Hyder Ali facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hyder Ali |
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Dalwai of Mysore (de facto ruler) | |
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Reign | 1761–1782 |
Born | c. 1720 |
Birthplace | Budikote, near Kolar in present-day Karnataka |
Died | 6 December 1782 |
Place of death | Chittoor |
Buried | Seringapatam |
Predecessor | Krishnaraja Wodeyar II |
Successor | Tipu Sultan |
Royal House | ![]() |
Father | Fatah Muhammad |
Religious beliefs | Islam |
Hyder Ali (Urdu: ur, Kannada: ಹೈದರಾಲಿ, Haidarālī; Hindi: हैदर अली, Haidar Alī; c. 1720 – 7 December 1782, 2 Muharram 1197 in the Islamic calendar) was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers. Rising to the post of dalwai, or commander-in-chief to Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, he came to dominate the titular monarch and the Mysore government, and eventually seized control of all of the reins of power. He expanded the kingdom's borders at the expense of the Maratha Empire and Nizam of Hyderabad (among others), and was one of the few local rulers to effectively blunt the military advances of the British East India Company during two wars. In the First and Second Anglo-Mysore Wars he came within striking distance of the British outpost at Madras. He was given a number of honorific titles, and was referred to as Sultan Hyder Ali Khan or Hyder Ali Sahib.
Hyder's rule of Mysore was characterised by frequent warfare with his neighbours and rebellion within his territories. This was not unusual for the time, as much of the Indian subcontinent was then in turmoil, with the Hindu Maratha Confederacy struggling with the remnants of the Muslim Mughal Empire. He was a shrewd leader, and left his son Tipu Sultan a kingdom that was significantly larger than when he first took it over. He organised his military in part along European lines, and was a pioneer in the military use of rocket artillery. He had at least two wives, and fathered at least three children.
Images for kids
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Asaf Jah II opposed the East India Company in 1766, and initially allied himself with Hyder Ali during the First Anglo-Mysore War, particularly during the Battle of Chengam, then Battle of Rakshasbhuvan, but later abandoned (in 1768) and later intervened in favor of Mysore during the Battle of Kharda in 1795.
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The Mysore rockets utilised effectively during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, and were later updated by the British into the Congreve rockets, which were successively employed during the Napoleonic wars and the War of 1812.
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The flag of the Sultanate of Mysore at the entrance into the fort of Bangalore.
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A British illustration of Sayed Sahib leading Hyder Ali's forces during the Siege of Cuddalore.
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French Admiral Suffren (with the support of Hyder Ali) comes to the aid of Reynier van Vlissingen's Dutch forces against the British Admiral Hughes.
