Tipu Sultan (1750-1799) was the de-facto ruler of the Kingdom of
Mysore. He is better known as the 'Tiger of Mysore'. His full name was
Sultan Fateh Ali Tippu and he was born on 20th November, 1750 at
Devanahalli, in present-day Kolar district, near Bangalore, India. He
is the eldest son of Hyder Ali.
Tipu Sultan was a farsighted person who could foresee East India
Company's design to get entrenched in India. He therefore negotiated
with the French for help and also sought assistance from the Amir of
Afghanistan and the Sultan of Turkey. The British were scared of
Tipu's growing strength and after their defeat in 1783 they formed an
alliance with the Nizam of Hyderabad and Marhattas. The French,
however, deserted Tipu after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
The British availed the chance with the help of the Nizam and the
Marathas, and started the third Anglo-Mysore war in 1790.
As long as the British fought alone, Tipu always defeated them. But he
could not come over their diplomacy, conspiracy and intrigue. Thus he
was defeated in his capital, Seringapatam, and was forced to sign a
humiliating treaty on March 22, 1792. As a result he had to concede
half of his kingdom and pay an indemnity of 33 million rupees to the
British and their allies. The alliance between the adversaries was
soon broken and in 1795 the British, after defeating the Nizam, once
again turned their attention towards Mysore. After the treaty at
Seringapatam, Tipu Sultan did not waste his time and made extensive
preparations against the British. He had rebuilt his war machine in
the shortest possible time with the help of the French. The British
regarded it as a violation of the treaty. This led to the start of the
fourth Anglo-Mysore war in 1798 with the help of the Nizam. The French
were unable to provide the needed support to Tipu Sultan. Tipu Sultan
retreated to his capital and continued fighting till he breathed his
last in May 1799. Tipu Sultan is buried at a mausoleum that he himself
had built, along with his father Haider Ali and his mother Fatima
Begum.
