History Youtube Notes
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars between the British and the Kingdom of Mysore in the latter half of the 18th century in Southern India.
Haider Ali (1721 – 1782)
- Started his career as a soldier in the Mysore Army.
- Soon rose to prominence in the army owing to his military skills.
- He was made the Dalavayi (commander-in-chief), and later the Chief Minister of the Mysore state under Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, ruler of Mysore.
- Through his administrative prowess and military skills, he became the de-facto ruler of Mysore with the real king reduced to a titular head only.
- He set up a modern army and trained them along European lines.
First Anglo-Mysore War (1767 – 1769)
Causes of the war:
- Haider Ali built a strong army and annexed many regions in the South including Bidnur, Canara, Sera, Malabar and Sunda.
- He also took French support in training his army.
- This alarmed the British.
Course of the war:
- The British, along with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad declared war on Mysore.
- Hyder Ali was able to bring the Marathas and the Nizam to his side with skillful diplomacy.
- But the British under General Smith defeated Ali in 1767.
- His son Tipu Sultan advanced towards Madras against the English.
Result of the war:
- In 1769, the Treaty of Madras was signed which brought an end to the war.
- The conquered territories were restored to each other.
- It was also agreed upon that they would help each other in case of a foreign attack.
Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780 – 1784)
Causes of the war:
- The Marathas attacked Mysore in 1771. But the British refused to honour the Treaty of Madras and did not give support to Hyder Ali.
- As a result, Hyder Ali’s territories were taken by the Marathas. He had to buy peace with the Marathas for a sum of Rs.36 lakh and another annual tribute.
- This angered Hyder Ali who started hating the British.
- When the English attacked Mahe, a French possession under Hyder Ali’s dominion, he declared war on the English in 1780.
Course of the war:
- Hyder Ali forged an alliance with the Nizam and the Marathas and defeated the British forces in Arcot.
- Hyder Ali died in 1782 and the war was continued by his son Tipu Sultan.
- Sir Eyre Coote, who had earlier defeated Hyder Ali many times, ended the war inconclusively with the Treaty of Mangalore.
Result of the war:
- As per the Treaty of Mangalore, both parties agreed to return the captured territories and prisoners to each other.
Third Anglo-Mysore War (1786 – 1792)
Causes of the war:
- The British started improving their relationship with the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas.
- Tipu Sultan, who assumed control of Mysore after Hyder Ali’s death, had French help in bettering his military resources.
- He also refused to free the English prisoners taken during the second Anglo-Mysore war as per the Treaty of Mangalore.
Course of the war:
- Tipu declared war on Travancore in 1789. Travancore was a friendly state of the British.
- In 1790, the Governor-General of Bengal, Lord Cornwallis declared war on Tipu.
- Tipu was defeated in the first phase of the war and his forces had to retreat.
- Later the English advanced towards Tipu’s capital of Seringapatam and Tipu had to bargain for peace.
Result of the war:
- The war ended with the Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792.
- As per the treaty, Tipu had to cede half of his kingdom to the English including the areas of Malabar, Dindigul, Coorg and Baramahal.
- He also had to pay Rs.3 Crore as war indemnity to the British.
- Tipu also had to surrender two of his sons as surety to the British till he paid his due.
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799)
Causes of the war:
- The Treaty of Seringapatam failed to bring peace between Tipu and the English.
- Tipu also refused to accept the Subsidiary Alliance of Lord Wellesley.
- Tipu aligned with the French which the British saw as a threat.
Course of the war:
- Mysore was attacked from all four sides.
- The Marathas and the Nizam invaded from the North.
- Tipu’s troops were outnumbered 4:1.
- The British secured a decisive victory at the Battle of Seringapatam in 1799.
- Tipu died while defending the city.
Result of the war:
- Tipu’s territories were divided between the British and the Nizam of Hyderabad.
- The core area around Seringapatam and Mysore was restored to the Wodeyar dynasty who had been ruling Mysore before Hyder Ali became the de-facto ruler.
- Mysore entered into a Subsidiary Alliance with the British and a British resident was placed at the Mysore Court.
- The Kingdom of Mysore remained a princely state not directly under the British until 1947 when it chose to join the Indian Union.