Tipu Sultan of Mysore

Learn about Tipu Sultan of Mysore, his life, administration, Anglo-Mysore Wars, military innovations, treaties, achievements, and important facts for TNPSC and competitive exams.

Tipu Sultan

• He introduced a new currency system and a new system of weights and measures.
• Tipu Sultan supported the French government in India.
• He took a keen interest in the French Revolution.
• He planted the “Tree of Liberty” at Srirangapatna.
• He became a member of the Jacobin Club.
• He introduced the “Mauludi calendar.”
• After 1796, he undertook efforts to build a modern navy.
• The person who said, “It is better to live one day as a lion than a lifetime as a sheep” = Tipu Sultan.
• “To live like a lion for a day is far better than to live for a hundred years like a jackal” said by = Tipu Sultan (for Subsidiary Alliance)
• He sent envoys to France, Turkey, Iran, and Burma to promote foreign trade.
• The first Indian ruler to open embassies in foreign countries = Tipu Sultan.
• He also traded with China.
• He sought to boost trade with Russia and Arabia by establishing state trading companies in port cities.
• He provided funds for the restoration of the idol of Goddess Sharada at the Sringeri temple, which had been plundered by Maratha cavalrymen in 1791.
• The person known as the “Pioneer of Rocket Technology” = Tipu Sultan.
• “Citizen Sultan, you are informed of our victories. You have sent an embassy to Mauritius… You shall be delivered from the iron yoke of the English.” said by = Napoleon Bonaparte (Letter written from Cairo, 1799)
• “The country of Tipu was well cultivated, populous, the people industrious, and its condition was prosperous beyond that of any other state in India.” said by = Sir John Shore (Governor-General, 1793–1798)

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Tipu Sultan – Basic Facts

• Name = Tipu Sultan
• Also known as = Tiger of Mysore
• Father = Hyder Ali
• Mother = Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa
• Born = 20 November 1750
• Birthplace = Devanahalli, near Bengaluru
• Became ruler = 1782
• Capital = Srirangapatna
• Died = 4 May 1799
• Place of death = Srirangapatna
• Major opponents = British East India Company
• Major wars = Second, Third and Fourth Anglo-Mysore Wars

Tipu Sultan’s Early Military Career

• Tipu Sultan received military training from an early age.
• He participated in military campaigns under his father.
• During the Second Anglo-Mysore War, he played an important military role.
• After Hyder Ali died in 1782, Tipu Sultan took over the leadership of Mysore.

Tipu Sultan and the Second Anglo-Mysore War

• After Hyder Ali’s death, Tipu continued the war.
• The conflict finally ended with = Treaty of Mangalore – 1784

Significance

• The war ended without a decisive British conquest of Mysore.
• The parties restored territories captured during the war.
• It is often regarded as the last major treaty in India negotiated by the British East India Company on relatively equal terms with an Indian power.
• Exam Point = Second Anglo-Mysore War → 1780–84 → Hyder Ali + Tipu → Treaty of Mangalore

Third Anglo-Mysore War – 1790–1792

• Main opponent of Tipu = Lord Cornwallis
• Cornwallis marched towards Srirangapatnam.
• Tipu was eventually forced to negotiate.

Treaty of Srirangapatnam – 1792

• The war ended with the = Treaty of Srirangapatnam (1792)
• This was a major setback for Tipu Sultan.
• Surrender approximately half of his territories.
• Pay a large indemnity.
• Give two of his sons as hostages to the British until the terms were fulfilled.
• Exam Point = Third Anglo-Mysore War → 1790–1792 → Cornwallis → Treaty of Srirangapatnam
• At the end of the Third Anglo-Mysore War, the person who stated, “We have effectively crippled our enemy without making our friends too formidable,” was Lord Wellesley.

Tipu Sultan’s Foreign Policy

• Tipu Sultan attempted to obtain foreign assistance against the British.
• He maintained diplomatic relations with = France, Ottoman Empire, Afghanistan and other powers in the broader Islamic world
• French connection = Planted a “Tree of Liberty” at Srirangapatna (1797) and enrolled as a member of the French Jacobin Club (styled as “Citizen Tipu”).

Fourth Anglo-Mysore War – 1799

• Main British leader = Lord Richard Wellesley
• He was the Governor-General of India from 1798 to 1805.
• British allies = Nizam of Hyderabad, Maratha forces/Maratha political interests, British commanders
• Important commanders included = General George Harris, Colonel Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington

Fall of Srirangapatam – 1799

• British forces attacked Srirangapatam, the capital of Mysore.
• The city fell in May 1799.
• Tipu Sultan fought during the defence of the city.

Death of Tipu Sultan

• 4 May 1799
• Tipu Sultan was killed while defending Srirangapatam.
• Exam fact = Tippu Sultan died fighting the British at Srirangapatam in 1799.
• “India is now ours” said by = Lord Wellesley (Richard Wellesley, Governor-General)

After the Death of Tipu Sultan

• The British dismantled much of Tipu’s political power.
• Mysore’s territories were redistributed among the victors and allies.
• The Wodeyar dynasty was restored to the Mysore throne.
• A subsidiary alliance relationship was established with Mysore.
• Exam Point = 1799 → Tipu defeated → Wodeyar dynasty restored → British influence greatly increased.

TNPSC One-Liner Facts

• Tippu Sultan became ruler of Mysore in 1782.
• The Third Anglo-Mysore War occurred from 1790–1792.
• Lord Cornwallis led the British during the Third Anglo-Mysore War.
• The Third Anglo-Mysore War ended with the Treaty of Seringapatam.
• Tipu surrendered approximately half his territory in 1792.
• Tippu’s two sons were given as hostages under the 1792 settlement.
• The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War took place in 1799.
• Lord Wellesley was Governor-General during the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.
• Tippu Sultan died on 4 May 1799.
• Tippu Sultan died defending Srirangapatam.
• After Tipu’s defeat, the Wodeyar dynasty was restored.
• Mysore became subject to increased British influence.
• Mysore was famous for its iron-cased rockets.
• Tipu promoted sericulture.
• Tipu maintained diplomatic relations with France.
• Tippu Sultan is commonly called the Tiger of Mysore.
• The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War ended Mysore’s major independent resistance to British expansion in South India.