Question

Describe how Tipu Sultan proved to be a threat to British and mention the steps they took to tackle the situation.

Answer 1

Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu,[2] 20 November 1750 – 4 May 1799), also known as Tipu Sahab or the Tiger of Mysore,[3] was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India and a pioneer of rocket artillery.[4][5][6] He introduced a number of administrative innovations during his rule,[7] including a new coinage system and calendar,[8] and a new land revenue system which initiated the growth of the Mysore silk industry.[9] He expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin. 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.[10]

Tipu Sultan
Badshah
Nasib ad-Dawlah
Mir Fateh Ali Bahadur Tipu
TipuSultanPic.jpg
Sultan of Mysore
Reign
10 December 1782 – 4 May 1799
Coronation
29 December 1782
Predecessor
Hyder Ali
Successor
Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (as Wodeyar ruler)
Born
20 November 1750[1]
Devanahalli, present-day Bangalore, Karnataka
Died
4 May 1799 (aged 48)[1]
Srirangapatna, present-day Mandya, Karnataka
Burial
Srirangapatna, present-day Mandya, Karnataka
12°24′36″N 76°42′50″E
Spouse
Khadija Zaman Begum and 2 or 3 others
Issue
Shezada Hyder Ali, Ghulam Muhammad Sultan Sahib and many others
Full name
Badshah Nasibuddaulah Sultan Mir Fateh Ali Bahadur Sahab Tipu
House
Mysore
Father
Hyder Ali
Mother
Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa
Religion
Islam
Napoleon Bonaparte, the French commander-in-chief, sought an alliance with Tipu Sultan. Both Tipu Sultan and his father used their French-trained army in alliance with the French in their struggle with the British,[11][12] 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 capturing Mysore,[citation needed] and Tipu succeeded him as the ruler of Mysore upon his father's death in 1782. 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's conflicts with his neighbours included the Maratha–Mysore War which ended with the signing of the Treaty of Gajendragad.[13] The treaty required that Tipu Sultan 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.[14][15]

Tipu remained an implacable enemy of the British East India Company, sparking 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 imperial forces of the British East India Company were supported by the Marathas. They defeated Tipu, and he was killed on 4 May 1799 while defending his fort of Seringapatam.

In post-colonial Indian subcontinent, he is applauded as a secular[16][17][18][19][20] ruler who fought against British colonialism,[21][22]. But he has been criticized for his repression of Hindus of Malabar and Christians of Mangalore for both religious and political reasons.[23][24][25][26][27][28]

Early years