Anglo-Mysore Wars

The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four conflicts between the British East India Company and the Sultanate of Mysore, led by Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, from 1767 to 1799.

First Anglo-Mysore War (1767–69)

Haidar Ali, who had become the de facto ruler of Mysore, formed an alliance with the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas. The British, allied with the Nawab of Arcot, fought inconclusively. Haidar Ali appeared at the gates of Madras, forcing the British to sign a defensive treaty (Treaty of Madras, 1769). This was the last war where the British signed a humiliating treaty with an Indian power.

Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–84)

Haidar Ali allied with the French and invaded the Carnatic, defeating a British detachment at Pollilur. He captured Arcot and threatened Madras. Haidar died in 1782, but his son Tipu Sultan continued the war. The Treaty of Mangalore (1784) restored the status quo. Lord Cornwallis, however, viewed Tipu as a major threat.

Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–92)

Lord Cornwallis allied with the Marathas and the Nizam against Tipu. The British besieged Bangalore and advanced to Seringapatam, Tipu’s capital. Tipu was forced to sign the Treaty of Seringapatam (1792), ceding half his territory, paying a large indemnity, and surrendering two of his sons as hostages.

Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799)

Tipu Sultan rejected the Subsidiary Alliance and sought French support. Governor-General Lord Wellesley declared war. The British, with allies from Hyderabad and Bombay, stormed Seringapatam. Tipu died fighting on 4 May 1799, defending his capital. His kingdom was partly annexed, and a reduced Mysore was restored to the Wodeyar dynasty under British suzerainty.

Tipu Sultan’s fall ended the last credible southern resistance to British expansion and consolidated Company power in the Deccan.