about from the modern city of

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

. Puducherry was apparently an important destination for

Roman trade with India Indo-Roman trade relations (see also the spice trade and incense road) was trade between the Indian subcontinent and the Roman Empire in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. Trade through the overland caravan routes via Asia Minor and the Midd ...

. Huntingford further notes that Roman pottery was found at Arikamedu in 1937. In addition, archaeological excavations between 1944 and 1949 showed that it was "a trading station to which goods of Roman manufacture were imported during the first half of the 1st century AD". At the beginning of the 4th century AD, the Puducherry area was part of the Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram. During the following centuries different southern dynasties controlled Puducherry: in the 10th century AD. the Chola of

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

took over, only to be replaced by the Pandya Kingdom in the 13th century. After a brief invasion by the Muslim rulers of the North, who established the Sultanate of

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

, the

Vijayanagar The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Maharas ...

Empire took control of almost all the South of India, with their power lasting until 1638, when the Sultan of Bijapur began to rule over

Gingee Gingee, also known as Senji or Jinji and originally called Singapuri, is a panchayat town in Viluppuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Gingee is located between three hills covering a perimeter of 3 km, and lies west of the Sa ...

.

European period

Bellin's plan of Pondicherry, a copperplate engraving

In 1674 the ''

French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in th ...

'' set up a trading centre at

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

. This outpost eventually became the chief French settlement in India. Dutch and British trading companies also wanted trade with India. Wars raged among these European countries and spilled over into the Indian subcontinent. The Dutch captured Puducherry in 1693 but returned it to France by the

Treaty of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Gran ...

in 1699. The French acquired Mahe in the 1720s, Yanam in 1731, and Karaikal in 1738. During the Anglo-French wars (1742–1763), Puducherry changed hands frequently. On 16 January 1761, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

captured Puducherry from the French, but the

Treaty of Paris (1763) The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during the S ...

at the conclusion of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

returned it. In 1792, Venant of Durfort, son of the Count of Civrac, was made governor of Pondicherry, thanks to his uncle Emmanuel-Félicité, Duke of Duras, who had been made president of the compagnie des Indes in 1788. After an outstanding military career in Europe, Venant fought hard to destroy all revolutionary hopes in Pondicherry, as republican ideals coming from France were threatening the economic stability of the region. He took great care to maintain commercial relations with other European powers in the region. His links with England were strengthened through his marriage with Catherine Browne of Kilmor. Venant died in July 1792 and was buried at Our Lady of Angels in Pondicherry. The British took control of the area again in 1793 at the Siege of Pondicherry amid the Wars of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, and returned it to France in 1814. When the British gained control of the whole of India in the late 1850s, they allowed the French to retain their settlements in the country.

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

, Mahe,

Yanam Yanam (Telugu: ''యానాం'') is a town located in the Yanam district in Puducherry. It has a population of 35,000 and is entirely surrounded by Andhra Pradesh. It was formerly a French colony for nearly 200 years, and, though united ...

,

Karaikal Karaikal (Help:IPA/English, /kʌdɛkʌl/, french: Karikal Help:IPA/French, /kaʁikal/) is a town of the Indian States and territories of India, Union Territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. Karaikal was sold to the French by t ...

and Chandernagar remained a part of French India until 1954.

The end of French rule

The independence of India in 1947 gave impetus to the union of France's Indian possessions with former

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. An agreement between France and India in 1948 stipulated that the inhabitants of France's Indian possessions would choose their political future. The ''de jure'' union of French India with the Indian Union did not take place until 1962. On a ''de facto'' basis, the bureaucracy had been united with India's on 1 November 1954. It was organized as a Union Territory in 1963. Puducherry is now a part of India.

Separation from France

Cession of Pondicherry and Karaikal

From the time India gained its independence from British rule in 1947, it raised the issue of the French settlements on the continent with the Government of France. It took seven years for Puducherry to effectively unite with independent India. Political agitation to achieve this goal began earlier. In 1787 and 1791, farmers of Karaikal agitated against the heavy land tax imposed by the French. The

rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

had an effect in the French settlements but it did not attract the attention of the rulers, as the incidents were few and considered as local. People employed legal means to fight against the French. In 1873, an advocate, Ponnuthammbi Pillai, convinced a Paris court of his cause. He won the case in which he was fined by a French magistrate in

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

for walking into the court with footwear. Student protests in 1927 and 1930 expressed their desire for an end of French oversight. Leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Bal Gangadhar Tilak visited Pondicherry and its other enclaves and addressed the meetings. In 1934, ''Swatantram'', a monthly, was started by veteran independence activist and trade union leader V. Subbiah for the cause of workers and the country. Police control, which warranted trade union unrest, further increased civilian agitation against the colonial government. In the late 1930, grassroots organizations known as mahajana sabhas were started in Pondicherry and Karaikal. These groups, along with trade unions, organized the Non-Cooperation Movement. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Puducherry supported France with men and

materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specif ...

. Deaths among French-Indian soldiers caused unrest in the enclaves. In 1946, the French India Congress was formed with the objective of integrating the French possessions with India. Later the following year, the French India Students Congress adopted a resolution on merger. In January 1948, the French People's Convention passed a resolution expressing its determination to merge the French possessions with India. The Communist Party asked the people to accept only the merger. The post-independence government under Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

was anxious to integrate the French Indian territories with the country. Fr. Jerome D'Souza - a member of the

Constituent Assembly of India The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...

- was appointed by the Government of India to negotiate with the French authorities in Pondicherry. As a result of these negotiations, the French agreed to hold a referendum in their territories regarding the political status of the French territories in India. However, sensing that the result of the referendum may not be in favor of merger with India, the Government of India withdrew support for the referendum. The Congress Party issued a declaration that the people of Pondicherry were not interested in the referendum for various reasons. India signed an agreement with France in June 1948 which gave power to the people to determine the political status of their land. Accordingly, municipal elections in Pondicherry, Karaikal and Yanam were held in October 1948. All municipalities except one elected representatives of the French India Socialist Party, a pro-French group. The new councillors at a meeting accepted the autonomy offered by the French Government. The Indian Government continued to press for unification, pledging a distinct status and help for Puducherry after its merger with India. As the unification movement gathered momentum under Subbiah, the pro-French leader Edouard Goubert switched his loyalty to the pro-merger camp. This movement was coordinated by many leaders like D.K.Ramanujam and Mr. Chandrasekara Reddiar. A momentous event in the freedom movement of Puducherry occurred on 18 March 1954, when the members of the executive council and mayors of Pondicherry and seven adjoining communes proclaimed their decision to merge with India without a referendum. All the communes in Karaikal also followed suit. This decision was to be confirmed by the Representative Assembly. When the Socialist Party was preparing to move the merger resolution, the French governor scuttled it by postponing the session. Provoked by this, the Socialists planned to capture the outlying communes one by one and move to Pondicherry. The Communist Party was also ready to launch a campaign of direct action to merge Puducherry with India. Accordingly, the leaders of the Socialist Party hoisted the Indian national flag atop the Nettapakkam police station on the last day of March in 1954. Subsequently, many villages in Mannadipet and Bahour communes came under the sway of the pro-merger forces. In the Karaikal region, all the communes and Karaikal municipality passed a resolution in favour of merger. The National Youth Congress began a Satyagraha. An independence activists' procession was charged by police using lathi and the flags carried by the processionists were seized and torn by the French Indian Police.Mr. Chandrasekara Reddiar and D.K. Ramanujam were arrested. India and France, following talks, issued a joint statement on 13 October 1954 announcing a procedure for deciding the status of the French settlements. Five days later, on 18 October 1954 the elected members of the Representative Assembly and the municipal councillors of Pondicherry and Karaikkal took part in a referendum at Kizhur. Of the 178 members voting, an overwhelming majority of 170 members favoured the merger of French Indian territories with the Republic of India. Three days later, an agreement on the ''de facto'' transfer of the French territories to India was signed in New Delhi between the two countries. A treaty of cession was signed by the two countries in May 1956. It was ratified by the French parliament in May 1962. On 16 August 1962 India and France exchanged the instruments of ratification under which France ceded to India full sovereignty over the territories it held. Pondicherry and the other enclaves of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam came to be administered as the Union Territory of Puducherry from 1 July 1963.

Cession of Chandernagore

Under the Indo-French Agreement of June 1948, the first municipal elections were held in

Chandernagore Chandannagar french: Chandernagor ), also known by its former name Chandernagore and French name Chandernagor, is a city in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is headquarter of the Chandannagore subdivision and is part ...

in August, elections in which the Congress Karmaparishad won 22 of the 24 seats. The new municipal assembly overwhelmingly voted for merger with the Indian Union but it took until 9 June 1952 before the Government of India took control. Later, in 1954, Chandernagore became part of the Hoogly district of West Bengal.

Cession of Yanam

Conditions became intolerable in Yanam after its mayor and other representatives of Yanam adopted the merger resolution. The mayor, deputy mayor, and over 200 people took refuge in the adjacent areas of the Indian Union. Police and hired

vigilantes Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

from Yanam assaulted refugees on Indian soil. The refugees marched into Yanam under the leadership of Dadala Raphael Ramanayya and took over the administration. After hoisting the Indian National Flag, they adopted a resolution declaring Yanam "liberated".

Cession of Mahe

Close on their heels in Yanam, in Mahe, the Mahajana sabha under its president, I.K. Kumaran began a picketing programme. Some days later, hundreds of volunteers marched into Mahe to stage a demonstration in front of the administrator's residence. They were joined by citizens of the enclave. On 16 July 1954, Kumaran took over the administration from the French administrator marking the end of 224 years of French rule in Mahe.

Date of Events

List of French Governors in India

Commissaires: *

François Caron François Caron (1600–1673) was a French Huguenot refugee to the Netherlands who served the Dutch East India Company (''Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie'' or VOC) for 30 years, rising from cook's mate to the director-general at Batavia (Ja ...

, 1668–1672 * François Baron, 1672–1681 * François Martin, 1681 – November 1693 * Dutch occupation, September 1693 - September 1699 <--

Treaty of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Gran ...

(1697)

Gouverneurs Généraux: * François Martin, September 1699 - 31 December 1706 *

Pierre Dulivier Pierre Dulivier was the Governor General of Pondicherry for two periods. He was preceded by François Martin and succeeded by Guillaume André d'Hébert Guillaume André d'Hébert (15 January 1653, Paris – 6 May 1725) was Governor General of P ...

, January 1707-July 1708 * Guillaume André d'Hébert, 1708–1712 *

Pierre Dulivier Pierre Dulivier was the Governor General of Pondicherry for two periods. He was preceded by François Martin and succeeded by Guillaume André d'Hébert Guillaume André d'Hébert (15 January 1653, Paris – 6 May 1725) was Governor General of P ...

, 1712–1717 * Guillaume André d'Hébert, 1717–1718 * Pierre André Prévost de La Prévostière, August 1718 – 11 October 1721 *

Pierre Christoph Le Noir Pierre Christoph Le Noir was Governor General of Pondicherry twice (first time as acting governor). During his rule, Yanaon was added to the French Establishments of India as a third colony in 1727. He expanded the Pondicherry Pondicherry ...

(Acting), 1721–1723 *

Joseph Beauvollier de Courchant Joseph Beauvollier de Courchant was Governor general of Pondicherry and Réunion in the French Colonial Empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule fro ...

, 1723–1726 *

Pierre Christoph Le Noir Pierre Christoph Le Noir was Governor General of Pondicherry twice (first time as acting governor). During his rule, Yanaon was added to the French Establishments of India as a third colony in 1727. He expanded the Pondicherry Pondicherry ...

, 1726–1734 *

Pierre Benoît Dumas Pierre Benoît Dumas (1668–1745) was the French Governor General for Pondichéry and Réunion. Predecessor of La Bourdonnais on the Isles and Dupleix in the Indies, Dumas hailed from Southern France. There is still a street in Pondicherry nam ...

, 1734–1741 *

Joseph François Dupleix Joseph Marquis Dupleix (23 January 1697 – 10 November 1763) was Governor-General of French India and rival of Robert Clive. Biography Dupleix was born in Landrecies, on January 23, 1697. His father, François Dupleix, a wealthy ''fermier gé ...

, 14 January 1742 – 15 October 1754 *

Charles Godeheu Charles Robert Godeheu de Zaimont was Acting Governor General of Pondicherry. He was the Commissioner of French army during Dupleix's reign. Important incidents In 1754, Godeheu gave up with the English the Indian territories, especially Madra ...

, Le commissaire (Acting), 15 October 1754–1754 * Georges Duval de Leyrit, 1754–1758 * Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally-Tollendal, 1758 – 16 January 1761 * First British occupation, 15 January 1761 – 25 June 1765 <--

Treaty of Paris (1763) The Treaty of Paris, also known as the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763 by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement, after Great Britain and Prussia's victory over France and Spain during the S ...

*

Jean Law de Lauriston Baron Jean Law de Lauriston, was born on October 5, 1719 in Paris. He was twice Governor General of Pondicherry. Not much is known about his life, but his contributions to the French Colonial Empire are notable. Law was a nephew of the financie ...

, 1765–1766 * Antoine Boyellau, 1766–1767 *

Jean Law de Lauriston Baron Jean Law de Lauriston, was born on October 5, 1719 in Paris. He was twice Governor General of Pondicherry. Not much is known about his life, but his contributions to the French Colonial Empire are notable. Law was a nephew of the financie ...

, 1767 – January 1777 * Guillaume de Bellecombe, seigneur de Teirac, January 1777–1782 * Charles Joseph Pâtissier, Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau, 1783–1785 * Le Vicomte, François de Souillac, 1785 *

David Charpentier de Cossigny David Charpentier de Cossigny was Governor General of Pondicherry, Réunion and Isle de France (now Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an isl ...

, October 1785–1787 * Thomas, comte de Conway, October 1787–1789 *

Camille Charles Leclerc, chevalier de Fresne Camille Charles Le Clerc de Fresne, known as Chevalier de Fresne (1741–1797) was Governor General of Mauritius (1785) and Puducherry from 1789 to 1792 in the French Colonial Empire. He married a widow, Emilie-Thomase de Solminihac (1770–1846 ...

, 1789–1792 * Dominique Prosper de Chermont, November 1792–1793 * L. Leroux de Touffreville, 1793 * Second British occupation, 23 August 1793 – 18 June 1802 <--

Treaty of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it s ...

(1802) * Charles Matthieu Isidore, Comte Decaen, 18 June 1802 - August 1803 * Louis François Binot, 1803 * Third British occupation, August 1803 – 26 September 1816 <--

Treaty of Paris (1814) The Treaty of Paris, signed on 30 May 1814, ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars, following an armistice signed on 23 April between Charles, Count of Artois, and the allies. The treaty set the borde ...

* André Julien Comte Dupuy, 26 September 1816 – October 1825 *

Joseph Cordier Joseph Cordier was born on 1773. He was Acting Governor General of Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Terr ...

, Marie Emmanuel (Acting), October 1825 – 19 June 1826 *

Eugène Desbassayns de Richemont Eugène Panon Desbassayns de Richemont (29 March 1800 – 26 June 1859), second Comte de Richemont, was a French colonial administrator and inventor. Life Eugène Panon Desbassayns de Richemont was born on 29 March 1800 in Paris. His father w ...

, 1826 – 2 August 1828 *

Joseph Cordier Joseph Cordier was born on 1773. He was Acting Governor General of Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Terr ...

, Marie Emmanuel (Acting), 2 August 1828 – 11 April 1829 *

Auguste Jacques Nicolas Peureux de Mélay Auguste Jacques Nicolas Peureux de Mélay was Governor General for Inde française in the Second French Colonial Empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French ...

, 11 April 1829 – 3 May 1835 * Hubert Jean Victor, Marquis de Saint-Simon, 3 May 1835 – April 1840 *

Paul de Nourquer du Camper Paul de Nourquer du Camper was Governor General for Inde française in the Second French Colonial Empire during the July Monarchy. During his period an annual statistics manual was written by Pierre Constant Sicé in 1842, which describes and narra ...

, April 1840 - 1844 *

Louis Pujol Louis Pujol (18 August 1790, Paris – 26 August 1855) was Governor General for Inde française in the Second French Colonial Empire during the last years of July Monarchy and during initial period of French Second Republic The French Second R ...

, 1844–1849 *

Hyacinthe Marie de Lalande de Calan Hyacinthe Marie de Lalande de Calan (26 April 1802 in Quimper – 14 June 1850 in Pondichéry) was Governor General for Inde française in the Second French Colonial Empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, prote ...

, 1849–1850 * Philippe Achille Bédier, 1851–1852 * Raymond de Saint-Maur, August 1852 - April 1857 * Alexandre Durand d'Ubraye, April 1857 - January 1863 * Napoléon Joseph Louis Bontemps, January 1863 - June 1871 *

Antoine-Léonce Michaux Antoine-Léonce Michaux (born November 6, 1822 in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, and died January 20, 1893, France) was Governor General for French India in the Second French Colonial Empire under the French Third Republic. Life Antoine-Léonce Michaux j ...

, June 1871 - November 1871 * Pierre Aristide Faron, November 1871 - 1875 * Adolph Joseph Antoine Trillard, 1875–1878 *

Léonce Laugier Jean Joseph Marie Léonce Laugier was Governor General for Inde française in the Second French Colonial Empire under Third Republic. Biography Laugier was born on March 26, 1829, in Draguignan, France, to Joseph Honoré Isidore Laugier, a lawy ...

, February 1879 - April 1881 *

Théodore Drouhet Théodore Drouhet (April 4, 1817 – October 18, 1904) was Governor General for Inde française in the Second French Colonial Empire under Third Republic. References Théodore Drouhetat Senate of France The Senate (french: Sénat, ) is ...

, 1881 - October 1884 *

Étienne Richaud Étienne Richaud (Étienne Antoine Guillaume Richaud), born on January 11, 1841, in Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhône, France) and died on May 31, 1889, in the Bay of Bengal, was the Principal private secretary of the Minister of Commerce Maurice Ro ...

, October 1884 - 1886 *

Édouard Manès Édouard Manès (1835-1898) was Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colon ...

, 1886–1888 * Georges Jules Piquet, 1888–1889 * Louis Hippolyte Marie Nouet, 1889–1891 * Léon Émile Clément-Thomas, 1891–1896 * Louis Jean Girod, 1896 - February 1898 * François Pierre Rodier, February 1898 - 11 January 1902 * Pelletan (Acting), 11 January 1902 - 1902 *

Victor Louis Marie Lanrezac Victor Louis Marie Lanrezac (March 24, 1854 in Brest – January 1, 1916 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was Governor General of Pondicherry in Second French Colonial Empire under Third Republic. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour The Na ...

, 1902–1904 * Philema Lemaire, August 1904 - April 1905 *

Joseph Pascal François Joseph Pascal François (1853-1914) was Governor General for various colonies in Second French Colonial Empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule fro ...

, April 1905 - October 1906 * Gabriel Louis Angoulvant, October 1906 - 3 December 1907 *

Adrien Jules Jean Bonhoure Adrien Jules Jean Bonhoure (1860 - 1929) was a French governor of colonies of the French colonial empire, including Côte d'Ivoire, French Somaliland, Réunion, French India and French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Gol ...

, 1908–1909 *

Ernest Fernand Lévecque Ernest Fernand Lévecque (2 September 1852 – 4 July 1947) was a colonial administrator of a number of possessions of the French Colonial Empire. He was born in Beaurieux, Aisne département, France. Titles Held *Assemblée Nationale The ...

, 1909 - 9 July 1910 *

Alfred Albert Martineau Alfred Albert Martineau (18 December 1859 in Artins – 25 January 1945 in Varennes) was a notable historian and colonial administrator in the French Colonial Empire. He wrote extensively on colonial affairs and the history of French colonial exp ...

, 9 July 1910 - July 1911 *

Pierre Louis Alfred Duprat Pierre Louis Alfred Duprat was a governor in the early 20th century French Colonial Empire. Titles held See also * Colonial and Departmental Heads of Guadeloupe (Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' continuation of office) No ...

, July 1911 - November 1913 *

Alfred Albert Martineau Alfred Albert Martineau (18 December 1859 in Artins – 25 January 1945 in Varennes) was a notable historian and colonial administrator in the French Colonial Empire. He wrote extensively on colonial affairs and the history of French colonial exp ...

, November 1913 - 29 June 1918 * (unknown), 29 June 1918 – 21 February 1919 *

Louis Martial Innocent Gerbinis (Dates in italics indicate ''de facto'' continuation of office) Note: currently, the prefect is not the true departmental head, which is the President of the General Council. The prefect is merely the representative of the national government. ...

, 21 February 1919 – 11 February 1926 *

Pierre Jean Henri Didelot Pierre Jean Henri Didelot (12 May 1870 in Paris – 30 October 1941 in Alpes-Maritimes). He was a colonial administrator in various colonies of the French Colonial Empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protector ...

, 1926–1928 *

Robert Paul Marie de Guise Robert Paul Marie de Guise (5 June 1872 – 7 December 1940) was a colonial administrator in various colonies of the French Colonial Empire. While he was Governor of Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, ...

, 1928–1931 * François Adrien Juvanon, 1931–1934 *

Léon Solomiac Léon Solomiac (19 October 1873 in Cajarc – 10 May 1960 in Cannes) was a colonial administrator in various colonies of the French Colonial Empire. Life Solomiac was a son of a shopkeeper. In the course of his career in the French colonial ser ...

, August 1934 – 1936 * Horace Valentin Crocicchia, 1936–1938 * Louis Alexis Étienne Bonvin, 26 September 1938–1945 * Nicolas Ernest Marie Maurice Jeandin, 1945–1946 *

Charles François Marie Baron Charles François Marie Baron was Governor (later High Commissioner) of French India from March 1946 to May 1949. References Titles French colonial governors and administrators Governors of French India {{France-diplomat-stub ...

, 20 March 1946 – 20 August 1947

Inde française French India, formally the ( en, French Settlements in India), 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 ...

became a

Territoire d'outre-mer The term overseas territory (french: territoire d'outre-mer or TOM) is an administrative division of France and is currently only applied to the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. The division differs from that of overseas department and ...

for France in 1946. Commissaires: *

Charles François Marie Baron Charles François Marie Baron was Governor (later High Commissioner) of French India from March 1946 to May 1949. References Titles French colonial governors and administrators Governors of French India {{France-diplomat-stub ...

, 20 August 1947 - May 1949 * Charles Chambon, May 1949 - 31 July 1950 *

André Ménard André Ménard (14 February 1907 in Blois, France – 4 November 1988 in Paris, France) was a Governor General in the French colonial empire in the 20th century. Significant events During his reign, the coup d'État de Yanaon happened on 13 Jun ...

, 31 July 1950 - October 1954 * Georges Escargueil, October 1954 - 1 November 1954

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

transfer to Republic of India High Commissioners: * Mr.

Kewal Singh Kewal Singh Choudhary (1915–1991) was an Indian diplomat, Foreign Secretary and India's ambassador to the USSR, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and USA. He was a 1955 recipient of the Indian civilian honour of Padma Shri. Early l ...

1 November 1954–1957 * M.K. Kripalani 1957–1958 * L.R.S. Singh 1958–1958 * AS Bam 1960 * Sanath Kumar Banerji 1961–1961

Notes

External links

Pondicherry from the origins to 1824

French Institute of Pondicherry The French Institute of Pondicherry (french: Institut français de Pondichéry) UMIFRE 21 is a French research centre in Puducherry, India, under the joint supervision of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French National Centre ...

Treaty establishing De Jure Cession of French Establishments in IndiaFrenchbooksonindia.com, an open access multilingual discovery tool with book data from 1531 to 2020, full-text ebooks from 1531 to 1937 and in-text search from c. 1830 to c. 1920
{{DEFAULTSORT:History Of Puducherry

Early period

European period

The end of French rule

Separation from France

Cession of Pondicherry and Karaikal

Cession of Chandernagore

Cession of Yanam

Cession of Mahe

Date of Events

List of French Governors in India

Notes

Further reading

External links