Hyder Ali

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Hyder Ali bigraphy, stories - Military commander, de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore

Hyder Ali : biography

c. 1720 – 6 December 1782

Hyder Ali ( , Haidarālī; 1721 – 7 December 1782) was the sultan and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore’s rulers. Rising to the post of commander-in-chief to Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, he came to dominate the titular monarch and the Mysore government. He became the ruler of Mysore by 1761. He offered strong anti-colonial resistance against the military advances of the British East India Company during the First and Second Anglo–Mysore Wars, and he was the innovator of military use of the iron-cased Mysorean rockets.

Though illiterate, Hyder Ali earned an important place in the history of southern India for his administrative acumen and military skills. He concluded an alliance with the French against the British, and used the services of French workmen in raising his artillery and arsenal. His rule of Mysore was characterised by frequent warfare with his neighbours and rebellion within his territories. This was not unusual for the time, as much of the Indian subcontinent was then in turmoil. He spoke Kannada, Telugu, Hindustani, Persian, Marathi and Tamil fluently. He was a shrewd leader, and left his eldest son Tipu Sultan an extensive kingdom bordered by the Krishna River in the north, the Eastern Ghats in the east and the Arabian Sea in the west.

First war with the Marathas

The Rani of Bednore had appealed to the Nawab of Savanur for assistance when Hyder invaded. Hyder consequently threatened the Nawab, attempting to extort tribute from him.Chitnis, pp. 53–55 Failing in this, he overran that territory, reaching as far as Dharwad, north of the Tungabhadra River. Since Savanur was a tributary of the Marathas, the Peshwa countered with a strong force, and defeated Hyder near Rattihalli. The Maratha victory forced Hyder to retreat; he had to abandon Bednore, although he was able to remove its treasures to Seringapatam. Hyder paid 35 lahks rupees in tribute to end the war, and returned most of his gains, although he did retain Sira.Bowring, p. 41Rao Punganuri, p. 15

In 1766 Hyder Ali returned to the Malabar, this time at the invitation of the raja of Cannanore, who sought independence from the Zamorin, the ruler of Calicut who held sway over Cannanore. Hyder also claimed a debt of tribute from the Zamorin, who had supported Hyder’s opponents in earlier campaigns. After a difficult campaign, Hyder reached Calicut, where the Zamorin, after promising to make payment, failed to deliver. Hyder placed the Zamorin under house arrest and had his finance minister tortured. Fearing similar treatment, the Zamorin set fire to his palace and perished in the flames, ending Eradi dynastic rule of Calicut.Lethbridge, p. 94 After establishing control of Calicut, Hyder departed, but was forced to return several months later when the Nairs rebelled against the rule of his lieutenant, Reza Sahib. Hyder’s response was harsh: after putting down the rebellion, many rebels were executed, and thousands of others were forcibly relocated to the Mysorean highlands.Bowring, pp. 44–46

Mysore’s titular ruler Krishnaraja died in April 1766, while Hyder was in Malabar. Hyder had left orders that Krishnaraja’s son Nanjaraja be invested should that happen, and he only later came to formally pay his respects to the new rajah. He took advantage of this opportunity to engage in a sort of house cleaning: the raja’s palace was plundered, and its staff reduced to the point where virtually everyone employed there was also a spy for Hyder Ali.Wilks, p. 294

Expansion and relationship with the Mangalorean Catholics

Over the next few years Hyder expanded his territories to the north. Two key acquisitions were Sira, taken from the Marathas, and the kingdom of Bednore, where as a casus belli he agreed to support a claimant to its throne against usurpers.Bowring, p. 34 In 1763 he took its capital, Ikkeri, which included a large treasury.Bowring, p. 38 He renamed the capital Haidernagar, and began styling himself Hyder Ali Khan Bahadur, a title that had been bestowed on him by Salabat Jung as reward for his taking of Sira.Bowring, pp. 34,39 He moved most of his family to Ikkeri, a natural fortress, in the hopes that it would "serve him for a safe refuge".Brittlebank, pp. 20–21 He assumed the trappings of the ruler of Bednore, began issuing coins, and established a system of weights and measures. He made sure his son Tipu received a quality education, "employing learned tutors" and "appointing a suitable hand of attendants" to see to his upbringing.Brittlebank, p. 21 He cultivated a suspicion of foreigners, specifically refusing to allow the British to have a resident at his court. His security, however, was not assured in Bednore: a bout of illness and a widespread conspiracy against him convinced him that it would not make an ideal capital for his domain, and he returned to Mysore.Bowring, p. 39