Which one among the following was the fundamental cause of the first Karnataka war between the British and the French?

The First Carnatic War (1746–1748) was primarily an extension of the War of the Austrian Succession in Europe [2]. When Britain and France became adversaries in Europe in 1740 following the death of the Austrian ruler Charles VI, their rivalry inevitably spread to their colonial interests in India [3]. Although the French Governor Dupleix initially sought neutrality, the conflict was precipitated when a British naval squadron under Commodore Barnett seized French ships to provoke hostilities [3]. This European power struggle transformed the trading companies into military rivals on Indian soil [4]. While trade competition and Dupleix's later political ambitions were significant factors in the broader Anglo-French rivalry, the fundamental cause that triggered this specific first conflict was the global geopolitical alignment resulting from the Austrian succession crisis.

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 3: Advent of the Europeans in India > Background of Rivalry > p. 44
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 3: Advent of the Europeans in India > The French > p. 45
3. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 16: The Coming of the Europeans > First Carnatic War: 1746-1748 > p. 255
4. [4] https://nsktu.ac.in/storage/2022/11/CDOE-Study-Sastri-3rd-year-Paper-3-History.pdf