Anglo-Mysore Wars

Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan fought four wars against the British before the final surrender of the Mysore Sultanate to the British authority in 1799. These wars are known as the Anglo-Mysore Wars and are the longest military confrontations in the history of India. These wars were fought for control over the Mysorean territories between the British and the rulers of Mysore. The Marathas, the Nawab of Carnatic, and the Nizam of Hyderabad from time to time aligned with the British East India Company (EIC) to subdue the Mysore ruler. Because, the growing power of Mysore under Haider Ali worried the nearby Marathas, the Nawab of Carnatic, and the Nizam of Hyderabad, who were all concerned about Mysore’s increasing influence. However, EIC solely wanted to expand its territory, initially, they supported Martha over Mysore later they fought with Martha as well. The EIC’s intentions in Mysore and the Maratha states were mainly driven by commercial interests. Haidar and Tipu’s dominance over the spice trade along the Malabar coast raised concerns for the British, as it directly affected their trading interests in pepper and cardamom. Additionally, the strength of Mysore posed a challenge to the British East India Company’s control over the region of Madras. These above events led to the foundation of Anglo Mysore wars which lasted from 1767 to 1799 in four different time periods. 

Background of the Anglo-Mysore Wars

The Wodeyars of Mysore was a territory of the erstwhile Vijayanagar empire and became independent with the fall of Vijaynagar in 1565. The dynasty reached its peak under Chikka Devaraja who ruled from 1673-1704. He divided his administration into 18 departments called Chavadis and introduced a coherent system of taxation. Later, Chikka Krishnaraja Wodiyar II ruled from 1734 to 1766 and maintained two administrative posts or ministers called Nanjara (Sarvadhikari) and Devraj (Dulwai; Who held de facto powers) respectively. In this ruling time frequently attacked by Maratha and Nizam. In 1759 Chikka Krishnaraja II granted the title of “Nawab of Mysore” to Haider Ali, after he repelled Marathas from Bangalore.

• In 1761, Hyder Ali, commander in chief of the Mysorean Army, made himself the de-facto ruler of the state of Mysore. 
• Through his administrative and military skills, he trained his army with the help of French advisors. Eventually, Mysore became a formidable power under Hyder Ali. Such proximity between the French and Hyder Ali irked the British. 
• Hyder was not only controlling the rich trade of the Malabar Coast but also threatening the political and commercial interests of the British in Madras. 
• To counter this, the East India Company approached the Nizam of Hyderabad and convinced him to plot against Hyder Ali.This was the beginning of a series of wars fought between the British and the state of Mysore.

Four Anglo-Mysore Wars

The British engaged in a series of four wars from 1767 to 1799 against the Mysore kingdom, and you can find a summarized overview of these conflicts in the table provided below:

Wars	Year	Between	Important Battles	Treaty	Result
First Anglo Mysore War	1767 to 1799	Hyder Ali v/s EIC (during Warren Hastings tenure).	The battle of Chengam was fought on 3rd September 1767.	Treaty of Madras signed on 4th April 1769.	Hyder Ali defeated the British.
Second Anglo Mysore War	1780 to 1784	Hyder Ali v/s EIC (during Warren Hastings tenure) however he died in 1782, but later continued by his son Tipu Sultan.	The battle of Pollilur was fought on 27th August 1781. The battle of Porto Novo was fought on 1st July 1781.	Treaty of Mangalore signed in March 1784.	Inconclusive struggle, both parties sought peace.
Third Anglo Mysore War	1790 to 1792	Tipu Sultan v/s EIC during Lord Cornwallis tenure.	The battle of Travancore was fought on 28th December 1789.	Treaty of Seringapatam signed in March 1792.	Tipu Sultan was forced to cede half of his kingdom to the EIC, which included regions like Malabar, Baramahal, Dindigul, and Coorg.
Fourth Anglo Mysore War	1799	Tipu Sultan v/s Arthur Wellesley who served as the Governor of Madras and was also the brother of Richard Wellesley, the Governor General of Bengal at that period.	The siege of Seringapatam from 5 April to 4 May 1799.	Mysore entered into a subsidiary alliance.	Tipu Sultan died on May 4, 1799, the East India Company and the Nizam divided his empire. The British then restored the original Wodeyar dynasty in Mysore, crowning a five-year-old boy named Krishnaraja III as the new king.

The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767–69)

• The British signed the Subsidiary Alliance with the Nizam of Hyderabad for protecting the Nizam from Hyder Ali. This gave the British control over the Northern Sarkars or Districts.
• The Nizam of Hyderabad, the Marathas, and the English then allied together against Hyder Ali. They waged war against each other for a year and a half without any conclusion.
• So, Hyder adopted a unique tactic. He sneaked into the enemy territory and suddenly appeared in the court of the Nizam.  This caused complete chaos and panic in the court. The British were forced to conclude the war with the Treaty of Madras on 4th April 1769.
• Under the treaty, the provisions for the exchange of prisoners and the conquered areas were agreed upon. And Hyder Ali was promised the help of the British in case he was attacked by any other power.

The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–84)

• The bells of the 2nd War rang after the British failed to adhere to the Treaty of Madras as the Marathas attacked the Mysore army in 1771. Hyder Ali accused the British of breaching the treaty and turned to the French to fulfill his army’s requirements of guns and ammunition. He started importing French war materials through Mahe, a small coastal town on the Malabar Coast.
• The strengthening relationship between the two parties was a serious concern for the British. Consequently, the British tried to capture Mahe but failed as it was protected by Hyder Ali’s military.
• Hyder Ali then formed an alliance with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad against the British and attacked the Carnatic, defeating the English Army Colonel Baillie in 1781.
• Meanwhile, the Marathas and the Nizam ditched Hyder after diplomatic efforts by Sir Eyre Coote. Hyder regrouped his forces and captured the English commander, Braithwaite. Later, Hyder Ali died of cancer at one of his camps on December 7, 1782.
• His son Tipu Sultan carried the war for one more year with no positive outcome. Fed up with the inconclusive war, both sides opted for peace and concluded with the Treaty of Mangalore in March 1784. Both the parties agreed to give back the territories they had captured from each other.

The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–92)

• The Third Anglo-Mysore War began in 1790 when Tipu attacked Travancore, an ally of the English. Since it was the only source of pepper for the East India Company, the British sided with Travancore and attacked Mysore.
• In 1791, Lord Cornwallis took the leadership and at the head of a large army marched to Seringapatam while the Nizam and the Marathas supported the British. Although Tipu offered serious opposition, he was eventually defeated in 1792.
• After the war, the Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792 was signed. Under this treaty, half of the Mysorean territory was to be surrendered to the British, Nizam, and the Marathas. And Tipu was supposed to pay three crore rupees as part of war damage.
• The Third Anglo-Mysore War firmly established British supremacy in South India.

The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–99)

• In 1798, Lord Wellesley came to India as the new Governor-General. And Tipu’s relations with the French were seen as a threat by Wellesley.
• In order to overpower Tipu, Lord Wellesley forced him into submission through the Subsidiary Alliance. But it was not enough for Wellesley.
• Thus began the final war on 17th April 1799, and ended on 4th May 1799, with the fall of Seringapatam and the Death of Tipu Sultan.
• The Mysorean army was overwhelmed by the British army of 60,000 troops. The British secured a critical victory at the Siege of Seringapatam.

Subsidiary Alliance

In 1798, Lord Wellesley implemented the Subsidiary Alliance system in India. Under this system, a ruler of the Indian state was obligated to fund the maintenance of the British army in return for protection from the state’s enemies. The policy was supposed to be a non-interference policy when it came to the internal affairs of the allied state, but the British rarely kept this promise.

This system provided several benefits to the British including the authority over decision-making processes and free-of-cost maintenance of the British Army.

1. The rulers were not free to declare war or enter into negotiations with other powers without the consent of the British. 
2. The powerful princes were allowed to hold on to their armies, but they would be placed under British generals.
3. Sometimes, to fulfill the obligations of the system, the ruler had to relinquish a part of his territory instead of paying an annual subsidy.

The Nizam of Hyderabad was the first Indian ruler to submit to the Subsidiary Alliance System.

Conclusion

The Marathas and the Nizam again helped the British. The Marathas had been promised half of Tipu’s territory and the Nizam had signed the Subsidiary Alliance. It took 32 years to subjugate Mysore. And the threat of French revival in the Deccan was permanently eliminated. Later, the British choose a boy from a Hindu royal family of the Wadiyar dynasty in Mysore as the maharaja and imposed the subsidiary alliance system on him as well. The Wodeyars had been the actual rulers before Hyder Ali. They ruled on what was left in the state of Mysore until 1947 when it joined the Union of India.

FAQs On Anglo-Mysore Wars

1. First Anglo-Mysore war fought between? 

Ans: The First Anglo-Mysore War was fought between Hyder Ali the Sultan of Mysore and the East India Company (the company supported by Nizam and the Marathas) from 1767 to 1769, Hyder Ali defeated the British and the war ended with the Treaty of Madras which was signed on 4th April 1769.

2. Second Anglo-Mysore war fought between?

Ans: The Second Anglo-Mysore War lasted from 1780 to 1784 and was fought between Hyder Ali (however he died in 1782 and later continued by his son Tipu Sultan) and the British East India Company. The conflict remained indecisive, both parties sought peace and signed a treaty known as Treaty of Mangalore in March 1784.

3. Third Anglo-Mysore war fought between?

Ans: The Third Anglo-Mysore War was fought between Tipu Sultan the Sultan of Mysore and the British East India Company, as well as the Kingdom of Travancore, the Maratha Empire, and the Nizam of Hyderabad from 1790 to 1792. EIC defeated the Tipu Sultan and forced to signed Treaty of Seringapatam. This treaty entailed not only a war indemnity but also the cede of half of his kingdom to the British East India Company.

4. Fourth Anglo-Mysore war fought between?

Ans: The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War was fought between the Tipu Sultan and British East India Company from 1798 to 1799. This was the last conflict of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. Tipu Sultan died in the siege of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799 and his kingdom entered into a subsidiary alliance.

5. What was the name of the military manual of Tipu Sultan?

Ans: Fathul Mujahidin (the rocket manual) is a military manual that was written by Zainul Abedin Shustari at the direction of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of the Mysore Sultanate in South India. This book is considered a pioneer in the use of rocket artillery.