Tipu Sultan Biography

By Neevesh Velan

Tipu Sultan (also known as “Sultan Fateh Ali Khan Shahab”) was the Muslim ruler of the
Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. He was the eldest son of the great Hyder Ali (formerly
known as “Hyder Naik”) of Mysore and Fatima Fhakhr-un-Nisa (Tipu’s mother). He was
famous because he fought against the British to protect his country from them.

Tipu was born on the 20th of November, 1750 in Devanhali (Present Day Bengaluru Rural
District, about 33 km north of Bengaluru City). He was made into the Sultan of Mysore even
though he was of un-royal blood. Before Tipu was born his father, Hyder Ali, had been a
soldier in the Mysorean army. The officials saw his and his brother’s worth in battle and soon
had them climbing the ranks of the army until one day Hyder became the “Dalavayi”, the
commander-in-chief, to the current ruler of Mysore Krishnaraja Wodeyar II. After
Krishnaraja died, Hyder became the ruler of Mysore as “Sarvadhikari” (Chief-Minister) in
1761. He also offered strong anti-colonial resistance against the British. His rule lasted from
1768 to 1799 including the reign of his son, Tipu Sultan. He die in the Second Anglo-Mysore
War.
Tipu’s father himself illiterate, wanted to give Tipu an early education and exposed him to
subjects like Hindustani language (Hindi-Urdu), Persian, Arabic, Kannada, Quran, Islamic
jurisprudence, riding, shooting and fencing. Because of this early teachings in military and
also politics, it helped him grow into one of the country’s most influential leader.

As Tipu grew up he started making his mark as a very unique leader in the Kingdom of
Mysore. It was probably the early education and training his dear father had provided for
him that made him a great Sultan. He was the first ruler to ban alcohol consumption on the
entire state of Mysore, not just on religious ground but on moral and health grounds, as well.
Tipu Sultan, along with his father, was credited with introducing rocket and missile
technology to warfare. They created them in the form of iron-cased firework-like tubes on
long shafts called “Mysorean Rockets”. He was also the first to introduce sericulture to
Mysore, which is the production of fine silks and the growth of silkworms. He was seen as a
great leader fighting the British, but some did not share the same admiration as they thought
he was not doing this out of the love of his country but to spread the Islam religion. It is also
said in some records that he has forced vast populations of Hindus into Islam and the locked
them up and made them eat beef.

When Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan offered strong anti-colonialism towards the British,
it triggered a series of wars known as the “Anglo-Mysore Wars”, which were fought in South
India between the last three decades of the 1700s, with the Kingdom of Mysore fighting
against the British East India Company, the Maratha Confederacy and the Nizam of
Hyderabad.
The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767-1769) witnessed Hyder Ali gain some measure of success
against the British, seeing him almost capture the city of Madras (now Chennai). The Nizam
of Hyderabad had been convinced to attack Hyder Ali, but the Nizam betrayed the British
and treacherously joined Hyder Ali, supporting Mysore. But that didn’t last long either as the
Nizam, yet again, treacherously signed a treaty with the British in February 1768. The
Madras government, beholding the almost capture of their city, made a peace treaty with
Mysore known as the “Treaty of Madras”.
The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-1784) lasted twice as long as the First Anglo-Mysore
War, going on for a painstaking four years. Mysore won many important victories against
the British in this war. This time Tipu fought and beat both Baillie at the Battle of Pollilur
(September 1780) and Braithwaite at Kumbakonam (February 1782), as both were taken
prisoner to Tipu Sultan’s fort, Seringapatam. Unfortunately and unexpectedly, Tipu Sultan’s
father, Hyder Ali, died from cancer in December 1782. Then after two years, Tipu Sultan
signed a treaty with the British recognised as the “Treaty of Mangalore” in 1784.
The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1789-1792) was a year shorter than the Second Anglo-Mysore
War, being only three years long. This time saw Tipu Sultan, now an ally of France, facing a
whole war without his father. It started when Tipu Sultan invaded a nearby state called
“Travancore”, in 1789. As it happens the state of Travancore, was also an ally of the British.
This provoked the British into a three-year war. The war ended after the 1792 Siege of
Seringapatam, which forced Tipu Sultan into signing the famous and well-known “Treaty of
Seringapatam”, in which conditions ordered him to give up half his kingdom to the British
East India Company and its allies.

In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Tipu was killed on the 4th May 1799, defending his fort
Seringapatam in which event was later known as the “1799 Siege of Seringapatam”. The
British won a decisive victory defeating Tipu Sultan and his kingdom, Mysore. Not much is
known about Tipu Sultan’s death, only that he faced the British forces with odds 4:1 in the
East India Company’s favour. Although some sources say the British bribed a few of Tipu
Sultan’s men into assassinating their own leader.

Nowadays, some people admire him because he stood up to the British invaders, though
some others on the other hand, despise him because he forced many Hindus to convert to
Islam, and did many other despicable things. But he is mostly remembered because he, a ruler
of common blood, almost brought the entire British East India Company to its knees in only
a few decades.
 Bibliography
Search Engine: Google

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipu_Sultan/

www.thehindu.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyder_Ali/

www.topyaps.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Mysore_Wars/