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Tipu Sultan

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When the British were conquering State after State in India by force, trickery and deceit, then the flame of resistance against them was kept burning by the Sultan of Maysore Fateh Ali Khan, immortalised in history books as Tipu Sultan. He was born in 1749 AD to Sultan Haider Ali, the ruler of Mysore. Haider Ali died in 1782. Brave Tipu succeeded his father and fought a chain of battles with the Britishers. He defeated them in more then one wars. As a forward looking man he also made an attempt to forge alliance with Republican France.

The British took resort to bribery and purchased the loyalty of some of the closest associates of the Sultan such as Mir Sadiq, Mir Ghulam Ali, Mir Qasim Ali and others. With the help of these traitors British were able to turn the tables, defeating Sultan's army on various fronts. Tipu Sultan kept on fighting with vigor and renewed courage. Serringapatem, the capital of his state was however, encircled by the British army and the Sultan was killed while heroically fighting against the invading army on 4th May 1799.

As the news of Tipu's murder reached Calcutta, Lord Wolsley, the then Governor General of the British India overjoyingly remarked, "India is ours"