In 1673, Sher Khan Lodi, the ruler of Valikandapuram under the Sultan of Bijapur granted Bellanger de l'Espinay a site for a settlement.
A shrewd and able administrator, François Martin, former director of the Machilipatnam lodge of French India, developed Puducherry, the future capital of French India in 1674, into a thriving port.
François Martin, his family and followers, including Father Tachard, were taken captives to Batavia.
He was the Commissioner of French East India Company before holding this post and was preceded by François Baron and succeeded by Pierre Dulivier.
His Mémoires provide an accurate account of early French settlements in the Indian subcontinent.