Anglo-Mysore Wars(1767 – 1799)

Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars between the British and the Kingdom of Mysore in the latter half of the 18(th) century in Southern India. 

The Conquest of Mysore: British expansion of Power in Mysore

Haider Ali started his career as a soldier in the Mysore state, where he later became the Faujdar of Dindigul. With the help of the French he was able to establish a modern arsenal in Dindigul. And in 1761, Haider Ali overthrew the Nanjaraja, the prime minister of Wodeyar kingdom under King Krishnaraja I. He kept recognizing the king as lawful ruler.

For the conquest of Mysore, the English fought four wars with Mysore, let us look at them one by one.

Haider Ali §  Haider Ali (1721-1782), born in an obscure family, started his career as a horseman in the Mysore army under the ministers of king Chikka Krishnaraja Wodeyar. o    He was uneducated but intellectual and diplomatically & militarily skilled. §  He became the de facto ruler of Mysore in 1761 and introduced western methods of training into his army with the help of the French army. §  With his excellent military skills, he took over the Nizami army and the Marathas and captured Dod Ballapur, Sera, Bednur and Hoskote in 1761- 63 and brought to submission the troublesome Poligars of South India (Tamil Nadu). o    Poligars or Palaiyakkarars were appointed as military chiefs and administrative governors from the time of the Vijayanagara Empire in parts of Southern India. They also collected taxes from the cultivators. §  Recovering from their defeat, the Marathas under Madhavrao attacked Mysore, and defeated Haidar Ali in 1764, 1766, and 1771. §  To buy peace, Haidar Ali had to give them large sums of money, but after Madhavrao’s death in 1772, Haidar Ali raided the Marathas a number of times during 1774-76, and recovered all the territories he had previously lost, besides capturing new areas.

First Anglo Mysore War (1767-69):

A tripartite alliance was formed against Haider Ali by the Britishers, the Nizam Ali of Hyderabad and the Marathas. Haider Ali bought Marathas and succeeded in breaking the alliance and alluring the Nizam with territorial gains. Together with the Nizam he launched an attack on Arcot and later on the English by appearing at the gates of Madras.

The panic-stricken Madras government signed the Treaty of Madras on 4th April 1769, under which basis was mutual restitutition of each other’s territories and a defensive alliance, where the English committed to help Haider in case he was attacked by another power.

The Second Anglo Mysore War (1780-84):

Mutual distrust between the English and Haider Ali caused the Second Anglo Mysore War. Haider Ali accused the Company of not observing the terms of the defensive treaty when they refused to help him when the Marathas attacked Mysore in 1771. Furthermore, Haider Ali was helped by the French by meeting his military demands.

On international front, the outbreak of the American war of independence where French alliance with the American colonists was evident. These developments made Warren Hastings extremely suspicious of Haider Ali’s relations with the French. The British captured Mahe, a French settlement which was within Haider’s protection. This led to the formation of an alliance by Haider Ali with the Hyderabad Nizam and the Marathas against the English Company in 1779.

The second Anglo Mysore War began in July 1780, when Haider attacked the Carnatic and captured Arcot by defeating an English army under Colonel Baillie. Meanwhile the English, detached the Marathas and Nizam from Haider’s side. After being deserted, Haider was defeated at Porto Novo  in 1781.

In 1782, Haider died, leaving the task unfinished for his son, Tipu, who continued the war with English for another year. The war ended with the Treaty of Mangalore (March 1784) on the basis of mutual restitution of each other’s territories was agreed.

Tipu Sultan §  Born in November 1750, Tipu Sultan was Haidar Ali’s son and a great warrior also known as the Tiger of Mysore. §  He was a well educated man fluent in Arabic, Persian, Kanarese and Urdu. §  Tipu, like his father Haider Ali, gave maximum care to the raising and maintenance of an efficient military force. o    He organised his army on the European model with Persian words of command. o    Though he took the help of the French officers to train his soldiers, he never allowed them (French) to develop into a pressure group. §  Tipu was well aware of the importance of a naval force. o    In 1796, he set up a Board of Admiralty and planned for a fleet of 22 battleships and 20 large frigates. o    He established three dockyards at Mangalore, Wajedabad and Molidabad. However, his plans did not fructify. §  He was also a patron of science and technology and is credited as the ‘pioneer of rocket technology’ in India. o    He wrote a military manual explaining the operation of rockets. o    He was also a pioneer in introducing sericulture to the Mysore State. §  Tipu was a great lover of democracy and a great diplomat who gave his support to the French soldiers at Seringapatam in setting up a Jacobin Club in 1797. o    Tipu himself became a member of the Jacobin Club and allowed himself to be called Citizen Tipu. o    He planted the Tree of Liberty at Seringapatam.

The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790-92):

The third Anglo Mysore War was caused by an attack on Travancore by Tipu, because he had differences with the Raja of Travancore in 1790. The English declared war against Tipu supporting the ruler of Travancore. They were helped by the Maratha and Nizam’s troops under the English army which was led by Cornwallis and marched towards Seringapatam (1792).

Tipu offered tough resistance but eventually signed the Treaty of Seringapatam in March 1792 resulting in the surrender of nearly half of Mysore territory to the victorious allies in Third Anglo Mysore War. Tipu also had to pay a war indemnity of over three crores rupees.

The British hence acquired the areas of Baramahal, Dindigul and Malabar.

The Marathas gained territory on the Tungabhadra side.

The Nizam acquired territories stretching from river Krishna to beyond the Pennar.

The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799):

Under Wellesley, the Governor-General of English, it was demanded that Tipu Sultan give up his friendship with the French. In the Fourth War between Anglo-Mysore. Tipu Sultan died. English fought with the Marathas and the Nizam’s support in battlefield along with their own forces from Madras and Bombay converging.