Editing Travancore (section)

===Formation and development of Travancore===

[[File:1733 Homann Heirs Map of India - Geographicus - India-homannheirs-1733.jpg|thumb|A map of the Malabar Coast in 1733. At that time, Travancore was only a small territory wedged between Kollam and [[Kanyakumari]], as shown in the map (Present-day districts of [[Thiruvananthapuram district]] and Kanyakumari only). The vast region of the Malabar Coast between [[Kannur]] and Kollam was under the control of the [[Zamorin of Calicut]] then. In the latter half of the 18th century Travancore inherited the kingdoms as far as [[Kingdom of Cochin|Cochin]] and became a powerful kingdom.]]

[[File:Padmanabhapuram Clock Tower.jpg|left|250px|thumbnail|[[Padmanabhapuram Palace]]]]

[[File:De Lannoy Surrender.JPG|thumb|left|250px|[[Eustachius De Lannoy]] of the [[Dutch East India Company]] surrenders to Maharaja [[Marthanda Varma]] of the Kingdom of Travancore after the [[Battle of Colachel]]. Depiction at [[Padmanabhapuram Palace]].l]]

In the early 18th century CE, the [[Travancore royal family]] adopted some members from the royal family of [[Kolathunadu]] based at [[Kannur]], and [[Parappanad]] in present-day [[Malappuram district]].<ref>Travancore State Manual</ref> The history of Travancore began with Marthanda Varma, who inherited the kingdom of Venad (Thrippappur), and expanded it into Travancore during his reign (1729–1758). After defeating a union of feudal lords and establishing internal peace, he expanded the kingdom of Venad through a series of military campaigns from [[Kanyakumari]] in the south to the borders of [[Kochi]] in the north during his 29-year rule.<ref name="Fuller1976">{{cite book|author=C. J. Fuller|author-link=Chris Fuller (academic)|title=The Nayars Today|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQM4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA17|access-date=17 September 2012|date= 1976|publisher=CUP Archive|isbn=978-0-521-29091-3|page=17}}</ref> This rule also included [[Travancore-Dutch War]] (1739–1753) between Travancore and the Dutch East India Company, which had been allied to some of these kingdoms.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}

In 1741, Travancore won the Battle of Colachel against the [[Dutch East India Company]], resulting in the complete eclipse of Dutch power in the region. In this battle, the Dutch Captain, [[Eustachius De Lannoy]], was captured. He later defected to Travancore.<ref name="AHoT 136">{{cite book|last1=Shungoony Menon|first1=P.|title=A History of Travancore from the Earliest Times|date=1878|publisher=Higgin Botham & Co.|location=Madras|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog/page/n184 136]–140|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog|access-date=5 May 2016|language=en}}</ref>

De Lannoy was appointed captain of His Highness' bodyguard<ref name="AHoT 136"/> and later Senior Admiral ("Valiya kappittan")<ref name="AHoT 162">{{cite book|last1=Shungoony Menon|first1=P.|title=A History of Travancore from the Earliest Times|date=1878|publisher=Higgin Botham & Co.|location=Madras|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog/page/n212 162]–164|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog|access-date=5 May 2016|language=en}}</ref> and modernised the [[Nair pattalam|Travancore army]] by introducing firearms and artillery.<ref name="AHoT 136"/> From 1741 to 1758, De Lannoy remained in command of the Travancore forces and was involved in annexation of small principalities.<ref name="9th Madras Regiment">
{{cite web
 |publisher    = The journal of India's Armed Forces
 |work         = Sainik Samachar
 |url          = http://mod.nic.in/samachar/april15-04/body.html#l1
 |title        = 9 Madras : A Tale of 'Terrors'
 |access-date  = 2007-04-20
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160312081154/http://mod.nic.in/samachar/april15-04/body.html#l1
 |archive-date = 12 March 2016}}</ref>

Travancore became the most dominant state in the Kerala region by defeating the powerful [[Zamorin]] of [[History of Kozhikode|Kozhikode]] in the battle of [[Purakkad]] in 1755.<ref name="AHoT 162"/> [[Ramayyan Dalawa]], the prime minister (1737–1756) of Marthanda Varma, also played an important role in this consolidation and expansion.

On 3 January 1750, (5 [[Makaram]], 925 [[Malayalam calendar|Kollavarsham]]), Marthanda Varma virtually "dedicated" Travancore to his tutelary deity [[Padmanabhaswamy Temple|Padmanabha]], one of the aspects of the Hindu God [[Vishnu]] with a lotus issuing from his navel on which [[Brahma]] sits. From then on the rulers of Travancore ruled as the "servants of Padmanabha" (the Padmnabha-dasar).<ref name="AHoT 171">{{cite book|last1=Shungoony Menon|first1=P.|title=A History of Travancore from the Earliest Times|date=1878|publisher=Higgin Botham & Co.|location=Madras|page=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog/page/n235 171]|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorytravanc00menogoog|access-date=5 May 2016|language=en}}</ref>

At the Battle of Ambalapuzha, Marthanda Varma defeated the union of the kings who had been deposed and the king of the [[Cochin kingdom]].{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}