The Anglo-French Struggle for Supremacy: the Carnatic Wars, Causes for the English Success and the French Failure.
Immediate Cause of Rebellion. Offensive and Support. Retreat and Further Conflict. Resolution and Aftermath. Role of Nur JahanEarly Life and Marriage.
Family Influence and Political Rise. Role in Governance and Administration. Cultural Contributions and Legacy. Relationship with Jahangir and Shah JahanPolitical
and Administrative Developments. Jahangir's Reign and Challenges. Nur Jahan's Influence and Succession Issues.
The English as well as Tipu Sultan used the period 1792 to 1799 to recoup their losses.
Tipu fulfilled all the terms of the Treaty of Seringapatam and got his sons released.
In 1796, when the Hindu ruler of Wodeyar dynasty died, Tipu refused to place Wodeyar’s minor son on the throne and declared himself sultan.
He also decided to avenge his humiliating defeat and the terms put by the Treaty of Seringapatam.
In 1798, Lord Wellesley succeeded Sir John Shore as the new Governor General.
An imperialist to the core, Wellesley was concerned about Tipu’s growing friendship with the French and aimed at annihilating Tipu’s independent existence or force him to submission through the system of Subsidiary Alliance.
The chargesheet against Tipu mentioned that he was plotting against the English with the Nizam and the Marathas and that he had sent emissaries to Arabia, Afghanistan, Kabul and Zaman Shah, as also to Isle of France (Mauritius) and Versailles, with treasonable intent.
Tipu Sultan was born in November 1750 to Haidar Ali and Fatima.
A well-educated man, he could freely converse in Arabic, Persian, Kanarese, and Urdu.
Tipu was a great warrior (he was known as the ‘Tiger of Mysore’) and gave maximum care to the raising and maintenance of an efficient military force.
He organized his army on the European model with Persian words of command.
Though he took the help of the French officers to train his soldiers, he never allowed them (French) to develop into a pressure group.
Like his father, Tipu realized the importance of a naval force.
In 1796, he set up a Board of Admiralty and planned for a fleet of 22 battleships and 20 large frigates.
Three dockyards were established at Mangalore, Wajedabad, and Molidabad. However, his plans did not fructify.
Tipu was a patron of science and technology. He is credited as the ‘pioneer of rocket technology’ in India. He wrote a military manual explaining the operation of rockets.
He was also a pioneer in introducing sericulture to the Mysore State.
Tipu was a great lover of democracy and a great diplomat. He gave his support to the French soldiers at Seringapatam in setting up a Jacobin Club in 1797.
He ordered a salute of 2,300 cannons and 500 rockets to celebrate the occasion. Tipu himself became a member of the Jacobin Club and allowed himself to be called Citizen Tipu.
He planted the Tree of Liberty at Seringapatam.
Some historians have depicted Tipu as a bigoted monarch. This was the main view of colonial historians. This estimation of the sultan is not fully correct.
It is true that he crushed the Hindu Coorgs and Nairs. But at the same time, he also punished the Muslim Moplahs when they defied his authority.
Though he is reported to have demolished temples in Kerala when he conquered places there, Tipu is also known to have protected Hindu temples within his own kingdom.
He sanctioned funds for the repair of the Sringeri Temple and installation of the idol of Goddess Sarada (the idol had been damaged during a Maratha raid in 1791).
It is necessary not to judge characters of the past with modern yardsticks of secularism and democracy.
Tipu despised the use of palanquins and described them as fit only for use by women and the disabled.
He is also credited with beginning capitalist development at a time when feudalism was prevalent.
Tipu was a man representing multiple traditions.
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