Overview
Between 1767 and 1799, Mysore fought four wars against the British East India Company and its allies. The conflicts drew in the Madras Presidency, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Maratha Empire, and the Kingdom of Travancore. Mysore's forces were led first by Hyder Ali and then by his son Tipu Sultan, who continued the struggle after his father's death.
The wars ended with the fall of Seringapatam in 1799 and Tipu Sultan's death during the city's defence. Much of Mysore was divided among the victorious powers, while a reduced kingdom was restored to the Wodeyar dynasty. The outcome strengthened the East India Company's position in southern India and contributed to the wider consolidation of British power across South Asia.
Background
Mysore became a major military power under Hyder Ali, who emerged as its de facto ruler. Its position brought it into conflict with the British East India Company, whose neighbouring Madras Presidency was a principal opponent. Mysore also faced pressure from Hyderabad and the Marathas, while Travancore became involved as a British ally.
The wars unfolded across several directions. British forces attacked from the west, south, and east, while the Nizam's forces operated from the north. This meant that Mysore's rulers had to manage not one fixed front but a changing network of campaigns and alliances.
Prelude
The First Anglo-Mysore War began in 1767. Hyder Ali achieved important successes and came close to capturing Madras. The British persuaded Nizam Mir Nizam Ali Khan to attack him, although the Nizam soon signed a new treaty with the British in February 1768. Hyder Ali then faced a Bombay Army from the west and a Madras Army from the northeast.
His movement toward Madras eventually led the Madras government to seek peace. The resulting Treaty of Madras ended the first war, but it did not remove the rivalry between Mysore and the Company.
The Event
Four Wars
The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767–1769) ended through the Treaty of Madras after Hyder Ali's advance toward Madras. The campaign demonstrated Mysore's ability to threaten the Company's important southern base.
The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–1784) brought heavier fighting and repeated changes in fortune. In September 1780, Tipu defeated William Baillie at the Battle of Pollilur. In February 1782, he defeated John Braithwaite at Kumbakonam. Both commanders were taken prisoner and sent to Srirangapatana. Sir Eyre Coote later returned to command the British and defeated Hyder Ali at Porto Novo and Arni. After Hyder Ali's death, Tipu continued the war. It ended with the Treaty of Mangalore on 11 March 1784, which restored the pre-war position. The Treaty of Gajendraghad, signed in April 1787, subsequently ended the conflict with the Marathas.
The Third Anglo-Mysore War (1790–1792) began after Tipu, now allied with France, invaded Travancore, a British ally, in 1789. British forces were commanded by Charles Cornwallis. The war lasted three years and brought Mysore close to defeat. After the siege of Srirangapatana in 1792, the Treaty of Srirangapatana required Tipu to surrender part of his kingdom to the Company and its allies.
The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1798–1799) proved decisive. Mysore's connection with France was regarded as a threat by the East India Company. Mysore reportedly fielded 35,000 soldiers, while the British commanded 60,000. The Nizam, Akbar Ali Khan, and the Marathas invaded from the north, while British forces attacked from other directions. The campaign ended in the decisive siege of Seringapatam. Tipu Sultan was killed while defending the city.
Turning Points
The early wars showed that Mysore could defeat British commanders and threaten Madras. The Treaty of Mangalore was particularly notable because it restored the status quo rather than imposing a broad territorial settlement. The decisive change came in the Third War, when the Treaty of Srirangapatana reduced Mysore's territory. The fall of Seringapatam in 1799 ended Tipu's rule and destroyed Mysore's position as a major independent challenger to the Company.
Participants
Mysore
Hyder Ali led Mysore during the first war and much of the second. After his death, Tipu Sultan assumed leadership and continued the conflict. Tipu directed Mysorean campaigns in the second and third wars and defended Seringapatam in the fourth. Mysorean forces were also distinguished by their iron-cased rockets, which offered greater thrust and a range of up to 2 kilometres.
The East India Company and Its Allies
The British East India Company operated chiefly through the Madras Presidency, supported at different times by the Bombay Army and commanders such as Sir Eyre Coote and Charles Cornwallis. Hyderabad and the Marathas fought against Mysore in the wider coalition, while Travancore's alliance with the British helped trigger the Third War.
Aftermath
After Tipu's death, much of the remaining Mysorean territory was annexed by the Company, the Nizam, and the Marathas. The central remnant, including Mysore and Seringapatam, was restored to Yuvaraja Krishnaraja Wadiyar III under his grandmother's regency. The Wodeyar dynasty had ruled Mysore before Hyder Ali became its de facto ruler and continued to govern the reduced kingdom until 1947, when it joined the Dominion of India.
Historical Significance
The Anglo-Mysore Wars helped shift the balance of power in southern India. Their conclusion removed a powerful opponent of the Company and formed part of a broader sequence of conflicts—including wars with Bengal, the Marathas, Nepal, and the Sikhs—that consolidated British claims over large parts of South Asia.
The wars also had a technological legacy. Captured Mysorean iron rockets influenced British rocket development. The resulting Congreve rocket was later used during the Napoleonic Wars.
Legacy
Tipu Sultan's final defence of Seringapatam remains the defining episode of the wars. Their legacy also survives in the history of military technology, especially the development and adaptation of war rockets. The restoration of the Wodeyar dynasty created a political settlement that endured in reduced form until the integration of Mysore into independent India's predecessor state in 1947.
Historiography
The wars can be viewed both as a regional contest involving Mysore, Hyderabad, the Marathas, and Travancore, and as part of the East India Company's expanding struggle for dominance in India. Accounts also highlight differing dimensions: the military leadership of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, the role of shifting alliances, the significance of the treaties, and the influence of Mysorean rockets on later British weapons development.