THE CONSTABLE GOVERNOR OF TRANQUEBAR 
(1655-1672)

Dr. P. JOTHIPACKIAM  Reader in History.

Eskild Anderson came with the last ship in 1643 to Tranquebar and served as the constable at Dansborg since then. He was the chief gunner. In 1655 Paul Hansen died without having appointed his successor which created a vaccum at the helm of affairs leading to serious snag in the administration. There was a leadership and administrative crisis in the company administration at Tranquebar. Hence the situation in Tranquebar was serious.

Moreover there was an undue long gap of nearly three decades (1643 - 1669 = 26 yrs) during which no communication could be established between Tranquebar and Copenhagen and the working relation between the two were temporarily Gut off.

As the communication could not be established with Copenhagen for consultation for sloving the succession question (Crisis), the garrison (Soldiers) the people of Tranquebar had to find a Governor themselves. They chose and elected the chief gunner at Dansborg Constable Eskild who had Game along with Leiel in the last ship in 1643, as Governor of Tranquebar - going a long way down the social ladder of the period, but at the same time making a wise decision. It proved and turned out to be the right choice. It was due to Eskild that the fort and the town were kepi in Danish hands.

During the middle of the 17th Century the political situation in southern India no longer favoured Tranquebar. The Nayak of Tanjore was besieging Tranquebar every year. As a counter Eskild made an alliance with local Prince, the Ramanayak, who sent soldiers for help, The skeleton Danish garrison could count on active and effective support from a local dignitary Ramnaik.

The endemic wars between Tanjore and her neighbours also Game to involve Tranquebar. Hard pressed in his wars with Madura, Ginji and Bijapur, the Nayak of Tanjore tried the military means to squeeze money out of the Danes and inhabitants of the Danish settlement. For nine months the Nayak blockaded Tranquebar, sided the Danes during the siege and managed to keep his army away from the town. This long siege was the immediate background for the development of Tranquebar into a fortified town.

In 1646 Leiel had enlarged two of Dansborg's four bastions. In 1655 shortly before his death Poul Hanson strengthened the bastions on the north and the eastside of the fort.

After withstanding a series of siege in the mid 1660's by the Nayak of Tanjore, the Danish Governor Eskild had built a stone wall around the town and strengthened the walls with four large massive gun towers, apparently constructed after Indian military tradition.
He had strengthened Dansborg and constructed the impressive fortifications around the town of
Tranquebar. Also he had provided the fort and the fortifications with guns and even ordered fourteen brass guns from the famous foundries in Cambay north of Surat. Thus he transformed the open settlement into a fortified town. The development of Tranquebar from an open town into a fortified town completely changed its structure and appearance.

In 1667 or a year later, Eskild Anderson had to pay the Nayak the sum of 8000 pardons. In 1669 the frigate from Copenhagen had reached Tranquebar. Not only it had brought money for new fortifications but troops and military equipments too. At once a speedy modernisation of defence began. The walls were replaced by stone-faced earthern ramparts, the gun towers were gradualy replaced by bastions and a moat was dug. From the letter of Eskild in 1669, it is known that he had used more than 11,000 pardons for improvements in the Dansborg.
Every or every second year he had sent out ships to increase the capital of the fort and he had 19000 pardons in gold and silver. He had armed the ships with 14 guns which he had cast at Camboja. This must indicate economic progress at the colony during the period.

In 1669 the Tanjore state was on the point of military collapse after more than ten years of war with Madura, Ginji and Bijapur. The Danes decided to exploit the situation. Their freshly arrived force was thrown into conflict and by military means the Nayak was compelled in 1670 to cede a district of about 50 sq.k. meters to the Danes.

Eskild had held Tranquebar for fourteen years (14 years) and had waged successful war against the Nayak of Tanjore and the great Mughals. He was in excellent terms with other European powers in Asia and with Sultan of Bantum. He disposed of well-equipped ships, well-stocked magazines and a considerable amount of ready money. In spite of the tempting offers from the Dutch he was unwilling to give up the fort without the express command of their king. The constable Governor rose to the occasion and did not belie the hope and expectations of the soldiers and the public who elected him. He carried. on the administration in an exemplary way to the best of his ability and to the fullest satisfaction of the people. It should be known that he was in no way inferior in administrative calibre compared to any of his predecessors at Tranquebar. Nowhere in the Danish Colonial history we find a parallel to this incident of a constable, a personnal in the lowest rung of the administration, all of a sudden put on a pedestal of the highest gubernatorial post and the con stable Governor proving his mettle at the apex of the administrative set up.

As a reward he was appointed the King's Governor of Tranquebar for his life time. He had served in that capacity with distinction and became a prodigy.