Hyder Ali facts for kids

Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
	Dalwai of Mysore (de facto ruler)
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	Sultanate of Mysore
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

Mausoleums of Hyder Ali's ancestors, including his father Fath Muhammad in the city of Kolar.
The dominions of the Sultanat-e-Khudad of Mysore ruled by Hyder Ali, in the year 1780.
Lal Bagh Gardens of Bangalore were originally laid out by Hyder Ali and were modelled on Mughal and French gardening techniques.
Hyder Ali in 1762, incorrectly described as the The head of his army in the war against the British in India. (French painting)
Kishangiri fort was besieged in the first Anglo-Mysore war in 1768, and finally surrendered to the English, who held it briefly
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.
Hyder Ali's melee forces in battle.
Theater map for the First and the Second Anglo-Mysore Wars
Baillie surrenders to Hyder Ali.
Tomb of Hyder Ali.
French Admiral Suffren meeting with Hyder Ali in 1782, J.B. Morret engraving, 1789.
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.
Seal of Mysore.
The flag of the Sultanate of Mysore at the entrance into the fort of Bangalore.
Hyder Ali sent ambassadors to Abu Hilal Ahmad bin Said in Muscat.
Hyder Ali sent ambassadors to Shah of Persia Karim Khan.
Hyder Ali sent letters to Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III.
A British illustration of Sayed Sahib leading Hyder Ali's forces during the Siege of Cuddalore.
The Battle of Pollilur, where the forces of Hyder Ali effectively used Mysorean rockets and Rocket artillery against closely massed British forces.
Pierre André de Suffren ally of Hyder Ali.
Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau ally of Hyder Ali.
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.