@Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu,[2] 20 November 1750 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tipu Sahib,[3] was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore.[4] Tipu introduced a number of administrative innovations during his rule,[5] including his coinage, a new Mauludi lunisolar calendar,[6] and a new land revenue system which initiated the growth of the Mysore silk industry.[7] He expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin, and is considered a pioneer in the use of rocket artillery.[8] He deployed the rockets against advances of British forces and their allies during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, including the Battle of Pollilur and Siege of Seringapatam. He also embarked on an ambitious economic development program that established Mysore as a major economic power, with some of the world's highest real wages and living standards in the late 18th century.[9]
@Napoleon was the French commander-in-chief, and he sought an alliance with Tipu. Both Tipu and his father used their French-trained army[10] in alliance with the French in their struggle with the British, and in Mysore's struggles with other surrounding powers, against the Marathas, Sira, and rulers of Malabar, Kodagu, Bednore, Carnatic, and Travancore. Tipu's father, Hyder Ali, rose to power in Mysore, and Tipu succeeded to a large kingdom upon his father's death in 1782, bordered by the Krishna River in the north, the Eastern Ghats in the east, and the Arabian Sea in the west.[11] He won important victories against the British in the Second Anglo-Mysore War and negotiated the 1784 Treaty of Mangalore with them after his father died from cancer in December 1782 during the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
@Tipu became involved in conflicts with his neighbors, including the Maratha–Mysore War which ended with Maratha and Tipu signing treaty of Gajendragad,[12] as per which Tipu Sultan was obligated to pay 4.8 million rupees as a one time war cost to the Marathas, and an annual tribute of 1.2 million rupees, In addition to returning all the territory captured by Hyder Ali.[13][14
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@Tipu remained an implacable enemy of the British East India Company, renewing conflict with his attack on British-allied Travancore in 1789. In the Third Anglo-Mysore War, he was forced into the Treaty of Seringapatam, losing a number of previously conquered territories, including Malabar and Mangalore. He sent emissaries to foreign states, including the Ottoman Empire, Afghanistan, and France, in an attempt to rally opposition to the British.
@In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the forces of the British East India Company were supported by the Nizam of Hyderabad.They defeated Tipu, and he was killed on 4 May 1799 while defending his fort of Srirangapatna.
@He was one of the few South Indian kings to provide stiff resistance to British imperialism, along with Hyder Ali and Kerala Varma Pazhassi. He is applauded as ruler who fought against British colonialism.[15] Similarly he has been a controversial figure and criticized for his atrocities against Hindus, Christians, and Mappla Muslims.[16][17]
CHILDOOD
@Tipu Sultan was born on 10 November 1750 (Friday, 20th Dhu al-Hijjah, 1163 AH) at Devanahalli,[1] in present-day Bangalore Rural district, about 33 km (21 mi) north of Bangalore city. He was named "Tipu Sultan" after the saint Tipu Mastan Aulia of Arcot. Tipu was also called "Sultan Sayyid walShareef Fateh Ali Khan Tipu" after his grandfather Fath Muhammad. Tipu was born at Devanhalli in a Najeeb AlTarfayn Sayyid family meaning having ancestry to both Imams Hassan and Hussain, as the son of Hyder Ali. Being illiterate, Hyder was very particular in giving his eldest son a prince's education and a very early exposure to military and political affairs. From the age of 17 Tipu was given independent charge of important diplomatic and military missions. He was his father's right arm in the wars from which Hyder emerged as the most powerful ruler of southern India.
@Tipu's father, Hyder Ali, was a military officer in service to the Kingdom of Mysore; he rapidly rose in power, seized power and became the de facto ruler of Mysore in 1761. Hyder himself claimed descent from the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe of Arabs[citation needed], the tribe of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad through his ancestor Sayyid walShareef Hassan bin Yahya who was the Sherif of Makkah. Hyder's father, Fath Muhammad, was born in Kolar, and served as a commander of 50 men in the bamboo rocket artillery (mainly used for signalling) in the army of the Nawab of Carnatic. Fateh Muhammad eventually entered the service of the Wodeyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore. Tipu's mother Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa was the daughter of Mir Muin-ud-Din, the governor of the fort of Kadapa. Hyder Ali appointed able teachers to give Tipu an early education in subjects like Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Kannada, Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, riding, shooting and fencing.[1]
@Tipu Sultan was instructed in military tactics by French officers in the employment of his father. At age 15, he accompanied his father against the British in the First Mysore War in 1766. He commanded a corps of cavalry in the invasion of Carnatic in 1767 at age 16. He also distinguished himself in the First Anglo-Maratha War of 1775–1779.[19]
@Alexander Beatson, who published a volume on the Fourth Mysore War entitled View of the Origin and Conduct of the War with Tippoo Sultaun, described Tipu Sultan as follows: "His stature was about five feet eight inches; he had a short neck, square shoulders, and was rather corpulent: his limbs were small, particularly his feet and hands; he had large full eyes, small arched eyebrows, and an aquiline nose; his complexion was fair, and the general expression of his countenance, not void of
Childhood & Early Life
@Tipu Sultan was born on 20 November 1750 in present-day Bengaluru Rural district to Hyder Ali. His father was a military officer in service to the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India
who rapidly rose in power to become the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in 1761.
Hyder Ali, who himself was illiterate, was very particular about giving his eldest son a good education befitting a prince. Tipu Sultan received education in subjects like Hindustani language (Hindi-Urdu), Persian, Arabic, Kannada, Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, riding, shooting and fencing.
His father had political relations with the French and thus the young prince was trained in military and political affairs by highly efficient French officers. He was just 15 when he accompanied his father against the British in the First Mysore War in 1766.
Over the years Hyder went on to become the most powerful ruler in the entire southern India and Tipu Sultan played significant roles in his father’s successful military campaigns.
Accession & Reign
@In 1779, the British captured the French-controlled port of Mahé, which was under Tipu’s protection. Hyder Ali opened hostilities against the British in retaliation in 1780, and achieved significant success in early campaigns of what became known as Second Anglo-Mysore War. However as the war progressed, Hyder Ali became ill with cancer and died in December 1782.
Following the death of his father, Tipu Sultan was made the ruler of Mysore on 22 December 1782. He immediately started working on military strategies to check the advances of the British by making alliances with the Marathas and the Mughals. Eventually he was successful in signing the Treaty of Mangalore with the British in 1784, bringing an end to the Second Mysore War.
As a ruler, Tipu Sultan proved to be an efficient one. He completed the projects left behind by his father, built roads, bridges, public buildings, ports, etc. and also made numerous military innovations in the use of rocketry in wars. Through his determined efforts, he built a formidable military force that inflicted serious damages to the British forces.
More ambitious by now, he planned to expand his territories and set his eyes upon Travancore, which according to the Treaty of Mangalore, was an ally of the British East India Company. He launched an attack on the lines of Travancore in December 1789 but was met with resistance from the army of the Maharajah of Travancore. This marked the beginning of the Third Anglo–Mysore War.
The Maharajah of Travancore appealed to the East India Company for help, and in response, Lord Cornwallis formed alliances with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad to oppose Tipu and built a strong military force.
The company forces attacked Tipu Sultan in 1790 and soon took control over much of the Coimbatore district. Tipu counterattacked, but was not much successful in his campaigns. The conflicts continued for over two years and ended only after he signed the Treaty of Seringapatam in 1792 which resulted in his losing a number of territories, including Malabar and Mangalore.
Even though he had lost many of his territories, the courageous Tipu Sultan was still considered a formidable enemy by the British. In 1799, The East India Company, in alliances with the Marathas and the Nizam attacked Mysore in what became known as the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, and captured Srirangapatna, the capital of Mysore. Tipu Sultan was killed in the war.
Major Wars
@He was a brave warrior and proved his mettle in the Second Anglo-Mysore War. Dispatched by his father to fight the British forces, he displayed great courage in the initial conflicts. His father died in the middle of the war and he succeeded him as the ruler of Mysore in 1782 and successfully ended the war with the Treaty of Mangalore in 1784.
The Third Anglo-Mysore War was another major war he fought against the British forces. This war, however, proved to be a major failure and cost the sultan dearly. The war ended with the Treaty of Seringapatam according to which he had to give up about one-half of his territories to the other signatories which included the British East India Company, representatives of the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Mahratta Empire.
Personal Life & Legacy
@Tipu Sultan had several wives and numerous children including Shahzada Hyder Ali Sultan, Shahzada Abdul Khaliq Sultan, Shahzada Muhi-ud-din Sultan, and Shahzada Mu'izz-ud-din Sultan.
A brave warrior, he died on 4 May 1799 while fighting the British forces in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. As one of the first Indian kings to have died on the battlefield while defending his kingdom against the Colonial British, he was officially recognized by the Government of India as a freedom fighter.
While he is revered as a hero of the Indian independence movement in several regions in India and Pakistan, he is also regarded as a tyrannical ruler in certain regions in India.
The British Army's National Army Museum ranked Tipu Sultan among the greatest enemy commanders the British Army ever faced.
Trivia
@Tipu was commonly known as the Tiger of Mysore and he adopted this animal as the symbol (bubri/ babri) of his rule.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, called Tipu Sultan the innovator of the world's first war rocket.