The Tiger

of

Mysore

The Territory of Mysore

Krishna-Raja Wadiyar (Woodeyar)
of the Wadiyar Dynasty of Mysore.

Rise of Hyder Ali

The Kingdom of Mysore had been a part of the ancient Vijayanagar Empire, however after its collapse the region of Mysore had managed to retain its independence from Mughal control. However from 1731 two ministers - Nanjaraj and Devaraj had usurped power and made the King Chikka Krishna Raja a mere puppet. Almost three decades later, a shrewd, powerful and energetic leader, by the name of Hyder Ali, overthrew Nanjaraj and established his own rule over Mysore.

Hyder Ali belonged to a little known family, was uneducated and joined the Mysore army as a petty official. However, because of his keen intellect, daring and determination he utilized every opportunity that came his way and gradually rose in rank and experience. After overthrowing Najaraj, Hyder Ali quelled the rebelious poligars and established his control over them as well.

Since Hyder Ali was very keen to build his army and Europeanize them, he hired French experts to help him set up a modern arsenal and equipment. He also brought about reforms in administration and revenue collection by adopting the Mughal administration and revenue systems. . His efforts led Mysore to become one of the most powerful states in India at the time!

But there arose one major problem here; since Mysore was surrounded by the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas in the North and the British in in Madras, Hyder Ali was often embroiled in fighting wars with the powerful and ambitious Marathas. The British took advantage of this hostility between the two regional kingdoms to finally establish its foothold in South India.

Map of Southern India showing British occupied and protected territories and the Kingdom of Mysore.

The Anglo-Mysore Wars

The territorial expansion of Mysore under Hyder Ali and the pace at which he had risen to power worried the British. Hyder Ali and later his son Tipoo Sultan did not trust the British and as a result did not welcome any alliance or treaties with them.

In fact Tipoo Sultan recognized the imperial ambitions of the British and hence even tried to create alliances with many foreign powers like the Ottomans, Afghanistan and France. Some records mention that Tipoo Sultan even sent a grand mission to Louis XVI at Versailles, France, in 1788 and in return received skilled munition experts, gunsmiths and engineers!

In order to counter the threat of Hyder Ali and Tipoo Sultan in Mysore, the British decided to ally with Marathas, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Nawab of Carnatic. With these allies to back them, the British launched an attack on Mysore. This led to the First Anglo-Mysore War in 1767 CE. However, Hyder Ali, being the skilled strategist and brave warrior that he was, neutralized the combined threat of the Marathas and the Nizam and then chased the British almost up to Madras.

This was the first defeat of the British on Indian soil. The East India Company then signed a treaty with Hyder Ali in 1769 CE (Treaty of Madras) which formally ended the war.

In 1771, the Marathas attacked Mysore, however the British refused to honor the terms of the Treaty of Madras, which required them to send aid to Mysore in the event of it being attacked. Hyder Ali lost this battle with the Marathas and was forced to cede some territories to them. This angered Hyder Ali, and so when the British attacked the French port of Mahe which was technically under his protection, Hyder did not waste time in attacking the British. This led to the Second Anglo-Mysore War in 1780. In the midst of this war, Hyder Ali died in 1782 CE, however Tipoo Sultan continued the fight, captured many British location and finally succeeded in securing a favorable Treaty of Mangalore .

In 1789-90 the British allied with the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas yet again and launched an attack on Mysore. Tipoo Sultan who had now assumed control of Mysore after the death of his father, on seeing that his capital of Seringapatanam was besieged by the British was forced to sign a peace treaty - Treaty of Seringapatnam - with the British in 1792 CE. This treaty concluded the Third Anglo-Mysore War, via which Tipoo had to hand over two of his sons as hostages to the British, pay 33 million rupiyas as war indemnity and surrender half his territories.

The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War took place in 1798 CE under the Governorship of Lord Wellesley. The Treaty of Seringapatnam had failed to bring peace between the British and Mysore. Lord Wellesley had proposed that Tipoo Sultan sign a Subsidiary Alliance, however he had refused. This laid down the base for the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, in which Tipoo Sultan died fighting to protect his capital of Seringapatnam in 1799 CE. The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War saw the British emerge as victors and also brought them closer to consolidating their hold over India.

Tipoo Sultan's sons taken as hostages by the British.

The storming of Seringapatnam - Tipoo Sultan's final battle, 1799 CE.

Plan (Map) of Seringapatnam and its surrounding areas.

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