Kingdom of Mysore: Encyclopedia II - Kingdom of Mysore - The British Period

Kingdom of Mysore - The British Period

After the final defeat of Tipu Sultan, the British annexed a large part of Mysore state, the remainder becoming a princely state in British India. The 5 year old Krishnaraja Wodeyar III ascended the throne under the regency of his adoptive grandmother, HH Maharani Lakshmi Ammani Avaru, relict of HH Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Diwan Purnaiya was appointed diwan or first minister.

The capital was moved to Bangalore in 1830. Charging the Wodeyars with financial mismanagement, the British took direct control of Mysore in 1831 and retained it for half a century. This act manifests the greed for land that characterised the British East India Company in the run up to the indian rebellion of 1857, and is of a piece with its annexation, in the same period, of other princely states like Thanjavur, Satara, Sind, Avadh and Jhansi. The Maharaja chose to argue his case in British courts, and a favourable verdict resulted in the Rendition of 1881, which restored the Wodeyar dynasty to the throne. Mysore again took its place as one of the three highest-ranking princely states in India. For the next seventy years, Mysore enjoyed the reputation of being a model state.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The British Period", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki