The First Anglo-Mysore War (1767–69)
- The British signed the Subsidiary Alliance with the Nizam of Hyderabad for protecting the Nizam from Hyder Ali. This gave the British control over the Northern Sarkars or Districts.
- The Nizam of Hyderabad, the Marathas, and the English then allied together against Hyder Ali. They waged war against each other for a year and a half without any conclusion.
- So, Hyder adopted a unique tactic. He sneaked into the enemy territory and suddenly appeared in the court of the Nizam. This caused complete chaos and panic in the court. The British were forced to conclude the war with the Treaty of Madras on 4th April 1769.
- Under the treaty, the provisions for the exchange of prisoners and the conquered areas were agreed upon. And Hyder Ali was promised the help of the British in case he was attacked by any other power.
Anglo-Mysore Wars
Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan fought four wars against the British before the final surrender of the Mysore Sultanate to the British authority in 1799. These wars are known as the Anglo-Mysore Wars and are the longest military confrontations in the history of India. These wars were fought for control over the Mysorean territories between the British and the rulers of Mysore. The Marathas, the Nawab of Carnatic, and the Nizam of Hyderabad from time to time aligned with the British East India Company (EIC) to subdue the Mysore ruler. Because, the growing power of Mysore under Haider Ali worried the nearby Marathas, the Nawab of Carnatic, and the Nizam of Hyderabad, who were all concerned about Mysore’s increasing influence. However, EIC solely wanted to expand its territory, initially, they supported Martha over Mysore later they fought with Martha as well. The EIC’s intentions in Mysore and the Maratha states were mainly driven by commercial interests. Haidar and Tipu’s dominance over the spice trade along the Malabar coast raised concerns for the British, as it directly affected their trading interests in pepper and cardamom. Additionally, the strength of Mysore posed a challenge to the British East India Company’s control over the region of Madras. These above events led to the foundation of Anglo Mysore wars which lasted from 1767 to 1799 in four different time periods.
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