TIGER OF MYSORE - Better 2 days as a tiger, than 200 years as a sheep

[Judge]

Country. Mysore in Grand Campaign v 1,06
Rules: No cheats, no loansharking, avoid diploannexing
Settings: Very Hard/ Normal
Objectives Try to unify India under Hindu rule and beyond that
expand as much as possible

INTRODUCTION

As some of you may know I am currently writing an AAR about the Kingdom of Jerusalem and I will not abandon that AAR by writing this AAR. However I have for a while been planning to start a new AAR about some country in Asia or in India and my choice fell on India because there are not that many AARs from this region.

I choose between Mysore, Jodhpur, Orissa and Vijayanagar because I wanted to play a Hindu country. I have played Vijayanagar before and since there is an AAR about Orissa already I decided to go for either Jodhpur or Mysore. In the end my vote fell on Mysore partly because of the strategic position of the country that I found very attractive and partly because of the interesting history of the country.

Another thing that I found amazing was the fact that Mysore managed to stay independent until the creation of India; quite an achievement in my opinion. The downside is the weak starting position (one province + two level one colonies) and all the poor monarchs you will have (in the beginning at least).

I will now make an attempt to write a somewhat different AAR from my Kingdom of Jerusalem AAR. It will probably be a bit more focused on game play and probably a bit shorter as well because my knowledge of Mysore is very much inferior to my knowledge about the crusades. On the other hand things can very well change as I am writing.

To begin with I will give you a short historical background (based on various sources – especially some very interesting Indian sites that I found on internet) because I suppose that I am not the only one who has limited knowledge of Mysore. I have deliberately focused on the 18 th century which will be explained later on in the AAR.

After the historical background the “real” AAR will begin. As for the “real” AAR I will start with a very short episode in the 18 th century but the AAR will after that be written in chronological order. Why I begin in the 18 th century will be explained later on.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Early History

The earliest historical mention of Mysore or Mahishur is in the time of King Ashoka in 245 BC. Until the rise of the Gangas in 10th century there are very little or no evidence at all relating to Mysore. The Ganga dynasty established its reign in the 2nd century and the Ganga kings ruled over the greater part of Mysore until 1004. After the Gangas, the Cholas rose to power and ruled for over a century. The Chalukyas followed them. In the 10th century, Mysore was a part of the kingdom of the Chalukya The Hoysalas drove out the Cholas and Chalukyas from the Mysore region in the 12th century.

History during the EU 2 period and beyond

The Mysore Yadu dynasty, known as the Wodeyars (Yadu-rayas), came to power in 1399. They were feudatories to the Vijayanagar kings, who followed the Hoysalas. The Yadu or Wodeyar dynasty ruled Mysore from the 14th century onwards, for nearly six centuries.

Mysore was a pretty weak country for many years until Raja Wodeyar (1578-1617) emerged as a powerful ruler. Until then, Mysore was as mentioned a small feudatory kingdom under the Vijayanagar Kingdom. The Mysore chieftains owed allegiance to the Vijayanagar kings and the Vijayanagar representative at Srirangapatna (My comment: Maybe Mysore should start as a vassal to Vijayanagar in GC and AoE).

Taking advantage of the fall of Vijayanagar in 1565 Raja Wodeyar defeated the Vijayanagar king in a battle at Kesare near Mysore, shifted his capital from Mysore to Srirangapatna in 1610 and ascended the famous throne. However, he continued the traditions of Vijayanagar and Mysore did manage to stay independent even after the Mughal invasion.

The next powerful ruler to ascend the throne of Mysore was Ranadhira Kantirava Narasaraja Wodeyar (1638-1659). He was a courageous ruler, who successfully defended Mysore from outside aggression.

Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1673-1704) was the next celebrated ruler. Besides further expanding the kingdom and introduced modern administration in his vastly expanded kingdom.

During the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II (1734-1766), Hyder Ali Khan and his celebrated son Tipu, the Tiger of Mysore, became the virtual rulers of Mysore.

Haidar Ali Khan [1722-82], a warrior chieftain who, in 1761, usurped the supreme power, was a man of able brain and vigorous temperament. The Hindu in Mysore had been a quiet neighbour to the East India Company, politically and militarily somewhat negligible.

The usurpation of Haidar brought into being, quickly, a very different situation. Mysore and the British came long to be engaged in armed hostilities. At first the advantage was with Mysore. In 1780 Mysore won a great victory over England and threatened the existence of the East India Company. Later the Englishmen fought back and it came to a stalemate.

The Tiger of Mysore

Tipu better known as the Tiger of Mysore [1749-99] was a pure genius and mystic, with a mystic's fervour. Concerning the origin of the name Tipu, there is some controversy, but it is believed that it originate from the Kanarese word for 'tiger'.

From the first moment, Tipu took this beast as his personal symbol, and upon his accession to the throne in 1782, he made it the official emblem of the state of Mysore. The tiger's head figured as his armorial bearing, and the word 'sher' [tiger] or it's initial letter, appeared stamped, embroidered or engraved upon every article of his use.

Throughout India, he was known as 'The Tiger of Mysore'. Even the stripes upon his clothing, and upon the upholstery of his throne and the cushions of his chamber, represented the stripes of the tiger. His throne had eight corners, surmounted by eight tiger heads, and the whole was set as though across the back of a tiger, whose huge gold head projected in front.

Live tigers upon chains guarded the great doors of his palace on the fortified island of Seringapatam, and inside the palace more tigers were kept, some in cages, and some upon chains - and it is said that two of his ministers, having incurred his gross displeasure, were thrown to them alive. The proud words for which he was best known were, 'Better two days as a tiger, than two hundred years as a sheep'

Tipu inherited a war with England in an hour when it was going badly. He was unable ever to make up his father's earlier losses, and in 1792, the eleventh year of his reign, he was obliged to sign a treaty with Britain by which he lost nearly half his dominions. He signed with a bad will, and never ceased to scheme for their recovery.

He allied with France but the new English governor Wellesley, sensing a weakened tiger attacked in 1799 with massive force from which there was no escape for the Tiger. The pretext for the unprovoked attack was that it was thought that Tipu had made overtures to Napoleon to help him ward off the British. The siege of Srirangapatnam lasted for three months and Tipu’s body was found among the dead, cut with bayonets and shot twice.

(Next, Part I the Death and the birth of a tiger)

[Arilou]

Was that title a jab me ?
(just kidding! don't tear me to pieces!)

[Judge]

Kind 0f

I will try to post Part I tomorrow

[Judge]

Part I the death and the birth of a Tiger (1419-1423)

The siege of Srirangapatnam 1799

During the siege Tipu had many opportunities to think things over. Why had things turned out this way? Why was Mysore this weak? What if Mysore had risen to greatness much earlier, would that have enabled him to fight back the invaders?

Tipu gave these ideas a lot of thinking during the months when he was locked inside his palace. In the end he knew he was going to die but he was a spiritualist and began to get obsessed by the idea to travel back in history, back to his weak predecessors to enlighten them and to alter history.

What if he could pass some of his knowledge and greatness on to them? Was this possible? During magical experiments Tipu tried several methods of getting in touch with the world of spirits gone by. Tipu sat at these sessions until he lost conscious and finally he went into a coma.

He was in coma for a week when he constantly cried, “ I am the Tiger, I will tell you what to do”, I am the Tiger I will enlighten you!” “,“I am the Tiger and I will alter history!” “I will alter history!” “I will alter history!” This was the last week before the assault and the next week the Tiger was dead. Nobody knew what had taken place during the secret experiments inside the palace.

1419 Vijaya Râja (average/average/average)

Vijaya Râja the king of Mysore woke up from a terrible dream. In the dream a Tiger had attacked him but the Tiger did not kill him. Instead the Tiger told him that it would from now on guide him and all his predecessors in the future. In the dream Vijaya Râja laughed but suddenly the Tiger jumped into his body and they became one. This was an awful dream and Vijaya Râja was glad it was only a dream.

However Vijaya Râja could not forget about this dream and all through the day the memories from it became stronger and stronger. During a meeting with his advisors he felt different inside. Usually he was a weak and unsure person who only took pleasure in wine and women but now he felt strong and bold.

One of his advisors gave a briefing on the situation of Mysore. As always the advisor begged Vijaya Râja to do something about the bleak situation but usually this would be in vain. The advisor reminded the King that Mysore was a small weak Hindu Kingdom hated by all of its neighbours. The Muslims in the north regarded Mysore as a country of heretics, Vijayanagar the great Hindu Kingdom, was hostile and regarded Mysore as a possible conquest object (-200 in relations).

When Vijaya Râja should make his comments he suddenly saw things in a new and different light! He saw a strong state emerge in the north led by a terrible warrior called Bakbar, Akbar, Babur or something. This man destroyed cities and slaughtered people. He saw Delhi fall and a lot of other Muslim countries as well. What was this? Was he dreaming again? How could a powerful state like Delhi be destroyed like that and who was the terrible warrior?

Then he saw the great Kingdom of Vijayanagar in ruins with a lot of dead soldiers all over a battlefield. What did this mean? Then he saw a Tiger emerge and it stood outside his palace with blood on its mouth. The palace was covered in gold and was shining so bright that it was almost impossible to look at it.

Behind the tiger he could see hordes and hordes of soldiers carrying the banner of Mysore marching towards a battle field. This could only mean one thing! Mysore was bound for greatness! All this must mean great opportunities in the future for Mysore. Suddenly everything was clear and he now felt strongly that the Tiger inside would guide him.

The situation in Mysore

Mysore was in a most bleak position as mentioned. In the North a strong alliance between Hyderabad and Delhi, called the Muslim league ruled. In the south Vijayanagar a very strong Hindu state considered all other Hindu states to be vassals to it. In theory Mysore and Vijayanagar should be allies but in fact Vijayanagar hated the weak and corrupt Mysore (-200 in relations).

Vijaya Râja knew that is was impossible to expand by force right now as Mysore could never match the Muslim League and would be an easy target for Vijayanagar. Since he now felt strong he wanted nothing more than to attack the enemies of Mysore but then he could hear the Tiger whisper ““remember that Vijayanagar and the other states soon will be destroyed, wait and build up your strength, your time will come”.

Mysore controlled two colonies, Cochin and Kerala (Level one colony) and Vijaya Râja decided that these colonies should be turned into cities to increase wealth and manpower. The problem was that hostile natives prevented settlers from going there. The army of Mysore was quite large but of very low quality (quality 2). Vijaya Râja decided to increase the quality of the armed forces and called for extra training for the army (+1 towards quality).

After some training and additional recruitment Vijaya Râja sent14 000 soldiers to the colonies. The task was to wipe out the murderous natives. After some very fierce battles all natives were slaughtered by the army, which allowed settlers from the province of Mysore to move to the colonies. The expansion was quite slow though as it required a lot of money to build up two cities in the same time.

Vijaya Râja also sent a lot of traders to various places and thereby increased the income substantially. Soon traders from Mysore dominated the trade in places like Kutch, Isfahan and Muscate.

These expansions were very expensive and Vijaya Râja decided to cut down his army by disbanding some infantry forces. Instead of expanding the army he decided to convince Vijayanagar of the benefits of an alliance and get the protection from his powerful neighbour.

As the territory of Vijayanagar stretched around Mysore this was a brilliant idea. In fact if he could get into an alliance with Vijayanagar he would not really need an army for a while at least not while he was building up the economy of Mysore and while colonizing desolated territories. Before this tactic could successed he had to improve the bad relation with Vijayanagar.

To improve the relations with Vijayanagar Vijaya Râja decided to strengthen the Hindu religion in Mysore (slider to max Hindu tolerance) and soon the relations improved, though slowly. The colonies grew and eventually they would receive privileges as cities. Soon India would have to realize that the days of cowardice and weakness were over.

[TheF]

Good story , I'm looking forward to the next part indeed .

Cool background 'stuff' too .

[Alexandru H.]

Kinda mystical, don't you think? Hope it's as good as your last crusade...man, that was a read!

[Judge]

Alexandru thanks. Yes the first chapter is somewhat strange but that is the prize I had to pay to give Tipu a leading role

[Count]

The most fun I ever had in a game was as Vijayanagar, first conquering and converting India and then creating a colonial empire. This looks really interesting

[Judge]

Count thanks,

I have also had a good game with Vijayanagar (1,05).

However Mysore is in a much weaker starting position (1 province compared to four and two level one colonies compared to three + a CB on Maharashtra - Hyderabad - for Vijayanagar) so I don´t expect to be able to go on the offensive as fast as I did when I played Vijayanagar

[Arilou]

Hmm... Sounds interesting.

[Judge]

Arilou thanks. Hope I will be able to get an update out today. We will see how much there is to do in real life though

[Judge]

Part II Châma Râja I, the Tiger and some elephants go to war (1423-1448)

1423 Châma Râja I (average/average/average)

Vijaya Râja died and Châma Râja I became king after him. Like Vijaya Râja the spirit of the Tiger also possessed him. Recently the two colonies, Cochin and Kerala, had turned into cities, which meant that they now contributed to the economy of Mysore.

Since this was very favourable for Mysore Châma Râja I decided that colonist should be sent to the promising province of Goa and soon a small colony sprang up there as well. The relations with Vijayanagar improved due to increased religious activities and sooner than expected these two Hindu states were close friends. Shiva was probably very proud that the two great Hindu nations now were friends instead of enemies.

The improved relations between the countries was confirmed when the daughter of Châma Râja I married the prince of Vijayanagar. Shortly a proposal of mutual military assistance was received from Vijayanagar which Châma Râja I gladly accepted.

1447 war

Besides Vijayanagar the alliance consisted of the small Hindu Kingdom of Jodhpur and the small Moslem country of Malwa. Naturally the powerful Vijayanagar was the leader of the alliance that was named the Southern Alliance and in case of war all of the other members would have to rely on the feared army of Vijayanagar for protection.

Some may think that the king of Mysore should not have accepted this but then you have to remember that the Tiger constantly whispered to him “remember that Vijayanagar and the other states soon will be destroyed, wait and build up your strength, your time will come”. Hence the Kings concentrated on expanding the economy and expanding the colonies right now.

Since Vijayanagar had claims on Hyderabad a war was inevitable between the Moslem League (Delhi and Hyderabad) and the Southern Alliance (though Malwa and Jodhpur were situated in the north). In 1447 Vijayanagar marched on Hyderabad after declaring war on Delhi.

All allies decided to participate in the war but Châma Râja I was not happy to be dragged into a war like this and decided to keep a low profile. Actually he had to keep a low profile since his army was small and not in a very good shape. Luckily Mysore had no direct border with the enemy except for the small colony of Goa so it was possible to keep a low profile.

Nevertheless Châma Râja I decided to send his small army to war when he saw a chance of victory. Jodhpur was under heavy attack from Delhi and it would only be a matter of time before Jodhpur would have to surrender.

That was however something that Mysore could not prevent. Vijayanagar concentrated all attention on Hyderabad and crushed the army of Hyderabad in numerous battles all over Hyderabad.

Upon this news Châma Râja I decided to act and his army of 11 000 Hindus attacked the province of Maharashtra belonging to Hyderabad. At first the Hindus met no resistance but soon new troops from Hyderabad were recruited in this province.

Hence the Hindus waited in the province for the new army. When the army of Hyderabad appeared Châma Râja I marched his men rapidly towards it to confront the enemy while he was weak.

Châma Râja I drew up his men in battle order, giving them advice and encouragement and then took his place amongst them in the first line as a Tiger surely would do.

A Hyderabad spokesman offered peace in return for gold but this was not accepted. Instead Châma Râja I´s voice rang out, promising not gold but spears. Arrows struck down the Hyderabad spokesman as the two sides stood facing each other, tense and expectant, waiting for the other side to make a move.

Châma Râja I rode back and forth along the lines of his men telling them to stand firm before the coming onslaught. He made a short speech where he assured his men that Shiva would hold his protecting hands over the Hindus during the battle (In India, Shiva is recognized as the God who controls the forces of destruction).

In the army of Mysore there were, besides infantry and cavalry, a couple of elephants that formed a special force within the infantry called the Ganesha mobile infantry. These great beasts, 12 strong, kept guard over the infantry, stamping and trumpeting as they moved ponderously in front of the line.

As dark shadows of circling ravens passed back and forth a momentary hush fell on the battlefield but suddenly a Tiger appeared and scared away the ravens. Châma Râja I then knew that the time had come and ordered an attack. “Shiva is with us”, “Shiva is with us,” he shouted to the Hindus as they began to advance.

Then came the swish of swift sharp spears seeking the flesh of the Moslems and many of the inexperienced warriors from Hyderabad fell to the ground. As blood began to flow the pick of the Mysore army with swords unsheathed rushed forward to clash with the now very frightened infidels in fierce and bloody conflict.

The turning point of the battle came when Châma Râja I decided to throw in the elephants. The Moslems had long ago stopped using elephants as this was regarded to be an obsolete and decadent Hindu tradition. When the Moslem cavalry confronted these huge creatures the cavalry horses went mad with fear and started to ride away from the battlefield.

The fact that the Hyderabad cavalry left the battleground allowed the Hindu army to practically slaughter the remaining infantry out in the field. In doing so the Hindus had great use of the elephants.

The elephants had several very effective tricks of their own. Some Hyderabad soldiers where smashed under their foot, with armour and all. Others were caught up and dashed to the ground. Others again found themselves impaled on the great beasts tusks.

After the decisive victory Châma Râja I decided to recruit a new army of 5 000 infantry. These were sent to Maharashtra as well to help during the siege that was initiated. In the end the city could not withstand the army of Mysore and surrendered.

As several cities in Hyderabad had been captured the rulers there panicked and offered Mysore 200 000 gold in return for peace. Châma Râja I accepted this offer and this was wise as Vijayanagar a short time later accepted peace with Hyderabad for only 75 000 gold. Hyderabad was out but Mysore was still in war with Delhi.

[Arilou]

Oooo... Nice.

[Judge]

Arilou thanks

I will see if I can get part III out this week

[stnylan]

Indeed, very nice.

[Judge]

Originally posted by stnylan
Indeed, very nice.

Thanks. I see that you are now a co writer in "the Free Company Book" Have to read all those posts later today if time permits

[Judge]

Timma Räja I and Victory (1449-1467)

The war against Delhi went on for a couple of months more but in the end a white peace was signed in 1449. In all this war was a success for Mysore as the money gained would be very valuable for the future colonial expansion in Goa and in the new colony of Pondicherry that had been established during the war.

In 1453 the grateful citizens of Mysore donated 200 000 gold to Châma Râja I in recognition of his good work (gift to the state). All this meant that the economy was in a very good shape. The sad part was that the small but brave Hindu Kingdom of Jodhpur was annexed by the evil Moslems in Hyderabad. This would of course lead to new wars between the Southern Alliance and the Moslem League in the future.

1458 Timma Räja I (poor/poor/poor)

In 1458 Châma Râja I died and was replaced by Timma Räja I. Timma Räja I was a very poor ruler but also he was guided by the Tiger so there was no need for hopelessness in Mysore. The wise Tiger still held his protecting paw over the prospering Kingdom. In 1460 a new war broke out with the same countries involved as in the last war.

Since Mysore needed a lot of money when trying to increase trade and expand colonies Tima Räja I decided not to send any troops to fight as that would cost a lot of money. The risk of being attacked was immensely small as the army of Vijayanagar was practically slaughtering the Moslem League all by itself.

Instead Timma Räja I sent new colonists to Pondicherry but to his great annoyance the natives there massacred all colonists. To punish this atrocious act he sent the army against the natives but unfortunately the army was beaten back by fierce and murderous natives and the colonisation had to be postponed for a while.

Moreover a revolt broke out in the city of Mysore and it was only put down after fierce fighting in the streets of Mysore. Tima Räja I was chocked when he realized that only 100 soldiers were left after the revolt had been put down. Thus he immediately had to raise a new army that fielded 5 000 cavalry.

The war ended with no real changes in territory size and thus the deadlock between the two alliances continued.

1463 The state of the nation

Census tax 47,95
Production 14,87
Taxation 44,7
Tolls 11,08
Trade 116,46

Total 235,06

This should be compared to army maintenance that was down to 0,25 a year due to all the losses in the colonial wars (very tough natives down there). This surplus allowed a rapid economic growth and as the powerful Vijayanagar protected Mysore there was really no need for a large standing army yet.

1467

However in 1467 a new war started with Delhi and Hyderabad. Vijayanagar had by this time a huge army that was sent to the north. Mysore sent a small army to assist Vijayanagar and the main target was recently fielded armies from Hyderabad. As this happened Vijayanagar controlling a province in the north started a war against the Moslem Kingdom of Gujarat.

Surprisingly Delhi and Hyderabad also ganged up on Gujarat, which meant that the two hostile alliances at the same time fought each other, as well as Gujarat. No great battles occurred at first. The Hindu army only met small bands of Moslems that were annihilated without any real trouble.

Unfortunately a combined army from Delhi and Hyderabad approached the Hindu army and the brave Mysore army would now have to prove itself in mortal combat. Roughly counted the Hindu army counted about 12 000 men while the combined Delhi/Hyderabad army counted 10 000 men.

Tima Räja I. mustered his troops and marched out to meet the infidels. The brave Tigers as Tima Räja I from this day would call his cavalry charged the Moslem forces in a suicidal frenzy not allowing the Moslems to even catch their breath for a second.

The Hindu cavalry, closely followed by the elephants in the Ganesha Mobile Infantry, hit the hostile army mainly consisting of infantry with a brutal power and left few survivors as it cut through the masses of foot soldiers. During the attack the elephants roared and roared and through this roaring the Hindus shouted “ Shiva is with us”, Shiva is with us”

This intense assault accompanied by all the noise chocked the Moslems and they began to retreat pursued by the Tigers and the elephants. The enemies tried to escape but the Tigers and the elephants were all over them. The Tigers used the sword while the elephants used the foot and the tusk and not many enemies managed to escape that day.

After a month a new army was recruited in Hyderabad and additional forces from Delhi reinforced the army of Hyderabad. Again it was time for a great battle and Tima Räja I organized his army to be able to defeat the Moslems.

[Florian]

Excellent AAR! I particularly liked the Death and Birth of a Tiger and the historical background.

[Judge]

Florian, glad you like it

I am working on an update but I have to complete my update in the Modern Crusade AAR first before I can finish it

[Florian]

Will you be posting any screenshots? They would be much appreciated.