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CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA
HISTORY
Project on:-
Mysore war
Submitted To: Ms. Priyadarshini(Faculty for History)
Submitted By:Vagisha Pragya Vacaknavi
Roll No. 374
Semester II, 1st Year.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The present project on the Mysore War has been able to get its final shape with thesupport and help of people from various quarters. My sincere thanks go to all the
members without whom the study could not have come to its present state. I am proud
to acknowledge gratitude to the individuals during my study and without whom the
study may not be completed. I have taken this opportunity to thank those who
genuinely helped me.
With immense pleasure, I express my deepest sense of gratitude to Ms. Priyadarshini,
Faculty for History, Chanakya National Law University for helping me in my project.
I am also thankful to the whole Chanakya National Law University family that
provided me all the material I required for the project. I would also like to thank my
parents without whose blessings the completion of this project was not possible.
I have made every effort to acknowledge credits, but I apologies in advance for any
omission that may have inadvertently taken place.
Last but not least I would like to thank Almighty whose blessing helped me to
complete the project.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Method of ResearchThe researcher has adopted a purely doctrinal method of research. The researcher has
made extensive use of the library at the Chanakya National Law University and also
the internet sources.
Aims and Objectives:
The aim of the project is to present a detailed study of the “ Mysore War ”.
Scope and Limitations:
The project deals with the history and causes of the famous Mysore War and all the
details regarding the war.
Sources of Data:
The following secondary sources of data have been used in the project-
1. Books
2. Websites
Method of Writing:
The method of writing followed in the course of this research paper is
primarily analytical.
Mode of Citation:
The researcher has followed a uniform mode of citation throughout the course of this
research paper.
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CONTENTS
Introduction 5-8
The 1st
Mysore War 9-10
The 2
nd
Mysore War 11-14
The 3rd
Mysore War 15-16
The 4
th
Mysore War 17-18
Contributions of Tipu Sultan and Haider Ali 19-23
Critical Analysis 24-25
Bibliography 26
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INTRODUCTION
The Kingdom of Mysore (1399 – 1947 AD) was a kingdom of Southern India,
traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city
of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as
a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire. With the decline of the Vijayanagara
Empire (circa 1565), the kingdom became independent. The 17th century saw a
steady expansion of its territory and, under Narasaraja Wodeyar I and Chikka
Devaraja Wodeyar, the kingdom annexed large expanses of what is now southern
Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu to become a powerful state in the
southern Deccan1.
The kingdom reached the height of its military power and dominion in the latter half
of the 18th century under Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, who deposed the
Wodeyars to take control of the kingdom. During this time, it came into conflict with
the Marathas, the British and the Nizam of Golconda which culminated in the four
Anglo-Mysore wars. Success in the first two Anglo-Mysore wars was followed by
defeat in the third and fourth. Following Tipu's death in the fourth war of 1799, large
parts of the kingdom were annexed by British which signaled the end of a period of
Mysorean hegemony over southern Deccan. The British, however, restored the
Wodeyars to the throne by way of a subsidiary alliance and a diminished Mysore wasnow transformed into a Princely state. The Wodeyars continued to rule the state
until Indian independence in 1947, when Mysore acceded to the Union of India.
The State of Mysore rose to prominence in the policies of South India under the
leadership of Haider Ali. Haider Ali was born at Budikot in the state of Mysore in
1721. His father entered into the military service of the hindu ruler of Mysore,
received the rank of Faujdar and the jagir of Budikot. He died in 1728 when Haider
Ali was only seven years of age. His family suffered very much till Haider Ali gota job in the army. At that time, the king was Krishna Raj but the de facto power of the
state was in the hands of his minister, Nanj Raj. The Karnataka wars helped in the rise
of Haider Ali. When Nasir Jang, Nizam of Hyderabad, was murdered, a part of his
treasure, per chance, fell into the hands of Haider Ali. He increased the number of his
soldiers and trained them on the model of the French army. He gradually received
higher ranks and accompanied Nanj Raj to attack Trichinopoly. There he, per chance,
could capture a few cannons of the British. In 1755, he was appointed the Faujdar of
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Mysore last visited on 13.4.2010
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Dindigul. During the next five years, he enhanced his power and prestige at the court
enormously and, finally, succeeded in capturing power of the state from the hands of
Nanj Raj. In 1761, he became the de facto ruler of Mysore though the Hindu ruler
remained as the nominal sovereign who was simply shown to his subjects once a year.The wars of successions in Karnataka and Hyderabad, the conflict of the English and
the French in the South and the defeat of the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat
provided him opportunity for extending and consolidating the territory of Mysore. He
gradually conquered the neighbouring territories like Bednur and Kanara and forced
the chiefs of the important forts like those of Ballapur, Raidurg, Chittaldurg to accept
his suzerainty. Thus, Haider Ali succeeded in making Mysore a string state in the
South and himself becoming its master. It certainly provoked the jealousy of the
Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad. He was defeated by Peshwas Madhav Rao in
1764, forced to sign a treaty in 1765, surrendered him a part of his territory and also
agreed to pay rupees twenty eight lakhs per annum. The Nizam, however, did not act
alone but preferred to act in league with the English which resulted in the First Anglo
Mysore war2.
Even as a princely state, Mysore came to be counted among the more modern and
urbanized regions of India. This period (1799 – 1947) also saw Mysore emerge as one
of the important centers of art and culture in India. The Mysore kings were not only
accomplished exponents of the fine arts and men of letters, they were enthusiastic
patrons as well and their legacies continue to influence music and art even today.
The Mysore Wars, fought between 1767 and 1799 were the first and gravest threats to
British dominions, after they had established their supremacy in India during the
Carnatic Wars. It was war between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India
Company. There were several reasons why they were especially difficult and
dangerous for Britain. First, Hyder Ali and his son Tippoo Sultan were exceedingly
determined and energetic in their opposition to Britain. Other native armies that
Britain faced were often poorly generalled and poorly equipped, but such was not the
case in the Mysore Wars. Hyder Ali and his son were long time allies of the French,
employed foreign officers in his armies, and were sophisticated in the used of
European weapons. They were clever diplomats as well as generals, and turned
several of Britain's allies against her.
2 Page 69, History of Modern India by L.P. Sharma
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Second, the East India Company did not have effective leadership for many years
from the time Clive left India to the arrival of Warren Hastings in 1773, and the
Madras presidency, which was responsible for the wars, was poorly administered. The
Company had experience in extracting revenue, and in fighting battles, but did nothave an over-arching vision to guide their policies, and was not equipped to deal with
the demands of properly governing the territories which they had acquired. In short,
the Company was poorly administered during this period, and its activities were
highly controversial even at the time. It was in fact, only during the Mysore wars, that
British fully realized that maintaining the status quo was not an option, and they
would either have to fight for their empire in India, and govern it properly, or lose it
altogether.
Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan remain controversial figures. They bravely and
competently resisted British rule, yet at the same time they were brutal tyrants who
held human life in low regard. They burned villages, terrorized the natives, forced
many of their subjects to relocate or convert to Islam, and ruled mainly by ruthless
coercion. They had courage and resolve, but unlike other Indian rulers, such as Akbar,
they had not the magnanimity required of truly great leaders.
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought in India over the last three
decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East
India Company, represented chiefly by the Madras Presidency. The fourth war
resulted in the overthrow of the house of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan (who was killed
in the final war, in 1799), and the dismantlement of Mysore to the benefit of its pro-
British allies.
The First Anglo-Mysore War saw Hyder Ali inflicting crushing defeats on the
combined armies of the Marathas, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the British. The
Kingdom of Mysore gained large tracts of land to the north after this war.
The Second Anglo-Mysore War saw the rise of Tipu Sultan as a powerful military
leader. Soldiers from Mysore decimated British armies in the east, repelled a joint
Maratha-Hyderabad invasion from the north and captured territories in the south. The
war was ended in 1784 with the Treaty of Mangalore, at which both sides agreed to
restore the others' lands to the status quo ante bellum.
In the Third Anglo-Mysore War, Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore and an ally of
France, invaded the nearby state of Travancore in 1789, which was a British ally. The
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resultant war lasted three years and resulted in a resounding defeat for Mysore. The
war ended after the 1792 siege of Seringapatam and the signing of the Treaty of
Seringapatnam according to which Tipu had to surrender half of his kingdom to the
East India Company.The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War saw the defeat of the kingdom of Mysore. Mysore's
alliance with the French was seen as a threat to the East India Company and Mysore
was attacked from all four sides. Tipu's troops were outnumbered 4:1 in this war.
Mysore had only 35,000 soldiers, whereas the British commanded 60,000 troops. The
Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas launched an invasion from the North. The
British won a decisive victory at the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799. Tipu was killed
during the defence of the city. Much of Tipu Sultan's territory was annexed by the
British, the Nizam and the Marathas. The core of it, around Mysore and
Seringapatam, was handed over to the Indian prince belonging to the Wodeyar
dynasty, whose forefathers had been overthrown by Hyder Ali, and whose
descendants ruled the Kingdom of Mysore until 1947 when it joined the Union of
India.
The Battles of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764) which established British dominion
over East India, the Anglo-Mysore wars (1766-1799) and the Anglo-Maratha Wars
(1775-1818) consolidated the British claim over South Asia, resulting in the British
Empire in India, though pockets of resistance among the Sikhs, Afghans and Burmese
would last well into the 1880s3.
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Mysore_Wars"
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The 1 st
Mysore War
The First Anglo-Mysore War (1766-1769) was a war in India between the Kingdom
of Mysore and the British East India Company.
Hyder Ali, ruler of Mysore, had begun to occupy the serious attention of the British
government in Calcutta. In 1766 the British entered into an agreement with the Nizam
of Hyderbad to equip him with troops to be used against the common threat.
Shortly after this alliance been formed when a secret arrangement was made between
the two Indian powers, and Colonel Smith's small force was met with a united army
of 50 000 men and 100 guns. Superior British training and military discipline,
however, prevailed, first in the battle of Chengam (September 3, 1767), and again still
more remarkably in that of Tiruvannamalai (Trinornalai).
Following the loss of his recently built fleet and forts on the western coast, Hyder Ali
now offered overtures for peace; on the rejection of these, bringing all his resources
and strategy into play, he forced Colonel Smith to raise the siege of Bangalore, and
brought his army within 5 miles of Madras.
The result was the treaty of April 1769, providing for the mutual restitution of all
conquests, and for mutual aid and alliance in defensive war.
This war was followed by the Mysore-Maratha war from 1769 to 1772 which saw
Mysore cede some territory to the Marathas. The British did not assist Mysore in this
war, in what Hyder Ali considered a violation of the agreement between himself and
the British. He blamed Mysore's losses on the British and his grievances played some
role in the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
In 1765, the Nizam of Hyderabad sought the help of the English in Madras against
Haider Ali which was agreed to in return for the surrender of Northern Sarkars to
them. The Marathas also joined this alliance in 1766.
The war started when the Marathas attacked Mysore in 1766. Haider Ali purchased
peace with the Marathas on payment of rupees thirty five lakhs to them. Half of the
amount was paid immediately and for the rest, the district of Kolar was handed over
to them as security. The Marathas, then, returned. Next, the Nizam attacked Mysore
with the help of an English force under Joseph Smith. But the attack did not quite
succeed. In September 1767, the Nizam left the side of the English and joined hands
with Haider Ali. Smith could not face their combined forces and retreated toTrichinopoly where Colonel Wood joined him. The Nizam and Haider Ali failed to
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gain any success in the battle near Trichinopoly and, in December 1767, Haider Ali
was defeated at another place. The English planned to attack Hyderabad which broke
up spirits of the Nizam. He left the side of Haider Ali and entered into a treaty with
the English in March 1768 on the following terms:(a) The Nizam agreed to the terms of the previous treaty signed with the English.
(b) The Nizam regarded Haider Ali as an usurper and refused to acknowledge his
right to rule Mysore.
(c) The Nizam granted the right of Diwani of Mysore to the English.
(d) The Nizam agreed to help the English and the Nawab of Karnataka to punish
Haider Ali.
This treaty made the English and Haider Ali permanent enemies of each other because
of the grant of Diwani of Mysore to the English by the Nizam once it was conquered.
The treaty also left Haider Ali without any ally. He, however, did not lose courage.
He defeated an English force sent by the English from Bombay and captured
Manglore. In March 1769, he attacked Madras and forced the English to sign a treaty
on 4 April 1769. Its terms were as follows:-
(a) Both the parties returned the conquered territories of each other.
(b) Haider Ali gave the district of Karur to the Nawab of Karnataka.
(c) Both parties promised to help each other in case of any foreign attack on them.
Thus, ended the first Anglo-Mysore War. But, it was no peace between the two for
maintaining friendly relations with each other but a temporary truce between two
enemies.
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The 2 nd
Mysore War
The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-1784) was a conflict in India between the
Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Mysore. At the time, Mysore was a
key French ally in India, and the Franco-British conflict raging on account of the
American Revolutionary War helped spark Anglo-Mysorean hostilities in India.
Haidar Ali was ruler of Mysore (though he did not have the title of king). Stung by a
British breach of faith during an earlier war against the Marathas, Haidar Ali
committed himself wholeheartedly to the French alliance and to revenge against the
British. On the French declaration of war against Britain in 1778, the British (then
firmly entrenched in Madras) resolved to drive the French out of India. The British
captured Mahé on the Malabar coast in 1779, and annexed certain lands belonging to
a dependent of Haidar's4. Haidar 'Ali sprung at the opportunity to strike back, and
succeeded in making himself master of all that the Marathas had taken from him.
With an empire extended to the Krishna River, he descended through the passes of the
Ghats amid burning villages, reaching Conjeeveram, only 45 miles (72 km) from
Madras, unopposed. Not till the smoke was seen from St Thomas' Mount, where Sir
Hector Munro commanded some 5200 troops, was any movement made; then,
however, the British general sought to effect a junction with a smaller body under
Colonel Baillie recalled from Guntur. The incapacity of these officers,
notwithstanding the splendid courage of their men, resulted in the total destruction of
Baillie's force of 2800 (September 10, 1780)5.
A great victory Tipu Sultan, the eldest son of Hyder Ali, had taken great interest in
the Mysore-Maratha war of 1769-72. After the death of Peshwa Madhava Rao in
1772, he was sent to the northern part of Mysore to recover the territories which the
Marathas had occupied. By the time of Second Mysore war he had gained great
experience both of warfare and diplomacy. In September 1780 he inflicted crushing
defeat on Colonel Baillie near Polilur. This was the first and the most serious blow the
British had suffered in India. The whole detachment was either cut or taken prisoners.
Of the 86 European officers 36 were killed, and 3820 were taken prisoners of whom
508 were Europeans. The British had lost the flower of their army. Baillie himself was
4
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taken prisoner. This defeat caused so much consternation in Madras that half of its
Black Town was deserted. Sir Hector Munnro, the hero of Buxar, who had defeated
three rulers of India (Mughal Emperor Shah Alam, Oudh Nawab Shuja-ud-daula and
the Bengal Nawab Mir Qasim) in a single battle, would not face Tipu. He ran for hislife to Madras throwing all his cannons in the tank of Conjeevaram. Tipu inflicted a
serious defeat on Colonel Braithwaite at Annagudi near Tanjore on 18 Feb 1782. This
army consisted of 100 Europeans 300 cavalry, 1400 sepoys and 10 field pieces. Tipu
seized all the guns and took the entire detachment prisoners. The total force, of a few
hundred Europeans, was the standard size of the colonial armies that had caused
havoc in India before Haider and Tipu. In December 1781 Tipu had successfully
seized Chittur from British hands. Thus Tipu had gained sufficient military experience
by the time Haider died in December 17826. The humbling of the British The
Second Mysore war came to an end by the Treaty of Mangalore. It is an important
document in the history of India. It was the last occasion when an Indian power
dictated terms to the British, who were made to play the role of humble supplicants
for peace. Warren Hastings called it a humiliating pacification, and appealed to the
king and Parliament to punish the Madras Government for "the faith and honor of the
British nation have been equally violated." The British would not reconcile to this
humiliation, and worked hard from that day, March 11, 1784, to subvert Tipu's power.
The Treaty redounds great credit to the diplomatic skill of Tipu. He had honorably
concluded a long-drawn war. He frustrated the Maratha designs to seize his northern
possession. The great advantage was the psychological impact of his victory with the
British, the mode of conclusion was highly satisfactory to him. The march of the
Commissioner all the way from Madras to Mangalore seeking peace made Munnro
remark that such indignities were throughout poured upon the British" that limited
efforts seemed necessary to repudiate the Treaty at the earliest time." Such public
opinion in the country highly gratified Tipu who felt it was his great triumph over the
British. That was the only bright spot in his contest with the British, the only proud
event which had humbled a mighty power. Warren Hastings sent from Bengal Sir
Eyre Coote, who, though repulsed at Chidambaram, defeated Haidar three times in
succession in the battles of Porto Novo, Pollilur and Sholingarh, while Tipu was
forced to raise the siege of Wandiwash, and Vellore was provisioned. Tipu defeated
6 http://www.indianetzone.com/37/second_mysore_war_1780-1783_british_india.htm
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Brathwaite on the banks of the Coleroon in February 1782. On the arrival of Lord
Macartney as governor of Madras, the British fleet captured Negapatam, and forced
Hyder Ali to confess that he could never ruin a power which had command of the sea.
He had sent his son Tipu to the west coast, to seek the assistance of the French fleet,when his death took place suddenly at Chittur in December 1782. The young Tipu
Sultan therefore took over the war effort. The British captured Coimbatore in 1783,
but neither they nor Mysore were able to obtain a clear overall victory. The war was
ended in 1784 with the Treaty of Mangalore, at which both sides agreed to restore
the others' lands to the status quo ante bellum. This was the second of four Anglo-
Mysore Wars7.
It had happened that the English alienated both the Nizam of Hyderabad and Haider
Ali by their acts. They did not pay the annual amount of rupees seven lakhs to the
Nizam of Hyderabad which they had agreed to pay him by the treaty of 1768. They
helped the Nawab of Karnataka in capturing Tanjore. They also took over the district
of Guntur from Basalat Jung who was a relative of the Nizam. The Nizam, therefore,
felt offended. Haider Ali also did not like the occupation of Guntur by the English.
The English had also failed to help him against the Marathas in 1771 for which they
were obliged by the treaty with him in 1769. In 1779, the English captured the French
possessions at Mahe which were under the protection of Haider Ali. This infuriated
Haider Ali and he decided to take revenge on the English. The English had also
interfered in the affairs of the Marathas and the first Maratha War had already started.
Therefore, Haider Ali made a common cause with the Nizam and the Marathas and all
the three agreed to fight against the English. It was agreed that the Marathas would
attack the English possessions in the North through Berar and Madhya Bharat, the
Nizam would attack the Northern Sarkar and Haider Ali would attack Madras and its
neighbouring territories.
In July 1780, Haider Ali entered the plain of Karnataka with 83,000 soldiers and one
hundred cannons. The English despatched one force under Colonel Baillie and
another one under Sir Hector Munro to oppose him. Tipu, the son of Haider Ali,
advanced to check the combination of the two armies. He fought a battle against
Baillie near Kanjeevaram. Baillie and his entire force was cut down to pieces. Munro
who was waiting for Baillie at Kanjeevaram was so demoralised that he immediately
7 http://www.indhistory.com/mysore-war-2.html
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retreated to Madras. By December 1780, Haider Ali captured Arcot and put the
English in a most difficult position. The English lost all their possessions in Karnataka
except the sea-coast.
Warren Hastings, the governor general of the company, however did not lose heart.He moved diplomatically and attempted to win favour of the Nizam and the Marathas.
He handed over the district of Guntur to the Nizam who left the side of Haider Ali.In
the same way, the Bhonsle and the Sindhia were tackled diplomatically and both
agreed to leave the cause of Haider Ali. Haider Ali was, thus, left alone to fight
against the English.
In 1781, Sir Eyre Coote defeated Haider Ali at Porto Novo and Tipu was obliged to
raise the siege of Wandiwash. Another force from Bengal under the command of
Colonel Pearse also joined Eyre Coote and their combined force fought an indecisive
battle against Haider Ali at Polilur. However, in September 1781, Eyre Coote
defeated Haider Ali at Solinghur and the English captured Negapatam in November.
But, in the next round, the English faced defeat. Tipu besieged Tanjore and captured
it. In 1782, the French Admiral, Suffrein reached Madras to support Haider Ali. The
French captured Cuddalore and Trincomali from the English while the attempt of
Eyre Coote to capture Arni and the attack of the English from Bombay on Malabar
failed. No party could make further progress for some time due to the rainy season. At
that very time, Haider Ali died of cancer on 7 December 1782. Eyre Coote who had
returned to Bengal also died on 26th
April 1783.
Tipu continued fighting against the English even after the death of his father. The
English government at Bombay deputed Brigadier Mathews to attack Manglore and
Bednore. He was, however, defeated and imprisoned by Tipu. But in June 1783, the
French withdrew from the fighting because France concluded a treaty with Britain. It
was a serious loss to Tipu. The English also succeeded in capturing Palghat and
Coimbatore. But when Colonel Fullerton proceeded towards Srirangapatam, the
capital of Mysore, he was recalled by the governor at Madras, Macartney, who had
opened negotiations for peace with Tipu because of serious financial difficulties. By
that time Tipu had also become desirous of peace.
On 7 March 1784 the treaty of Mangalore was signed between the two parties. Both
agreed to return the conquered territories of each other and also the prisoners of war.
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The 3rd
Mysore war
The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1789-1792) was a war in South India between the
Kingdom of Mysore and the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was the third of four Anglo-
Mysore Wars8. The third contest between the English and the Mysore took place
when Cornwallis came to India as the Governor-General of the Company. Tipu was
determined enemy of the English. He was trying to seek alliance of foreign powers
against the English and for that purpose had sent his ambassadors to France and
Turkey. Cornwallis, therefore, was convicted of the necessity of subduing Tipu and
described the war against him as a “cruel necessity”. Cornwallis also tried to find
allies from among the native rulers. He made a settlement with the Nizam of
Hyderabad concerning the district of Guntur. Tipu was not consulted while making
this agreement which convinced him that the English were preparing for a war against
him.
Tipu had grievances against the Raja (king) of Travancore who was a dependant ally
of the English. He had provided shelter to many enemy chiefs of Tipu who used to
attack the territories of Tipu in Malabar. He had purchased two ports from the Dutch
which were regarded by Tipu well within his territory. He had raised a protective wall
which, as Tipu claimed, had crossed his boundary. Tipu desired to settle his conflicts
with him the good offices of the English but when he received no reply from him, he
attacked his kingdom in December 1789.
Cornwallis took all precautions before declaring war against Tipu. He entered into
negotiations both with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Marathas
entered into a treaty with the English on 1st
June 1790 and the Nizam on 4th
July 1790.
Both agreed to help the English against Tipu. It was also agreed that the conquered
territory would be divided between the three allies. Though the burden of the war fell
mostly on the shoulders of the English, yet they were assured that Tipu would be left
alone in fighting against them. The English, then, declared war against Tipu in 1790.
Tipu fought the war alone which continued for two years. The first attack of the
English under General Medows failed. Therefore, in December 1790, Cornwallis
himself took the command of the army. He proceeded towards Banglore via Vellore
and Ambur and captured it in March 1791. In May, the English reached Arikera
8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Anglo-Mysore_War
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which was nearly nine miles away from the capital of Mysore, Srirangapatam. Tipu,
however, fought bravely and the English retreated during the rainy season. In
November 1791, Tipu succeeded in Coimbatore. But, his power was exhausted.
Cornwallis captured all hill forts. Tipu felt need for negotiations with English
9
.Cornwallis agreed and the Treaty of Srirangapatam was concluded in March 1792. Its
terms were:-
1) Tipu surrendered half the territory of his kingdom to the allies. A part of it
was given to the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Marathas extended their
boundary up to the river Tungabhadra. The English obtained Malabar and
sovereignty over the Raja of Coorg.
2) Tipu agreed to pay more that 3,000,000 pounds to the English as war
indemnity.
3) Tipu also surrendered his two sons to the English as hostages.
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The 4 th
Mysore War
The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798 – 1799) was a war in South India between the
Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company under General Harris. He
had taken over as Governor-General of the Company after Lord Charles Cornwallis.
Tipu did not forget his defeat and humiliation at the hands of the English in the 3rs
Mysore War. He prepared himself to restore his lost power and prestige. He further
fortified his capital, increased the number of his infantry and cavalry and improved
their training, suppressed the rebellious chiefs and encouraged agriculture. In 1796,
the titular Hindu Raja of Mysore died and Tipu refused to place his minor son even
nominally on the throne and declared himself as Sultan. He sought alliance with
foreign powers against the English. Tipu desired to take revenge from English.
Lord Wellesley, who came to India as governor-general of the company in 1798 was
equally anxious to finish Tipu forever. He was determined to eliminate the influence
if the French from the courts of native rulers including that of Mysore. E was an
imperialist. He opened negotiations with the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas.
The Nizam entered into a treaty with the English in September 1798. Wellesley
assured the Peshwa that he would give him half of the territory captured from Tipu
after the war. He declared war against Tipu in 179910.
One English army under General Harris and Arthur Wellesley marched from Vellore
and attacked Mysore in March 1799. Another army under General Stuart attacked
Mysore from the West. Stuart defeated Tipu at Sedaseer and Harris defeated him at
Malvelly. Tipu took shelter in Srirangapatam and the English besieged it and captured
it on 4th
May 1799. Tipu died fighting and his son surrendered himself to the English.
The 4th
Mysore war destroyed the state of Mysore which was strengthened and taken
over by Haider Ali thirty three years back.
The state of Mysore was finished by the English. It was grand success to Wellesley
and he was rewarded the title of Marquess by the English government.
The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798 – 1799) was a war in South India between the
Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company under General Harris. He
had taken over as Governor-General of the Company after Lord Charles Cornwallis.
Napoleon's landing in Egypt in 1798 was intended to threaten India, and Mysore was
10 History of Modern India by L.P.Sharma
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a key to that next step, as the ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, was a staunch ally of
France. Although Horatio Nelson crushed Napoleon's ambitions at the Battle of the
Nile, three armies - one from Bombay, and two British (one of which contained a
division that was commanded by Colonel Arthur Wellesley the future 1st Duke of Wellington) - nevertheless marched into Mysore in 1799 and besieged the capital,
Srirangapatnam after some engagements with the Tipu's armies. On May 4, the armies
broke through the defending walls and Tipu Sultan, rushing to the breach, was shot
and killed. Tipu was betrayed in this war by one of his commanders, Mir Sadiq, a
traitor who was bought by the British. He sent the army to collect wages at the height
of the battle thus giving the British a chance to enter through the hole made through
bombardment of the wall. It is also known that he spread water in the basement where
the ammunition was stored, making the ammunition unusable. One notable military
advance championed by Tipu Sultan was the use of mass attacks with rocket brigades
in the army. The effect of these weapons on the British during the Third and Fourth
Mysore Wars was sufficiently impressive to inspire William Congreve to invent
Congreve rockets11
. This was the last of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. The British
took indirect control of Mysore, restoring the Hindu Wodeyar dynasty to the Mysore
throne (with a British commissioner to advise him on all issues). Tipu's young heir,
Fateh Ali, was sent into exile. The Kingdom of Mysore became a princely state of
British India, and ceded Coimbatore, North Kanara, and South Kanara to the British.
11 www.Fourth Anglo-Mysore War Summary.htm
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Contributions of Tipu sultan and haider ali
Hyder Ali (1722 – 1782) was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern
India. He is said to have induced his brother to employ a Parsi to purchase artillery
and small arms from the government of Bombay Presidency, and to enrol some thirty
sailors of different European nations as gunners, and is thus credited with having been
"the first Indian who formed a corps of sepoys armed with firelocks and bayonets, and
who had a train of artillery served by Europeans. He induced Shamaiya Iyengar into
his ministry as minister of post and police and later Shamaiya served under Tipu
Sultan12
.
Hyder Ali was the great-grandson of an Islamic fakir from Gulbarga, Deccan. His
father was a naik or chief constable at Budikote, near Kolar in present-day Karnataka.
He was born in Budhikote between 1717 and 1722.According to some historians
Hyderali was born in 1721[1]
. As a youth, Hyder assisted his brother, a commander of
a brigade in the Mysore Army, and acquired a useful familiarity with the tactics of the
French when at the height of their reputation under Joseph François Dupleix.
At the siege of Devanhalli (1749) Hyder's services attracted the attention of Nanjaraja,
the minister of the Raja of Mysore, and he at once received an independent command;
within the next twelve years his energy and ability had made him completely master
of minister and raja alike, and in everything but in name he was ruler of the kingdom.
In 1763 the conquest of Kanara gave him possession of the treasures of Bednor, with
which he resolved to make a splendid capital in India, under his own name,
thenceforth changed from Hyder Naik into Hyder Ali Khan Bahadur. Hyder Ali
now began to occupy the serious attention of the Madras Presidency, which in 1766
entered into an agreement with the Nizam of Hyderabad to furnish him with troops to
be used against the common foe. But hardly had this alliance been formed when a
secret arrangement was come to between the two Indian powers, the result of which
was that Colonel Smith's small force was met with a united army of 50,000 men and
100 guns. British dash and sepoy fidelity were devastated, first in the Battle of
Chengam (September 3, 1767) and again, even more remarkably, in that of
Tiruvannamalai (Trinornalai). In February 1768, the British captured Mangalore from
Hyder. The Portuguese had offered to help Hyder against the British. But when they
12 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyder_Ali
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betrayed Hyder, he directed his anger towards the Mangalorean Catholics, since they
had been converted to Christianity by the Portuguese. Towards the end of 1768,
Hyder defeated the British and re-captured Mangalore fort, where the Mangalorean
Catholics were taking refuge. Around 15,675 of them were taken as prisoners toMysore by Hyder.
On the loss of his recently-made fleet and forts on the western coast, Hyder Ali now
offered overtures for peace; on the rejection of these, bringing all his resources and
strategy into play, he forced Colonel Smith to raise the siege of Bangalore, and
brought his army within 5 miles (8.0 km) of Madras. The result was the treaty of April
1769, providing for the mutual restitution of all conquests, and for mutual aid and
alliance in defensive war; it was followed by a commercial treaty in 1770 with the
authorities of Bombay. Under these arrangements Hyder Ali, when defeated by the
Marathas in 1772 (three wars were fought between 1764 and 1772 by Madhavrao
Peshwa against Hyder Ali, in which Hyder Ali lost), claimed British assistance, but in
vain; this breach of faith stung him to fury, and thenceforward he and his son did not
cease to thirst for vengeance. His time came when in 1778 the British, on the
declaration of war with France, resolved to drive the French out of India. The capture
of Mahé on the Malabar coast in 1779, followed by the annexation of lands belonging
to a dependant of his own, gave him the needed pretext for the Second Anglo-Mysore
War.
With the empire extended to the Krishna River, he descended through the passes of
the Western Ghats amid burning villages, reaching Kanchipuram (Conjeevaram), only
45 miles (72 km) from Madras, unopposed. Not till the smoke was seen from St.
Thomas Mount, where Sir Hector Munro commanded some 5200 troops, was any
movement made. Then, however, the British general sought to effect a junction with a
smaller body under Colonel Baillie recalled from Guntur. The incapacity of these
officers, notwithstanding the splendid courage of their men, resulted in the total
destruction of Baillie's force of 2800 (September 10, 1780). Warren Hastings sent
from Bengal Sir Eyre Coote, who, though repulsed at Chidambaram, defeated Hyder
thrice successively in the battles of Porto Novo, Pollilur and Sholingarh, while Tipu
Sultan was forced to raise the siege of Vandavasi (Wandiwash), and Vellore was
provisioned. On the arrival of Lord Macartney as governor of Madras, the British fleet
captured Nagapattinam (Negapatam), and forced Hyder Ali to confess that he could
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never ruin a power which had command of the sea. He had sent his son Tipu to the
west coast, to seek the assistance of the French fleet, when his death took place
suddenly at Chittoor in December 1782.
Hyder Ali invaded Tanjore in 1781, at the height of the Second Mysore War. Col.Braithwaite tried to stem his advance but was defeated and had to surrender. Hyder
extracted the allegiance of the Maratha king Thuljaji and plundered the country.
Cattle and crops were destroyed. The gross produce of the Tanjore kingdom fell from
10,439,057 in 1780 to 1,578,520 in 1781. It further slid to 1,370,174 in 1782. The
ravages of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan were followed by alleged expeditions of
plunder launched by the Kallars. There was scarcity of food and work and the
economy was shattered. The kingdom of Tanjore did not recover from the effects of
the invasion till the start of the 19th century. The period of suffering referred to in
local folklore as Hyderakalabam is considered to be one of the darkest periods in the
region's history since the invasions of the Kalabhras.
Sultan Fateh Ali Tipu (November 1750, Devanahalli – 4 May 1799,
Srirangapattana), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the
Kingdom of Mysore13
. He was the first son of Hyder Ali by his second wife, Fatima
or Fakhr-un-nissa. His full name is Sultan Fateh Ali Khan Shahab or Tipu Saheb Tipu
Sultan. In addition to his role as ruler, he was a scholar, soldier, and poet. He was a
devout Muslim but the majority of his subjects were Hindus. At the request of the
French, he built a church, the first in Mysore. In alliance with the French in their
struggle with the British both Tipu Sultan and Haider Ali did not hesitate to use their
French trained army against the Marathas, Sira, Malabar, Coorg and Bednur. He was
proficient in many languages. He helped his father Haider Ali defeat the British in the
Second Mysore War, and negotiated the Treaty of Mangalore with them. However, he
was defeated in the Third Anglo-Mysore War and in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
by the combined forces of the British East India Company, the Nizam of Hyderabad
and to a lesser extent, Travancore. Tipu Sultan died defending his capital
Srirangapattana, on 4 May 1799.
Under his leadership, the Mysore army proved to be a school of military science to
Indian princes. The serious blows that Tipu Sultan inflicted on the British in the First
and Second Mysore Wars affected their reputation as an invincible power. Dr. APJ
13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipu_Sultan
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Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, in his Tipu Sultan Shaheed Memorial
Lecture in Bangalore (30 November 1991), called Tipu Sultan the innovator of the
world’s first war rocket. Most of Tipu Sultan's campaigns resulted in successes. He
managed to subdue all the petty kingdoms in the south. He defeated the Marathas andthe Nizams and was also one of the few Indian rulers to have defeated British armies.
He is said to have started a coinage system, banking system, a new calendar, and a
new system of weights and measures. Tipu was supposed to become a Sufi, but his
father Haider Ali insisted he become a capable soldier and a great leader.
He was called the Tiger of Mysore. It is said that Tipu Sultan was hunting in the forest
with a French friend. He came face to face with a tiger. His gun did not work, and his
dagger fell on the ground as the tiger jumped on him. He reached for the dagger,
picked it up, and killed the tiger with it. That earned him the name "the Tiger of
Mysore". He had the image of a tiger on his flag.
Tipu Sultan was instructed in military tactics by French officers in the employment of
his father, Hyder Ali (also spelled "Haidar Ali"). At age 15, he accompanied his father
Haidar Ali against the British in the First Mysore War in 1766. He commanded a
corps of cavalry in the invasion of Carnatic in 1767 at age 16. He also distinguished
himself in the First Anglo-Maratha War of 1775 – 1779.
Tipu Sultan led a large body of troops in the Second Mysore War, in February 1782,
and defeated Braithwaite on the banks of the Kollidam. Although the British were
defeated this time, Tipu Sultan realized that the British were a new kind of threat in
India. Upon becoming the Sultan after his father's death later that year, he worked to
check the advances of the British by making alliances with the Marathas and the
Mughals.
Tipu Sultan defeated Colonel Braithwaite at Annagudi near Tanjore on 18 February
1782. The British army, consisting of 100 Europeans, 300 cavalry, 1400 sepoys and
10 field pieces, was the standard size of the colonial armies. Tipu Sultan seized all the
guns and took the entire detachment prisoner. In December 1781 Tipu Sultan
successfully seized Chittur from the British. Tipu Sultan had thus gained sufficient
military experience by the time Haidar Ali died in December 1782.
The Second Mysore War came to an end with the Treaty of Mangalore. It was the last
occasion when an Indian king dictated terms to the mighty British, and the treaty is a
prestigious document in the history of India.
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The Second Mysore War is also remembered for alleged excesses committed by
Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in Tanjore.
There were over 26,000 soldiers of the British East India Company comprising about
4000 Europeans and the rest Indians. A column was supplied by the Nizam of Hyderabad consisting of ten battalions and over 16,000 cavalry, and many soldiers
were sent by the Marathas. Thus the soldiers in the British force numbered over
50,000 soldiers whereas Tipu Sultan had only about 30,000 soldiers. The British
broke through the city walls, and Tipu Sultan died defending his capital on May 4.
When the fallen Tipu was identified, Wellesley felt his pulse and confirmed that he
was dead. Tipu Sultan was killed at the Hoally (Diddy) Gateway, which was located
300 yards from the N.E. Angle of the Srirangapattana Fort. The Fort Gateway had
been built only 5 Years earlier to Tipu’s death.
Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan as regarded as pioneers in the use of solid fuel rocket
technology or missiles for military use. A military tactic developed by Tipu Sultan
and his father, Haidar Ali was the use of mass attacks with rocket brigades on infantry
formations.
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Critical analysis
The Anglo-Mysore wars were four wars conducted by British forces against Hyder
Ali (1722 – 1782) and his son Tipu Sultan (1749 – 1799), the rulers of the kingdom of
Mysore (now Karnataka), in southern India, during 1767 – 1769, 1780 – 1784, 1790 –
1792, and March – May 1799. The final conflict ended with the death of Tipu Sultan
during his defense of Seringapatam, Tipu's capital.
Mysore was a rich agricultural territory with many superbly built hill forts, and it was
a prize that the British East India Company saw as holding the key to a large conquest
of southern India and to blocking French aspirations in the region. The wars began
when Hyder Ali was fighting the Marathas to the north, and the British lent support to
the Nizam (ruler) of Hyderabad, who then invaded Mysore territory with a British
detachment. Hyder got the Marathas on his side, won over the Nizam, and then vented
his fury on the British, who were based in Madras and outlying towns. Hyder reached
the walls of Madras City, where he dictated a treaty to the panic-stricken residents.
His exasperation with the British flared anew in the Second Anglo-Mysore War,
caused by the British failure to honor the treaty and render him assistance in his
renewed struggle with the Marathas. Again Hyder marched on Madras, this time
hoping to get assistance from the French based in Pondicherry. It failed to materialize.
During this war Hyder Ali died of cancer, but his son Tipu Sultan took up the crusade
against the British, who made peace with him in 1784 (the Treaty of Mangalore).
The next war began because the British in Madras wrote to the nizam of Hyderabad
that they would help him regain territories lost to Tipu's forces. Anticipating further
hostilities, Tipu attacked Travancore and thereabouts in 1789 – 1790. The British then
entered into league with the Nizam and also with the peshwa, the chief minister of the
Marathas. In 1790 the British moved into southern Mysore, but Tipu denied them any
clear victories. Lord Charles Cornwallis (1738 – 1805), the governor-general of India,
then assumed command himself. He captured Bangalore and moved toward
Seringapatam, just outside Mysore City. Now Tipu's scorched earth policy brought
famine into the British camp and obliged Cornwallis to retreat. He had more success
in a subsequent campaign, and in 1792 besieged Seringapatam. This led to Tipu's
submission, and another treaty was concluded in March. Tipu was obliged to
surrender two of his sons as hostages, pay a massive indemnity, and cede up half of his dominions, which were then incorporated into the British East India Company
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territories as the "Ceded Districts". Tipu also was forced to cede territory to the
Marathas and the Nizam.
The Fourth Mysore War, a three-month engagement, was caused by Tipu's refusal to
accept an alliance with the British. The new governor-general, Lord RichardWellesley (1760 – 1842), suspected Tipu's intentions because following the previous
treaty Tipu had tried to form alliances with France, Istanbul, and the shah of
Afghanistan, hoping to drive the British out of India altogether. Three armies, one led
by Arthur Wellesley (1769 – 1852), the future Duke of Wellington, converged on
Seringapatam and with two fierce attacks brought the war to an end. Tipu's dead body
was found, sword in hand, among those of his soldiers at a north gate, on 4 May 1799.
The nizam was given some of the captured territory, but much of it was restored as
the Kingdom of Mysore under Krishnaraja, the maharaja of Mysore, and remained
with Mysore until 1947. The alliance with the British was finally signed.
Thus it is seen that the State of Mysore which flourished under the power and control
of Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan war totally ruined by the English. The four
Anglo-Mysore wars brought an end to the prosperous state of Mysore. Both Tipu
Sultan as well as Haider Ali failed to save Mysore from the successive attacks of the
English army and in the end it was captured by the English.
By doing this project I came to know a lot of facts about the Southern state, Mysore,
and the heroes of the four Mysore Wars, i.e., Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan.
It was a wonderful experience in doing this project. It also shows how the princely
states of India were ruined one by one through foreign invasion.
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Bibliography
Books referred:-
Mahajan, V.D. “Modern Indian History”. S. Chand Publishers: India, 2003.
Sarkar, Sumit. “Modern India”. Macmillan India Ltd: New Delhi, 2005.
Sharma, L.P. “History of Modern India”. Konark Publishers Pvt. Ltd: 2004.
Internet sources:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Mysore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Mysore_Wars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Anglo-Mysore_War
http://www.indhistory.com/mysore-war-2.html
http://www.indianetzone.com/37/second_mysore_war_1780-
1783_british_india.htm
http://www.indianetzone.com/37/second_mysore_war_1780-
1783_british_india.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Anglo-Mysore_War
http://sify.com/itihaas/fullstory.php?id=13258672
http://www.indhistory.com/mysore-war-3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Anglo-Mysore_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipu_Sultan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyder_Ali