Third Anglo Mysore War: Causes, Battles, and Outcome

If you have studied Indian history, you have probably come across Tipu Sultan, the “Tiger of Mysore.” Few rulers of the eighteenth century gave the East India Company as much trouble as he did.

The third Anglo Mysore war, fought from 1790 to 1792, was the moment the Company finally got the upper hand over him. It did not finish Mysore, but it cut Tipu’s kingdom down to size and set the stage for the last war in 1799. Here is the full story in plain words, from why it started to what it left behind.

Third Anglo Mysore War Fought Between Whom?

The third Anglo Mysore war was fought between Tipu Sultan of Mysore on one side and the East India Company on the other. The Company did not stand alone, though. Lord Cornwallis, the Governor-General at the time, built a triple alliance with the Marathas under the Peshwa and the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Travancore, a small kingdom on the Malabar coast, was already under British protection. It was also the place where the trouble began.

Tipu had no such backing. He had reached out to France and the Ottoman court for help, but nothing solid came of it. In effect, he was facing three powers at once with only his own army and his own money.

Causes of Third Anglo Mysore War

There was no single reason for the war. A few things piled up over the years, and Travancore was the last straw.

The Travancore Dispute

The most direct cause was Tipu’s attack on Travancore. The Raja of Travancore had bought the forts of Cranganore and Jaikottai from the Dutch. Tipu believed those forts stood on land that belonged to the Raja of Cochin, who was Mysore’s vassal.

In December 1789, Tipu’s troops attacked the Travancore Lines, a defensive wall along the state’s northern border. Since the British had promised to protect Travancore, they treated the attack as an attack on themselves.

Tipu’s Foreign Diplomacy

In the late 1780s, Tipu sent envoys to Constantinople and to the court of Louis XVI in France. He wanted military help against the British. The Company read this as a warning sign. A strong ruler in Mysore with possible French backing was a risk they did not want to leave alone.

Old Rivalries and a Power Struggle

The Treaty of Mangalore in 1784 had ended the Second Anglo-Mysore War, but it was more of a pause than a peace. Neither side trusted the other.

The Marathas and the Nizam had their own grudges against Tipu, mostly over land and his growing strength. When Cornwallis offered them an alliance, they agreed quickly. Each of them saw a chance to take back territory at Mysore’s cost.

Third Anglo Mysore War 1790: How the Fighting Began

After his first attempt failed, Tipu broke through the Travancore Lines in April 1790. The British then declared war and sent General Medows to lead the first campaign from the Tamil side.

That first year did not go well for the Company. Medows took a few places, such as Coimbatore, but Tipu moved fast. He raided supply lines and struck into the Carnatic, and the British ended the year with little to show for it.

Cornwallis saw the problem and decided to take charge himself. He reached Madras in December 1790 and began planning a proper march into the heart of Mysore.

Major Battles of the War

Siege of Bangalore

Cornwallis chose Bangalore as his first big target. It was a strong fort and a good base for going deeper into Mysore. The siege began in early March 1791, and the fort fell to a night assault on 21 March. Losing it was a hard blow to Tipu, both in pride and in position.

Battle of Arikera

In May 1791, Cornwallis defeated Tipu’s army at Arikera, not far from Seringapatam, the capital. But he could not follow up. His bullocks were dying, supplies were running short, and the monsoon was setting in.

Cornwallis had to pull back to Bangalore and even destroy his heavy guns so they would not fall into enemy hands. For a moment, it looked like Tipu might survive the year in good shape.

The Final Advance and Siege of Seringapatam

The British used the rest of 1791 to rebuild. Maratha and Nizam forces joined them, and several hill forts such as Nandidurg and Savandurga were captured. By early February 1792, Cornwallis was back at Seringapatam with a much stronger force.

On the night of 6 February 1792, the British attacked Tipu’s camp across the Kaveri river and pushed his troops back into the island fort. Tipu’s rocket men gave the British some trouble, but the numbers were against him. With the city under threat and his allies-turned-enemies closing in, Tipu asked for peace.

The Treaty of Seringapatam

The Treaty of Seringapatam was signed in March 1792, and its terms were harsh. Tipu had to give up about half of his kingdom. The British took Malabar, Dindigul, Baramahal and areas around Coorg. The Marathas received land near the Tungabhadra, and the Nizam got territory between the Krishna and Pennar rivers.

Tipu also had to pay a war indemnity of a little over three crore rupees. To make sure he kept his word, two of his young sons were taken to Madras as hostages. They were returned after the payment was completed in 1794.

For Tipu, this was a painful loss of land, money and standing. For the Company, it was a big win that also gave them a stronger hold on the south.

Why the War Mattered

The war showed that no single Indian power could stand against the Company if the others could be persuaded to side with it. The alliance with the Marathas and the Nizam was the real reason Cornwallis won, and that lesson was not lost on the British.

It also weakened Mysore for good. Tipu spent his remaining years rebuilding his army and looking for foreign help, especially from France. That effort led directly to the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799, where Tipu was killed defending Seringapatam.

Today, Tipu is remembered as a ruler who never bowed easily to the British. If you want to read more Indian history in simple language, Bharat Stories has a good collection of such topics.

FAQs

What were the main causes of the Third Anglo-Mysore War?

The main trigger was Tipu Sultan’s attack on Travancore in 1789, since Travancore was a British ally. Tipu’s contacts with France and the Ottomans, and the Marathas’ and Nizam’s own quarrels with him, added to the tension.

Who won the Third Anglo-Mysore War?

The East India Company and its allies, the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad, won. Tipu Sultan was forced to accept peace on their terms.

What was the Treaty of Seringapatam?

It was the peace agreement of March 1792 that ended the war. Under it, Tipu gave up nearly half of his territory, paid a large sum of money and handed over two of his sons as hostages.

How long did the Third Anglo-Mysore War last?

It lasted about two years, from 1790 to 1792, ending with the fall of Tipu’s defences at Seringapatam and the treaty that followed.