HYDER ALI, an officer of the Mysore Hindu sovereigns, whom he set aside and then ruled over the country as an independent prince. His great grandfather, Muhammad Bahlol, came from the Panjab, and settled in the district of Kulburga, about 110 miles S.W. of Hyderabad. He was accompanied by two sons, Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Wali, who both married in the Kul burga district, but left it for Seem, in Mysore, where they were employed as revenue peons ; and here Fatteh Muhammad, son of Muhammad Ali and the father of Ryder Ali, was born, A.D. 1702. Fatteh Muhammad fell in battle, leaving two sons, Shahbaz and Hyder, at the age of nine and seven years respectively. Hyder grew up wholly illiter ate, but was a brave soldier, and, after the fall of Devanahully, he was promoted to the command of 50 horse and 200 foot. Hyder shared in all the wars in which Nunj Raj and Deo Raj were involved; and when Muhammad All and Chanda Sahib were striving for the sovereignty of the Karnatic, he assumed the Mysore Government, A.D. 1761, the raja Nunj .Raj taking a jaghir of three lakbs of pagodas. Hyder Ali's great success was the taking of Bednore. or Nuggur in 1763, in which he is said to have •ound twelve kror of rupees. • Raja Nunj Raj died childless, and a distant relative named Cham Raj was selected by Hyder. Bartolomeo (p. 8) mentions that Hyder Ali in early life stood sentry at the west gate of Pondicherry.
Hyder Ali was severely curbed by the Mali rattas, and entered into an alliance with Nizam Ali to attack the British, but the allies were defeated at Changama in August 1767, and again at Trin comalee. Tho war continued, however, and Hyder Ali, in March 1769, arrived within ten miles of Madras, but on the 4th April a treaty was con cluded. Ryder All conquered Coorg in 1772,
and in 1773 and 1774 he recovered all the terri tories which the Mahrattaa had seized. In 1775 ho captured Belau from Bassalut Jang. In 1776 he extinguished the power of Morari Rao and the independence of Savanore ; and in 1779 he annexed all the dominions of the Nawab of Cuddapab. On the 21st July 1780 lie invaded the Karnatic, plundered Porto-Novo, laid siege to Arcot, and on the 10th September 1780 totally destroyed the force of Colonel Baillie at Peram baukum. Sir Eyre Coote arrived from Calcutta on the 5th November 1781. While Hyder was surrounding five forts, Coote captured Carungally and overthrew Hyder's forces in a general battle at Porto-Novo, on the 1st July 1781, on which Hyder's investment of Trichinopoly, and that of Wandiwash by his son Tipu, were abandoned. Coote met Hyder at Pollilore, but again, on the 27th September 1781, at Sholingur, Coote com pletely defeated Hyder, and compelled him to raise the siege of Vellore. Hyder All died, aged 80, on the 7th December 1782. His death took place in camp at Chittore, near Arcot, but was concealed until his son Tipu could arrive. At his father's demise, at the close of a virtual reign of thirty years, the army consisted of a hundred thousand well-trained men, with about five millions sterling of money in the treasury. He left at his death a compact kingdom, and was succeeded by his son Tipu, known as Tipu Sultan. He was interred at Seringapatam, and a dome was erected over the tomb.