Eustachius de Lannoy

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Eustachius de Lannoy surrenders to the Raja in 1741 (contemporary painting in the Padmanabhapuram palace)

Eustace Benedict de Lannoy (* thirtieth December 1715 in Arras , † 1. June 1777 in Padmanabhapuram , Tamil Nadu , India), a French nobleman and was an officer of the Dutch East India Company , the Indian kingdom for a general and commander in chief of the armed forces Travancore rose .

biography

His parents are unknown, he is said to have been born in Arras and come from the extensive aristocratic family de Lannoy , although the coats of arms on his preserved tombstone are not identical. Eustachius de Lannoy served as an officer in the Dutch East India Company. He was the leader of an armed fleet that landed at Colachel in August 1741 and was supposed to conquer Travancore or its then capital Padmanabhapuram. The battles - called "Battle of Colachel" ( English Battle of Colachel ) - failed and are one of the few examples in which Indian troops were victorious over the European colonial masters. The Dutch had to flee and de Lannoy was captured with 23 of his comrades. Among them was his lieutenant, later General Petrus Flory . A memorial today commemorates this event in Colachel.

Eustachius de Lannoy and his fellow prisoners were brought before Raja Marthanda Varma (1706–1758), King of Travancore. He granted them life and good employment if they entered his service. He was particularly interested in officers de Lannoy and Flory, as he wanted to bring his army up to European standards and equip them with the same weapons. The prisoners entered the service of the Indian state and they were settled in the Udayagiri Fort, which is located near the royal palace and which was later also called "Dillanai kotta" (De Lannoy's Fort).

General de Lannoy's private chapel in the Udayagiri Fort, Padmanabhapuram
General de Lannoy's grave

De Lannoy proved to be a loyal servant of his new master and brought his army to European level. He also knew about the production of rifles and gunpowder, which he made with his comrades in the Udayagiri Fort. Soon the king made him general and commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the princely state. He also had forts and defensive lines built and the like. a. the so-called "Travancore lines" (Indian Nedumkotta ) on the northern border of the principality. The ruler eventually took no further military action without first consulting de Lannoy. With his successor Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma (1724–1798) de Lannoy was also in high regard. The territorial consolidation and expansion of the state of Travancore at that time is largely due to the work of the Flemish.

Eustachius de Lannoy was a devout Catholic and asked to practice his religion freely. Raja Marthanda Varma had a chapel dedicated to St. Michael built for his private use in the Udayagiri Fort and even hired a state-paid priest for him. De Lannoy married a Christian Indian woman named Margarita, who came from a nearby fishing village, and had with her their son John, who died as a soldier in a battle commanded by his father.

The general died in 1777 at the age of 62 and was buried in his chapel, in the Udayagiri Fort, Padmanabhapuram. His son had been buried there before and his wife was buried there in 1782. The chapel is now in ruins, the graves, with high-quality contemporary tombstones in Latin and Tamil , are covered and protected from weathering. There is also the grave of Lannoy's deputy, General Petrus Flory († 1780). In southern India, the memory of Eustachius de Lannoy is still alive. He is popularly known there as "Valiya Kappithaan" or "Great Captain". The Udayagiri Fort with the ruins of the chapel and the tomb is open to tourists and can be visited. The grave slab bears the inscription:

“Wanderer, stand still! Here lies Eustachius Benedict de Lannoy, who as commander-general of the troops of Travancore served his king with the utmost loyalty for 37 years. By the power of his arms and his dreaded name, he subjugated all kingdoms between Kayamkulam and Cochin . He lived 62 years and 5 months and died on the 1st day of June, 1777. May he rest in peace. "

Special

In Padmanabhapuram de Lannoy befriended the Hindu nobleman and palace official Neelakandan Pillai . Pillai was impressed by his personality and his deep faith, which is why he wanted to become a Christian too. Before their change of faith, however, the Indian Catholics from de Lannoy's circle were caste-like among the lowest Indian population groups with whom high-ranking Hindus were not allowed to associate. The government tolerated the conversion of such people, but not that of the higher-ranking Hindus, the state-supporting class. Since Eustachius de Lannoy knew about the danger of a change of faith for a Hindu noble and royal servant, he sent him to Vadakkankulam , outside the state of Travancore, in a territory ruled by Muslims, for lessons and baptism . He provided him with a personal letter of recommendation to the local priest, Father JB Buttari SJ, who also feared serious complications and only baptized him on May 14, 1745 after a long hesitation. At baptism he was given the first name Devasahayam ("God helps"), by which he became known. Devasahayam Pillai was imprisoned for his conversion in 1749, tortured and executed in 1752, despite intervention by Eustachius de Lannoy; In 2012 he was beatified . Eustachius de Lannoy plays a key role in all publications about the blessed Devasahayam Pillai. J. Rosario Narchison wrote in 2002 in his book Martyr Devasahayam, a documented history (page 11): "The story of Devasahaym Pillai is that of a lay martyr, but it is also the story of a lay apostle named de Lannoy."

literature

  • J. Rosario Narchison: Martyr Devasahayam, a documented history. The Committee for the Beatification of Martyr Devasahayam, Nagercoil, 2002.
  • T. Maria Devasahayam: Lover of Christ, Devasahayam Pillai. Anal Publications, Paloor, Karingal 629151, Tamil Nadu, 2012.

Web links

Commons : Eustachius De Lannoy  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. T. Madhava Menon: A handbook of Kerala. Volume 1, International School of Dravidian Linguistics, 2000, ISBN 81-85692-27-0 , p. 171 ( books.google.de detail scan ).
  2. Gurbir Mansingh: French military influence in India. 2006, ISBN 81-87966-41-6 ( books.google.de detail scan ).
  3. ^ Website of the Department of Archeology Tamil Nadu, with description of the graves (3rd paragraph)
  4. Website of the state tourism authority for Udayagiri Fort

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