Tipu Sultan

Tipu Sultan was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore renowned for his bravery in the wars against the British East India Company. Well known for his valor and courage, he is regarded as the first freedom fighter of India for his fierce battles against the British who tried to conquer the territories under the sultan’s rule. The Treaty of Mangalore, which he signed with the British East India Company to bring an end to the Second Anglo-Mysore War, was the last occasion when an Indian king dictated terms to the British. As the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore, Tipu Sultan ascended to the throne after the death of his father in 1782. As ruler, he implemented several innovations in his administration and also expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets which he would later deploy against the advances of the British forces. His father had diplomatic political relations with the French and thus Tipu Sultan had received military training from French officers as a young man. After becoming the ruler, he continued his father’s policy of aligning with the French in their struggle against the British. He fought several wars against the British and tried his best to defend his kingdom from falling into the hands of the British East India Company. Committed to his country till the very end, he died while fighting in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.

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.

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.