Tipu Sultan (Kannada: ?????? ????????; Urdu: ????? ??? ??? ??? ????) (November 1750; Devanahalli - 4 May 1799; Seringapatam); 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. He was given a number of honorific titles; and was referred to as Sultan Fateh Ali Khan Shahab; Tipu Saheb; Bahadur Khan Tipu Sultan or Fatih Ali Khan Tipu Sultan Bahadur.

During Tipu's childhood; his father rose to take power in Mysore; and Tipu took over rule of the kingdom upon his father's death. In addition to his role as ruler; he was a scholar; soldier; and poet. He was a devout Muslim but the majority of his subjects were Hindus. At the request of the French; he built a church; the first in Mysore. He was proficient in many languages. In alliance with the French in their struggle with the British; and in Mysore's struggles with other surrounding powers; both Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali used their French trained army against the Marathas; Sira; rulers of Malabar; Coorg; Bednur; Carnatic; and Travancore. He won important victories against the British in the Second Anglo-Mysore War; and negotiated the 1784 Treaty of Mangalore with them after his father died the previous year.

He engaged in expansionist attacks against his neighbours; and harshly put down rebellions within his territories; deporting whole populations into confinement in Seringapatam. He remained an implacable enemy of the British; bringing them into renewed conflict with an attack on British-allied Travancore in 1789. In the Third Anglo-Mysore War Tipu was forced into a humiliating peace; losing a number of previously conquered territories; such as Malabar and Mangalore. He sent embassies to foreign states; including the Ottoman Empire and France; in an attempt to rally opposition to the British. In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War the combined forces of the British East India Company and the Nizam of Hyderabad defeated Tipu and he was killed on 4 May 1799; defending the fort of Seringapatam.

Tipu's treatment of conquered subjects; non-Muslims; and prisoners of war; were controversial; and continue to be a subject of debate today. He introduced a number of administrative and military innovations to Mysore (including the expansion of rocket technology); and introduced and promoted a more widespread use of Persian and Urdu languages in southern India. Pictures From History