Haider Ali : (1722-82) son of Fatah Muhammad, a military commander & jāgirdār of Budikota in Mysore: by 1755 military governor of Dindigul, a Mysore stronghold: by 1759 Commander of Mysore Raja’s Army: gradually gained control, assumed sovereign power & deposed the Raja Chikka Krishnarāj Wodiyār: invaded Carnatic in 1767 came to within 5 miles of Madras whose Governor concluded a treaty with him: Bombay Govt. made a treaty with him in 1770: but the British declined to help him against Mahratta invasions: invaded Madras territory in 1780, took Arcot & other places: was defeated as Porto Novo in July, 1781 by Eyre Coote who met him in the indecisive action at Arni June1782: Hyder died near Chitore Dec 7, 1782: a born soldier, a first-rate horseman, heedless of danger, full of energy & resource, severe, cruel, cold, indifferent to religion, shrewd in business – though quite uneducated – with a retentive memory, with better support from the French, he might have driven the English out of Southern India…. His son Tippoo (1753-99), as powerful a warrior as his father held his own against the Octopus, the Nizam & the Marathas but failed like him to obtain the support of Turkey, Afghanistan, France in Mauritius, when besieged by various alliances formed by those three. The armies of Harris, Stuart, Baird, & Arthur Wellesley attacked all together in 1799 & captured his stronghold of Seringapatam [Sri-Ranganath-Paṭam] on May 4, killed him & imprisoned his sons at Vellore. [Buckland]
... convincingly defeated in 1819. Further, the company expanded its rule by defeating Nepal in 1814-16, Sind in 1843, Punjab in 1848-49 and Burma in 1886. In the wars against Mysore the British fought Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan, who proved to be formidable foes; it was only after four wars that they took complete control of the areas ruled by Tipu Sultan. The war against the Marathas led by Nana Phadnavis ...
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