Hyder Ali overthrew the wodeyar dynasty of Mysore in 1761 and established an independent state.Born as Hyder Ali Khan, he made a name for himself as a soldier, attracting the attention of the kings of Mysore. As Krishnaraja Wodeyar II's Dalavayi (commander-in-chief), he came to rule the nominal monarch and the Mysore administration. By 1761, he had established himself as the de facto ruler of Mysore as Sarvadhikari. Hyder Ali was a military leader during the First and Second Anglo–Mysore Wars when he fought the East India Company.This article will explain to you about Haider Ali (1761-1782) which will be helpful in Modern Indian History preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Haider Ali - Early Life

• The precise date of Hyder Ali's birth is unknown.
• Fath Muhammad and Lal Bai were his parents (however it's unclear if Lal Bai was his mother's name).
• His birth dates range from 1717 to 1722, according to various historical sources. His early years are unknown; after their father was killed in action, he and his brother Shahbaz joined the military.
• They traveled to Seringapatam, where Hyder's uncle ruled, after serving for several years under the kings of Arcot.
• He presented them to Devaraja, Krishnaraja Wodeyar II's dalwai (chief minister, military leader, and virtual ruler), and his brother Nanjaraja, who both served in prominent governmental positions.
• Hyder and his brother were both awarded leadership positions in the Mysorean army; Hyder commanded 100 cavalries and 2,000 infantry under Shahbaz.
• Haidar, who was noted for his effective leadership, ascended to become Nanjraj's most trusted subordinate before usurping him.
• Some nobility conspired with the Marathas to depose him, but the Marathas retreated due to events in North India, and Haidar regained full power in 1761.
• By 1764, he had expanded his dominance well north of the Tungabhadra.
• Haidar Ali fought the Marathas in the northwest and the British on the east and west coastlines for the remainder of his life, using his excellent diplomacy and powerful army to keep or expand his holdings.

De facto Ruler

• By 1761, he had taken over as minister from Nanjaraja.
• The kingdom had been bankrupted by Nanjarajah, therefore Haider set out to restock the coffers by conquest.
• According to some versions, Haider Ali placed the Rajah under house arrest, while others claim that the king sanctioned his de facto seizure of power.
• He appears to have improved the efficiency of the administration. When the Wadiyar Rajah died in 1766, Haider Ali replaced him, but he was regarded as a Sultan, not a Rajah since he was a Muslim.
• He is commonly referred to as a usurper, yet his ascension does not appear to have been considered unlawful at the time.
• For a long time, the minister of state, rather than the Rajah, wielded actual authority.

Haider ali

Rise of Haider Ali

• Although he is most known for his military leadership, Haider Ali was also a capable civilian administrator.
• He was cautious to govern as a secular king, upholding religious freedom and Hindu legal tradition as a Muslim leading a Hindu-majority state.
• He constructed roads, parks, and fortifications at Bangalore and Seringapatam (where his son would make his last stand in 1799).
• He began modernizing the administration, and the restored Wadiyar dynasty, under British control, continued this process, which his son had also contributed to.
• By 1755, Hyder Ali commanded 3,000 troops and 1,500 cavalries and was said to be profiting himself by pillage during battles.
• He was also named Faujdar (military commander) of Dindigul that year.
• He initially hired French experts to organize and train his artillery companies while in this capacity.
• He is also known to have served alongside de Bussy, and he is said to have encountered Muzaffar Jung and Chanda Sahib.
• During these early wars, he grew to resent and distrust Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah, the Carnatic's Nawab.
• During the Carnatic Wars, Hyder Ali and his Mysore battalions fought with French commanders such as Joseph Francois Dupleix, Count de Lally, and de Bussy, and he also supported Chanda Sahib on several occasions.
• Hyder Ali first backed Muzaffar Jung's assertions before siding with Salabat Jung.
• In 1761-63, he took over the Nizami army and the Marathas, seized Dod Ballapur, Sera, Bednur, and Hoskote, and brought the troublesome Poligars of South India to heel (Tamil Nadu).
• From the reign of the Vijayanagara Empire, Poligars or Palaiyakkarars were appointed as military leaders and administrative rulers in portions of Southern India. They also levied levies on the farmers.
• After recouping their losses, the Marathas led by Madhavrao assaulted Mysore and defeated Haidar Ali in 1764, 1766, and 1771.
• Haidar Ali had to offer them significant sums of money to purchase peace, but after Madhavrao's death in 1772, Haidar Ali invaded the Marathas several times between 1774-76, recovering all of the regions he had previously lost as well as seizing additional ones.

First Anglo-Mysore War (1767-69)

• In 1612, the Wodeyars established a Hindu state in the Mysore area. From 1734 until 1766, Chikka Krishnaraja Wodeyar II governed.
• With his tremendous administrative abilities and military tactics, Haider Ali, a soldier in the army of the Wodeyars, became the de-facto king of Mysore.
• The English political and commercial interests, as well as their influence over Madras, were jeopardized by Mysore's proximity to the French and Haidar Ali's dominance over the lucrative Malabar coast trade.
• After defeating the Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Buxar, the British persuaded the Nizam of Hyderabad to sign a contract giving them the Northern Circars in exchange for safeguarding the Nizam against Haidar Ali, who was already embroiled in a feud with the Marathas.
• The British launched a war against Mysore, allied with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad.
• With clever diplomacy, Hyder Ali was able to win over the Marathas and the Nizam.
• He bribed the Marathas to neutralize them.
• The war dragged on for another year and a half with no end in sight.
• Haidar shifted his approach and came to the Madras gates.
• Following full chaos and fear in Madras, the English were compelled to sign a humiliating settlement with Haidar on April 4, 1769, known as the Treaty of Madras, which ended the war.
• The seized regions were returned to their rightful owners, and it was decided that they would aid one another in the event of a foreign assault.

Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–84)

• When the Maratha army attacked Mysore in 1771, the British failed to follow the treaty of Madras.
• Haider Ali accused them of betraying their trust.
• Furthermore, Haider Ali found the French to be more inventive in meeting the army's needs for firearms, saltpetre, and lead.
• As a result, he began bringing French military supplies to Mysore via Mahe, a French territory on the Malabar Coast.
• The British were concerned about the growing relationship between the two.
• As a result, the British attempted to seize Mahe, which was protected by Haider Ali.
• In 1771, the Marathas attacked Mysore. The British, on the other hand, refused to honor the Treaty of Madras and refused to help Hyder Ali.
• As a consequence, the Marathas seized Hyder Ali's territory. For a price of Rs.36 lakh and another annual tribute, he had to buy peace with the Marathas.
• This enraged Hyder Ali, who began to despise the British.
• Hyder Ali waged war on the English in 1780 after the English assaulted Mahe, a French colony under his authority.
• Hyder Ali formed an alliance with the Nizam and the Marathas and beat the British forces in Arcot.
• Hyder Ali died in 1782, and his son Tipu Sultan Sir Eyre Coote, who had already fought Hyder Ali numerous times, continued the war.
• The Treaty of Mangalore concluded the war inconclusively.
• Both sides negotiated peace after an inconclusive war, concluding the Treaty of Mangalore (March 1784) in which both parties returned the areas they had acquired from each other.

Conclusion

Haider Ali's legacy is nearly invariably associated with opposition to imperialism and as a source of inspiration for those who eventually led the Indian independence struggle. He did, however, restore order and efficiency to a realm that he left intact for his son. He lived in India during a period of transition when the old system was dissolving and the new colonial order was still forming. Tipu Sultan is recognized as a hero of the resistance, but he is also renowned, like his father, for running his country with efficiency and expertise. Tipu led Mysore to the pinnacle of its military might.