Mysore War

Hyder Ali

The state of Mysore rose to prominence in the politics of South India under the leadership of Hyder Ali.

In 1761 he became the de facto ruler of Mysore.

The war of successions in Karnataka and Haiderabad, the conflict of the English and the French in the South and the defeat of the Marathas in the Third battle of Panipat (1761) helped him in attending and consolidating the territory of Mysore.

Hyder Ali was defeated by Maratha Peshwa Madhav Rao in 1764 and forced to sign a treaty in 1765.

He surrendered him a part of his territory and also agreed to pay rupees twenty-eight lakhs per annum.

The Nizam of Haiderabad did not act alone but preferred to act in league with the English which resulted in the first Anglo-Mysore War.

Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan succeeded Hyder Ali in 1785 and fought against British in III and IV Mysore wars.

He brought great changes in the administrative system.

He introduced modern industries by bringing foreign experts and extending state support to many industries.

He sent his ambassadors to many countries for establishing foreign trade links. He introduced new system of coinage, new scales of weight and new calendar.

Tipu Sultan organized the infantry on the European lines and tried to build the modern navy.

Planted a ‘tree of liberty’ at Srirangapatnam and became a member of the Jacobin Club

Mysore Wars

The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767-69)-Treaty of Madras

The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-1784)-Treaty of Mangalore

The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1789-1792)- Treaty of Srirangapattanam

The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799)

The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767-69):

The main causes of this war were Haider's ambition to drive the British away from the Carnatic and finally from India and the British realization of the threat posed to them by

A tripartite alliance was formed against Hyderby the British, the Nizam and the Marathas.

Haider's success in breaking the alliance and declaration of war on the British. The war ended with the defeat of British.

The panic-stricken Madras government concluded the humiliating Treaty of Madras in 1769 on the basis of mutual restitution of each other's territories and a defensive alliance between the two parties committing the English to help Hyder Ali in case he was attacked by another power.

Treaty of Madras: It was signed by Hyder Ali and the allies consisting of the Company, the Raja of Tanjore, and the Malabar ruler.

The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-1784)

The treaty of 1769 between Hyder Ali and the English company proved more in the nature of a truce and Hyder Ali accused the company of not observing the terms of the defensive treaty by refusing to help him when the Marathas attacked Mysore in 1771.

Hyder found the French more helpful than the English. Further in 1778 English in India seized the French settlements including Mahe a port which was very crucial for Hyder Ali for the entry of supplies.

Hyder Ali tried to take Mahe port but in vain.

He arranged a joint front with the Nizam and the Marathas against the common enemy -the English East India Company. The war lasted from 1780-1784.

But he died in 1782 and was succeeded by his son Tipu Sultan.

Tipu continued the war for another year but absolute success eluded both the sides.

Tired of war the two sides concluded peace Treaty of Mangalore.

By this Treaty it was decided that English would return Srirangapatnam to Tipu and Tipu would handover Fort of Badnur to English.

Treaty of Mangalore: Both sides agreed to a mutual restoration of possessions (barring the forts of Amboorgur and Satgur) and Tipu undertook not to make any claims on the Carnatic in future. Tipu agreed to release all prisoners of war and he had to restore the factory and privileges possessed by the Company at Calicut until 1779.

The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1789-1792)

War between Tipu Sultan and British began in 1789 and ended in Tipu's defeat in 1792.

Even though Tipu fought with exemplary bravery, Lord Cornwallis the Governor General had succeeded through shrewd diplomacy in isolating him by wining over the Marathas, the Nizam and the rulers of Travancore and Coorg.

This war again revealed that the Indian powers were short-sighted enough to aid the foreigner against another Indian power for the sake of temporary advantages.

The Third Mysore War came to an end by the Treaty of Srirangapatnam in March 1792.

Treaty of Srirangapatnam: This treaty resulted in the surrender of nearly half of Mysore territory to the British.

Tipu also had to pay a war indemnity of over three crores of rupees.

The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799)

With his defeat in the third Anglo-Mysore war, Tipu was burning with revenge.

He wanted to get back his territory and to achieve that objective he carried on negotiations with the French and Zaman Shah of Kabul.

Tipu wanted his allies to expel the English.

Lord Wellesley after making Subsidiary Alliance with the Nizam asked Tipu Sultan to accept the same but he refused.

Mysore was attacked from two sides.

The main army under General Harris supported by Nizam's subsidiary force under Arthur Wellesley attacked Mysore from the east while another army advanced from Bombay.

Tipu was at first defeated by the Bombay army and was later on defeated by the General Harris at Mallavalli. Tipu died fighting bravely.

The members of his family were interned at Vellore.

A boy of the earlier Mysore royal family was installed on the Gaddi of Mysore and a Subsidiary Alliance was imposed.

Thus, the fourth Mysore War destroyed the state of Mysore which was ruled by Hyder Ali 33 years.