Treaty of Seringapatam
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Seringapatam, signed 19 March 1792, ended the Third Anglo-Mysore War
. Its signatories included Lord Cornwallis
on behalf of the British East India Company
, representatives of the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Mahratta Empire, and Tipu Sultan
, the ruler of Mysore
.
, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore
, attacked Travancore, an ally of the British East India Company
. After a little over two years of fighting, forces of the company led by Lord Charles, 2nd Earl Cornwallis
, along with allied forces from the Maratha Empire
and Hyderabad
, laid siege
in February 1792 to Mysore's capital, Seringapatam. Rather than attempting to storm the works at great cost to all sides, Cornwallis entered into negotiations with Tipu to end the conflict. The resulting treaty was signed on 19 March.
Cornwallis had hoped to use the treaty as a wide-ranging peace settlement that would, in addition to reducing or removing the threat of Mysore, prevent conflict between Hyderabad and the Marathas. The Marathas had, however, resisted inclusion of such language.
, the Nizam was awarded land from the Krishna
to the Penner
River, and the forts of Cuddapah and Gandikota
on the south bank of the Penner. The East India Company received a large portion of Mysore's Malabar Coast
territories between the Kingdom of Travancore and the Kali River
, and the Baramahal and Dindigul
districts. Mysore granted the rajah of Coorg his independence, although Coorg effectively became a company dependency.
Tipu Sultan, to guarantee Mysore's performance, was required to surrender two of his three sons as hostages of war.
Third Anglo-Mysore War
The Third Anglo-Mysore War was a war in South India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company and its allies, including the Mahratta Empire and the Nizam of Hyderabad...
. Its signatories included Lord Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
on behalf of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, representatives of the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Mahratta Empire, and Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
, the ruler of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
.
Background
The war broke out in late 1789 when Tipu SultanTipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
, attacked Travancore, an ally of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. After a little over two years of fighting, forces of the company led by Lord Charles, 2nd Earl Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
, along with allied forces from the Maratha Empire
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
and Hyderabad
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
, laid siege
Siege of Seringapatam (1792)
The 1792 Siege of Seringapatam was a battle and siege of the Mysorean capital city of Seringapatam at the end of the Third Anglo-Mysore War. An army led by Charles, Earl Cornwallis consisting of British East India Company and British Army forces, along with allied forces from the Maratha Empire...
in February 1792 to Mysore's capital, Seringapatam. Rather than attempting to storm the works at great cost to all sides, Cornwallis entered into negotiations with Tipu to end the conflict. The resulting treaty was signed on 19 March.
Cornwallis had hoped to use the treaty as a wide-ranging peace settlement that would, in addition to reducing or removing the threat of Mysore, prevent conflict between Hyderabad and the Marathas. The Marathas had, however, resisted inclusion of such language.
Terms
Under the terms of the treaty, Mysore ceded about one half of its territories to the other signatories. The Peshwa acquired territory up to the Tungabhadra RiverTungabhadra River
The Tungabhadra River is a sacred river in southern India that flows through the state of Karnataka to Andhra Pradesh, where it serves as the chief tributary of the Krishna River...
, the Nizam was awarded land from the Krishna
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...
to the Penner
Penner River
The Penner is a river of southern India. The Penner rises on the hill of Nandi Hills in Chikballapur District of Karnataka state, and runs north and east through the state of Andhra Pradesh to empty into the Bay of Bengal...
River, and the forts of Cuddapah and Gandikota
Gandikota
Gandikota is a small village on the right bank of the river Pennar, 15 km from Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh in India. Gandikota was founded in 1123 by Kapa Raja of nearby Bommanapalle village and a subordinate of Ahavamalla Someswara I, the Western Chalukyan king of Kalyana...
on the south bank of the Penner. The East India Company received a large portion of Mysore's Malabar Coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
territories between the Kingdom of Travancore and the Kali River
Kali River (Karnataka)
The Kali River or Kalinadi is a river flowing through Karwar, Uttara Kannada district Karnataka state in India. The river takes its birth in Diggi, a small village in Uttar Kannada district...
, and the Baramahal and Dindigul
Dindigul District
Dindigul District is an administrative region in the south of Tamil Nadu, India. The district was carved out of Madurai District in the year 1985...
districts. Mysore granted the rajah of Coorg his independence, although Coorg effectively became a company dependency.
Tipu Sultan, to guarantee Mysore's performance, was required to surrender two of his three sons as hostages of war.