AL ASHARI SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

Here’s the English translation:

*Tipu Sultan*

Tipu Sultan was born in November 1750 to Hyder Ali and Fatima. He was a well-educated man who could speak Arabic, Persian, Kannada, and Urdu fluently.

Tipu was a great warrior [he was known as the “Tiger of Mysore”] and paid utmost attention to the formation and maintenance of an efficient military force. He organized his army on the European model with Persian terminology. Although he took the help of French officers to train his soldiers, he never allowed them [the French] to develop into a pressure group. Like his father, Tipu understood the importance of a naval force. In 1796, he established a Board of Admiralty and planned a fleet: 22 warships and 20 large frigates. Three docks were set up at Mangalore, Wajidabad, and Molidabad.

Tipu was a patron of science and technology. He is credited as the ‘pioneer of rocket technology’ in India. He wrote a military manual explaining the operation of rockets. He was also a pioneer in introducing sericulture in the state of Mysore.

Tipu was a great lover of democracy and a great diplomat. In 1797 he supported French soldiers in Seringapatam in establishing a Jacobin Club. To celebrate the occasion, he ordered a salute of 2,300 cannons and 500 rockets. Tipu himself became a member of the Jacobin Club and allowed himself to be called Citizen Tipu. He planted a Tree of Liberty at Seringapatam.

Tipu disapproved of the use of the palanquin and said it should be used only by women and the disabled. He is also credited with initiating capitalist development at a time when feudalism was prevalent.

Tipu was a man representing many traditions.

*Third Anglo-Mysore War*

A dispute arose between Tipu and Travancore when Travancore purchased Jalkottal and Cannanore from the Dutch. The British, siding with Travancore, attacked Tipu. In 1790 Tipu defeated the British under General Meadows. In 1791, Cornwallis took command and, at the head of a large army, marched from Ambur and Vellore to Bangalore [captured in March 1791] and from there to Seringapatam. Coimbatore fell into his hands, but he lost it again, and finally, with the support of the Marathas and the Nizam, the British attacked Seringapatam a second time. Tipu put up stiff resistance, but circumstances were against him. As a result, he had to pay heavily under the Treaty of Seringapatam.

*Treaty of Seringapatam, 1792*

Under this treaty, nearly half of Mysore’s territory was seized by the victors. Baramahal, Dindigul, and Malabar went to the British, while the Marathas got the areas around the Tungabhadra and its tributaries, and the Nizam acquired the territories from the Krishna to the Pennar. In addition, the war caused heavy losses to all three.

*Fourth Anglo-Mysore War*

The British and Tipu Sultan used the period from 1792 to 1799 to make up for their losses. Tipu fulfilled all the terms of the Treaty of Seringapatam and secured the release of his sons. In 1796, the installation of the minor son of the Wodeyar on the throne was announced.

*Background*

In 1798, Lord Wellesley became the new Governor-General after Sir John Shore. An imperialist by nature, Wellesley was concerned about Tipu’s growing friendship with the French or about forcing him to submit through the Subsidiary System, and his aim was to destroy Tipu’s independent alliances. The chargesheet against Tipu mentioned that he was conspiring with the Nizam and the Marathas against the British and had sent envoys with treasonous intent to Arabia, Afghanistan, Kabul and Zaman Shah, as well as to the Isle of France and Versailles. Wellesley was not satisfied with Tipu’s explanations.[Mauritius]

*Course of the War*

The war began on 17 April 1799 and ended with the fall of Seringapatam on 4 May 1799. Tipu was first defeated by the British General Stuart and then by General Harris. Lord Wellesley’s brother, Arthur Wellesley, also took part in the war. The British were again helped by the Marathas and the Nizam. The Marathas were promised half of Tipu’s territory, and the Nizam had already signed the Subsidiary Treaty. Tipu laid down his life fighting bravely. His family members were interned at Vellore, and his treasury was seized by the British. The British chose a boy from the first Hindu royal family of Mysore as Maharaja and imposed the Subsidiary Alliance on him as well.

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Note: Some place names in the original have variations — e.g., “Jalkottal” is usually “Cranganore/Kodungallur”, “Molidabad” likely refers to “Molidabad/Molodabad”, and “Wajidabad” may be “Jamalabad”. I’ve kept them as written for fidelity.

Want me to compile all these Imams + Tipu + Iqbal into one clean document?