The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–84)
- The bells of the 2nd War rang after the British failed to adhere to the Treaty of Madras as the Marathas attacked the Mysore army in 1771. Hyder Ali accused the British of breaching the treaty and turned to the French to fulfill his army’s requirements of guns and ammunition. He started importing French war materials through Mahe, a small coastal town on the Malabar Coast.
- The strengthening relationship between the two parties was a serious concern for the British. Consequently, the British tried to capture Mahe but failed as it was protected by Hyder Ali’s military.
- Hyder Ali then formed an alliance with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad against the British and attacked the Carnatic, defeating the English Army Colonel Baillie in 1781.
- Meanwhile, the Marathas and the Nizam ditched Hyder after diplomatic efforts by Sir Eyre Coote. Hyder regrouped his forces and captured the English commander, Braithwaite. Later, Hyder Ali died of cancer at one of his camps on December 7, 1782.
- His son Tipu Sultan carried the war for one more year with no positive outcome. Fed up with the inconclusive war, both sides opted for peace and concluded with the Treaty of Mangalore in March 1784. Both the parties agreed to give back the territories they had captured from each other.
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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