The Malabar coast had long been the haunt of Maratha pirates, who
interfered greatly with the native trade between India and Arabia and
Persia. In defense of the interests of his Mohammedan subjects the Mogul
emperor at length, in the early part of the eighteenth century, fitted
out a fleet, under the command of an admiral known as the Sidi. But there
happened to be among the Marathas at that time a warrior of great daring
and resource, one Kunaji Angria. This man first defeated the Sidi, then,
in the insolence of victory, revolted against his own sovereign, and set
up as an independent ruler.
By means of a well-equipped fleet of grabs and gallivats he made himself
master of place after place along the coast, including the Maratha
fortress at Suwarndrug and the Portuguese fort of Gheria. His successors,
who adopted in turn the dynastic name of Angria, followed up Kunaji's
conquest, until by the year 1750 the ruling Angria was in possession of a
strip of territory on the mainland a hundred and eighty miles long and
about forty broad, together with many small adjacent islands.
For the defense of this little piratical state Angria's Marathas
constructed a number of forts, choosing admirable positions and
displaying no small measure of engineering skill. From these strongholds
they made depredations by sea and land, not only upon their native
neighbors, but also upon the European traders, English, Dutch, and
Portuguese; swooping down on unprotected merchant vessels and even
presuming to attack warships.
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