In the shimmering heat of the Indian subcontinent, during the mid-18th century, the stage was set for the Third Carnatic War (1756–1763). It was more than just a regional conflict; it was an echo of a larger global clash that stretched across continents: the Seven Years’ War. Through the lens of history, one perceives this not merely as an Anglo-French struggle in southern India, but rather, as an integral part of Britain's rise to global hegemony.

The roots of the Third Carnatic War lie intertwined with European politics. Britain and France, those eternal adversaries, once again locked horns in the battle for supremacy. In India, their conflict manifested through proxy wars between local rulers, backed separately by the British and the French. Both European powers coveted influence over the prosperous Indian subcontinent, not merely for its wealth, but for its strategic position in global trade.

British forces in the region, largely comprised of the East India Company’s troops, were pitted against the French East India Company’s forces. The theatre of war: the Carnatic region of southeastern India, a land of ancient temples and bustling ports. Commanding the British was Major-General Sir Eyre Coote, a man of noted strategic acumen and martial experience. His French counterpart, Comte de Lally-Tollendal, was a headstrong officer, determined to restore French fortunes in India.

A pivotal confrontation was the Siege of Madras in 1758. Lally, with a robust force, laid siege to Madras, a crucial British stronghold. But despite initial successes, he failed to capture the fort, and the British resisted valiantly. The balance of power, however, began to tilt decisively at the Battle of Wandiwash in 1760. Here, Coote's disciplined troops faced Lally's Franco-Indian army. With superior tactics and a dash of British grit, Coote managed to defeat the French comprehensively. This was not just a battle; it was a statement, a proclamation of British military ascendancy in the subcontinent.

Following Wandiwash, the British went on the offensive. They laid siege to Pondicherry, the crown jewel of French India. After a protracted siege, Pondicherry capitulated in 1761, dealing a grievous blow to French ambitions in India.

The war, in essence, concluded with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. While this treaty was primarily focused on European matters, its ramifications were global. In India, the French ceded their territories in the Carnatic to the British, retaining control only over Pondicherry, Mahe, Karaikal, and Yanam. The British East India Company, hence, emerged not just as a dominant trading entity, but as a formidable territorial power.

With the sagacity of hindsight, the Third Carnatic War can be seen as a turning point. It marked the decline of French influence in India and paved the way for the British consolidation of power. From the palaces of Mughals to the courts of the Carnatic, a new era was dawning, heralding the onset of British paramountcy in the Indian subcontinent.