Kingdom of Mysore

A southern Indian kingdom ruled by the Wadiyar dynasty and, later, by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. After Tipu Sultan’s defeat, it became a princely state under British paramountcy.

Wadiyar dynasty: A royal dynasty that ruled Mysore from the late fourteenth century until India’s independence, with interruptions. The Wadiyars founded Mysore’s ruling house and shaped its long dynastic history.
Hyder Ali: A military commander who became de facto ruler of Mysore in the eighteenth century. His rise shifted effective power from the Wadiyar court to a military regime.
Krishnaraja Wadiyar III: The Wadiyar ruler restored to Mysore’s throne by the British in 1799, reigning until 1868. His restoration established the post-Tipu Wadiyar state under British oversight.
Mysore State: A princely state in southern India that existed under British paramountcy and joined independent India in 1947. It was the political form Mysore took after the kingdom’s defeat and Wadiyar restoration.
Mysore Dasara: An annual Hindu festival in Mysore featuring royal ceremonies, processions, and public celebrations. The Wadiyar court developed Dasara into a major expression of royal authority.
Vijayanagara Empire: A South Indian empire that flourished from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, centered on the city of Vijayanagara. Mysore grew within the political order left by Vijayanagara’s decline.
Tipu Sultan: The ruler of Mysore from 1782 to 1799, known for resisting British expansion in India. He continued Mysore’s wars with the British and pursued military and administrative reforms.
Purnaiah: An administrator who served Mysore under Tipu Sultan and later as regent for Krishnaraja Wadiyar III. He helped govern the kingdom through its transition after Tipu Sultan’s defeat.
Doctrine of lapse: A British annexation policy that claimed princely states without a natural male heir could be absorbed by the East India Company. Unlike states annexed under this policy, Mysore retained its ruler under British paramountcy.
Mysore silk: A silk textile tradition associated with Mysore and its distinctive silk saris. Court patronage and state-supported production helped establish Mysore’s silk reputation.

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