Siege of Seringapatam
Srirangapatna, Mandya district, Karnataka, India
What happened
The British East India Company and its ally the Nizam of Hyderabad, under General George Harris with David Baird and Arthur Wellesley, besieged Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore. Tipu Sultan had fought the British for years and was their strongest rival in southern India. In 1799 a large British and Hyderabadi army besieged his capital, Seringapatam, on an island in the Kaveri River. On 4 May the British stormed the walls, and Tipu fell in the fighting.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended Mysore as a rival power to the British in southern India. The British restored the old Wadiyar royal family as rulers under British control.
What came next
Tipu was buried in the Gumbaz mausoleum beside his father and mother. His summer palace, the Daria Daulat Bagh, still stands in Srirangapatna.
Did you know?
A famous wooden toy of a tiger, called Tipu's Tiger, was taken from Seringapatam and is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Timeline
- 1784Tipu's summer palace, Daria Daulat Bagh, is built.
- 5 April 1799The siege of Seringapatam begins.
- 4 May 1799The British storm the city; Tipu Sultan falls.
- 1799The Wadiyar dynasty is restored.