First Mysore War
| date | 1767 to 1769 |
|---|---|
| place | Indian subcontinent |
| output | Mysore victory |
| consequences | Treaty of Madras |
| Parties to the conflict | ||
|---|---|---|
| Commander | ||
|
Joseph Smith |
|
|
.svg){kind=small}
The First Mysore War was part of the Mysore Wars between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Mysore from 1767 to 1769 in what is now India.
prehistory
The 18th century was a time of great upheaval in the Indian subcontinent. At the beginning of the century, most of this area was ruled by the Mughal emperors . After the death of Emperor Aurangzeb , the empire split into small parts ruled by viceroys and local rulers. In the forties and fifties of the century, the British and French trading companies became increasingly involved in local conflicts. The British succeeded in establishing themselves in Bombay , Madras and Calcutta during the Third Carnatic War . However, they could not completely suppress the influence of the other colonial powers on the region. The eastern areas around Madras were heavily influenced by the treaties with the Nawab of Arcot , whose territories completely enclosed the area of Madras. The other great powers in the east were the Nizam of Hyderabad , a former viceroy of the Mughal Empire who had declared itself independent in the 1920s, and the Kingdom of Mysore, which ruled the western plateaus to the coast. Officially, Mysore was ruled by the Hindu Wodeyar dynasty . In reality, however, Hyder Ali , a Muslim general, had been in charge since 1761. All these factions competed with each other and tried to win the support of the British and French trading companies. The trading companies, on the other hand, had the aim of bringing territories under their control, for which they offered military and financial aid to the local rulers. The military tactics of the Europeans were significantly more developed than those of the Indians, so that even a small, well-trained European unit could eliminate much stronger Indian units.
The British East India Company wanted to establish a land connection between Madras and Bengal. This required access to the northern Circars, an area that had been held by the French until 1758 but now belonged to the Nizam of Hyderabad. At that time the Nizam was allied with the Marathas. Both expressed concern about the expansion efforts of the Hyder Ali of Mysore and planned an invasion of the area of the neighbor. In 1766 the British began to appropriate the northern circars. The Nizam revoked the trading rights of the British in Madras and declared war on the East India Company. However, his ailing financial situation did not allow military action. So the company was able to appropriate four of the five provinces of Circars. It was now agreed that the British should also have access to the fifth province. For this they paid the Nizam a large amount and provided military support in the form of two infantry battalions. It was also planned that additional troops could be requested if necessary.
At the end of 1766, Hyder Ali also tried to ally with the British, but this was rejected because of the existing treaties with Hyderabad.
Course of war
The war began in January 1767 when the Marathas invaded northern Mysore. They advanced to the Tungabhadra River before Hyder Ali could ask for a truce. In exchange for a large sum they withdrew behind the Kistna River . At the same time, however, an army of the Nizam was advancing into Mysore. Thanks to the support of the two British units under Colonel Joseph Smith, this invasion was initially extremely successful.
In May 1767, the British were told that peace negotiations between Mysore and Hyderabad were ongoing. Colonel Smith immediately withdrew his troops. Hyder Ali and the Nizam of Hyderabad now allied against the British and jointly attacked the company outpost in Changama. Hyder was able to conquer Kaveripattinam as a result , but on September 26, 1767 there was the battle of Tiruvannamalai , in which he was thrown back again. The upcoming rainy season drove Hyder to hurry. He overran several further outposts and besieged Ambur in November until British reinforcements arrived in December and the siege had to be lifted.
Hyder Ali retreated north. An entire corps of European mercenary cavalry defected to the British, who in turn negotiated in secret with the Nizam to end its alliance with Mysore. Hyder offered the British peace negotiations in 1768, which they rejected. As a result, the British advanced to the Malabar coast. There were some skirmishes and unsuccessful attempts to resolve the conflict diplomatically. Both sides had minor successes for themselves, but there were no decisive victories, although the British managed to advance slowly. In November 1768, Hyder Ali was able to bypass the British with a force of 6000 cavalrymen and a few infantrymen and surprisingly appear at the gates of Madras. Since Madras was almost undefended, the company immediately requested negotiations. Hyder demanded an alliance against the Marathas. The East India Company offered a defense pact, which was signed on March 29, 1769 in Madras. He was in fact victorious in this conflict.
aftermath
Hyder Ali was able to attack the Marathas on the basis of the Treaty of Madras in 1770 without fear of British interference. On the contrary, he called for British assistance when Marathic troops advanced into Mysore territory. The British were forced to support him, which led to the First Marath War and brought Mysore some territorial gains in the north. This conflict lasted until 1779 when the Marathas, Mysore and the Nizam of Hyderabad again formed an alliance against the British, resulting in the Second Mysore War .
In the course of this conflict it became apparent that neither side could be regarded as a reliable partner and that each of the Indian conflict parties was ready to switch sides immediately for a short-term benefit. The East India Company was able to skillfully exploit this behavior in later years.
Individual evidence
- ^ Edward Thornton (Ed.): The History of the British Empire in India . Adamant Media Corporation, 2001, ISBN 0-543803295 (EA London 1843)
- ^ George Alfred Henty : The Tiger of Mysore. A Story of the War with Tippoo Saib . BiblioBazaar, 2007, ISBN 978-0554151915 (novel, EA London 1896)