In 1761, Hyder Ali seized the throne from Nandraj of Mysore and became a protagonist. The British became concerned due to his increasing power and were annoyed also due to the friendship between Hyder Ali and the French. Hyder Ali occupied the region of Malabar which was a friend of the British due to which the British became more annoyed. As a result of this controversy, Anglo-Mysore wars were fought between British and Mysore rulers (Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan).
First Anglo – Mysore War: The British joined the Marathas and Nizam and formed a ternary union against Hyder Ali. Diplomatic Hyder gained the favour of Nizam by tempting him with regional grant. In 1767, the joint armies of Hyder Ali and Nizam invaded Karnataka. But they were defeated by the British. In 1769 CE, Hyder Ali invaded Madras and surrounded it. The helpless British were forced to sign the treaty, of Madras with him on 4th April 1769. According to the provisions of this treaty, both of them returned the regions occupied from one another.
Second Anglo – Mysore War: This time Hyder Ali formed a ternary union against the British in which he himself, the Nizam and the Marathas were included. Hyder Ali invaded Karnataka in July 1780 and surrounded Akart. The Nawab was defeated and he went in the haven of the British. Hyder Ali started to achieve success but unfortunately he died in 1782. His son Tipu Sultan continued the war and the war ended with the treaty of Manglore on 11th March 1784 between them.
Third Anglo – Mysore War: Tipu wished to buy the Dutch fort situated in Cochin for the protection of Malabar but the king of Travancore who had the support of the British bought it and angered Tipu. This was the immediate reason of Third Anglo Mysore war which was fought between 1790 – 92 CE. Tipu could not sustain in the fight for long and signed the treaty of Seringapatnam in 1792. According to the provisions of this treaty, half of Tipu’s kingdom was annexed and provided to the British and their supporters.
Fourth Anglo Mysore War: Lord Wellesley wanted to annex Mysore in British Empire, so he declared war on February 1799 CE. Tipu Sultan confronted the massive British army in a very courageous manner and was killed. In July 1799, a treaty was signed with the new appointed ruler of Mysore and it was annexed in British Empire.
