Introduction
The death of Tipu Sultan on May 4, 1799, during the siege of Srirangapatna, stands as one of the most dramatic and significant events in late-18th-century Indian history. Known as the “Tiger of Mysore,” Tipu Sultan was a formidable opponent of British imperial expansion in South India and symbolized indigenous resistance against colonial domination. His fall not only marked the end of Mysore’s independence, but also removed one of the last major obstacles to British supremacy in the subcontinent, clearing the way for the consolidation of the British Raj.
Background: The Fourth Anglo-Mysore War
Tipu Sultan, the son of the dynamic ruler Haidar Ali, ascended the throne of Mysore in 1782 and rapidly emerged as a powerful and innovative leader. He modernized his army with French support, developed an efficient administrative system, and strove to forge alliances to counter British encroachment. Tipu’s kingdom was periodically at war with the British, culminating in four protracted Anglo-Mysore conflicts. By the late 1790s, Tipu remained a thorn in the side of Governor-General Lord Wellesley, who was determined to eliminate Mysore as a threat. Tipu’s diplomatic overtures to Revolutionary France, including correspondence with Napoleon Bonaparte, stoked English fears and provided the pretext for war.
Siege and Betrayal
In early 1799, a massive British-led coalition, counting tens of thousands and including allied forces from the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas, converged on Srirangapatna, the Mysorean capital. Despite being outnumbered, Tipu and his loyal troops heroically defended the fortress, relying on double walls, trenches, and determined resistance. However, his forces suffered significant attrition; supply lines were cut, morale hit rock bottom, and the promised French reinforcements never arrived.
Crucially, Tipu Sultan was undone by betrayal within his own court. Historical accounts, supported by both British and contemporary Indian sources, frequently allege that Mir Sadiq, a high-ranking minister, acted as a traitor. At the critical moment of the British assault, Mir Sadiq withdrew Mysorean troops from vulnerable sections of the fort on the pretext of distributing salaries. This allowed the British to breach the weakened ramparts and storm into the heart of the city. Other key courtiers are also suspected of colluding with the enemy, echoing the role of Mir Jafar in the earlier fall of Bengal.
The Last Stand and Death
On the afternoon of May 4, 1799, British soldiers launched a decisive attack through a breach in the western wall. Tipu Sultan, refusing to flee and embodying his code that “one day of a lion is better than a hundred years of a jackal,” donned his armor and sword to lead his men in hand-to-hand combat near the Water Gate.
Tipu fought valiantly, was wounded multiple times, and continued resisting until he was fatally shot in the melee. His body was later discovered among a heap of his fallen soldiers in a narrow passage, still clutching his sword. Even wounded, he is recorded to have slain enemies and rebuffed an offer to surrender, reiterating his lifelong refusal to accept subjugation. British officers, including General David Baird, identified his body that evening—thus ending both the siege and the legend of Mysore’s “Tiger”.
Immediate Aftermath: Loot and Succession
The fall of Srirangapatna unleashed devastating consequences for Mysore. The British and their allies looted the city for days, stripping Tipu’s palace of immense riches, including gold, jewels, coins, and unique artifacts like the famed mechanical tiger now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Public and private property was plundered indiscriminately, Mysorean officers’ homes were ransacked, and the population suffered mass violence and displacement. Tipu’s family members were captured, exiled, or pensioned off under close British watch, and the once-proud Mysorean kingdom was reduced to a subsidiary state.
To legitimize indirect rule, the British restored a member of the old Wodeyar dynasty as a titular ruler, while real authority and administration passed to the East India Company. This established Mysore as a British-dominated princely state, politically subordinate and economically exploited for Company profit.
Historical Significance
The death of Tipu Sultan marked not just the end of an individual or a dynasty, but also the virtual extinction of major, indigenous resistance to British expansion in southern India. Tipu remains a complex and often polarizing figure—regarded as both a martyr-hero and a controversial ruler, but his courage, military talents, and steadfast opposition to colonial rule are widely recognized.
The exhaustive looting of Srirangapatna after Tipu’s death epitomized the economic drain that often followed British military victories, with Mysore’s vast wealth fueling the expansion of Company rule deep into the Indian heartland. The event left a deep psychological impact on Indian society, inspiring both contemporary legends and future generations of anti-colonial fighters.
Conclusion
Tipu Sultan’s death during the 1799 siege of Srirangapatna marked a decisive moment in India’s struggle against colonial conquest. Betrayed from within but unyielding to the last, Tipu’s end signaled the eclipse of independent Mysore and the strengthening of the British East India Company’s hold over the South—a development that profoundly influenced the subsequent history of the Indian subcontinent.
