Tipu Sultan

TIPPU SULTANtc "TIPPU SULTAN"

Tipu Sultan was the eldest son of Haider Ali. Born on December 10^th, 1750 at Devanhalli, he was indeed the son of a great father.  Haider Ali was one of the ablest personalities in Indian history. A completely self made man, he had a strong determination, courage and a sharp intellect which completely counterbalanced his inability: to read and write. On the battlefield, he was cool, sagacious and intrepid; off it, he was tactful and vigorous in matters of administration.

Young Tipu accompanied his father in battle from a very early age. In fact as early as the age of 15 he went along with his fathet1 on the campaigns. At the same time he learnt languages, mathematics and science. During the first Anglo-Mysore War in 1768, at the request of his father, he conducted successfully a diplomatic mission with the Nizam. In his early twenties, he was entrusted in recovering territories captured by the Marathas. Between 1774-78, he assisted his father in strengthening and even extending the territorial domain of Mysore. He played a major role in the Second Anglo-Mysore War and was chiefly instrumental in the victory at Polur. This victory gave him a great deal of self-confidence. Unfortunately during the Anglo-Mysore War in 1782, his father died and Tipu assumed the control. There followed a series of engagements with the British, in some of which he was victorious and he finally forced their garrison to surrender in 1784.

The treaty of Mangalore was a great victory for the young Sultan.

The major part of Tipu’s life was devoted to wars. After the treaty of 1784, he weeded out all officers who had earlier intrigued against him. He had to quell rebellions in Coorg. At this time he dispatched diplomatic missions to the Marathas in order to prevent a Maratha-Nizam-English coalition. He failed in this mission; the result was a series of attacks by the Marathas and the Nizam. Tip~ successfully countered these attacks but at the same time he realizd the impermanence of these victories. In April 1787, he made overtures of peace with Cornwallis.

He was conscious of his isolation and this led him to try to forge an alliance with the French in Mauritius and the Sultan of Turkey. Although he was not successful in forging an alliance with either of these powers, his missions succeeded in promoting trade relations with the states in the Persian Gulf.

The chiefs of Malabar and Coorg constantly harassed Tipu Sultan. The Raja of Travancore who was a British protege incited them. Tipu attacked and defeated him. But the British playing their insidious game, with the support of the Mahrattas and the Nizam attacked him once again and this led to the Third Anglo-Mysore War. This war lasted for about two years in three campaigns. In the first two campaigns, Tipu showed great military skill and strategy and kept the British at bay. In the third campaign, Tipu offered stiff resistance, but finally he suffered defeat. Here again by his military and diplomatic skill he averted a complete disaster. He agreed to the signing of a peace treaty - the treaty of Seringapatnam in 1792.
Tipu however would not rest so easily. He recovered rapidly and after paying off his debts, repaired the damage inflicted by the wars and set up a fine civil administration. His relations with the Mahratha Peshwa, Mahadaji Scindia improved although the relations with the Nizam were bitter. Even with the British, the relationship became cordial due to the policy of non-interference by Sir John Shore. However with the arrival of Wellesley on the scene, things changed. He was pledged to an aggressive and expansionist policy. After making sure that Tipu would get no help from the Mahrathas and the Nizam, he accused him of being in league with the enemies of East India company and the French.

Tipu was completely isolated and soon English troops under the command of General George Harris launched a two-pronged attack on Mysore from Madras and Bombay. This was the fourth Anglo-Mysore War and, as it proved to be, the last war. The war was short and decisive. Seringapatnam was attacked and captured on 4th May 1799. Tipu fell fighting while gallantly defending the fort to the last.

In his fight against the English, Tipu was a solitary and lone figure even though displaying the fierceness of a tiger and the tenacity of a bulldog. The Sultan made no compromises, never deviated from his goal and never ceased to exert his utmost.

In a sense, Tipu was the last ray of India’s hope, being the solitary ruler who saw from beginning to end where the British expansion was leading to. He was single minded in his approach. That is why the English feared him beyond reason. He was a brave man; he may have fallen short in wisdom and foresight, but never in courage, in aspiration, in his dream of a united, and independent and a prosperous Mysore, leading ultimately to a strong and united India.

(Courtesty ‘Sri Aurobindo’s Action’)