Ursula Sims-Williams (British Library) – Tipu Sultan’s Library: Building a Collection

Royal Asiatic Society Lecture Theatre 14 Stephenson Way, London, United Kingdom

Tipu Sultan of Mysore is one of the most colourful characters in the history of South Asia. On the one hand he is often castigated as a fanatic Muslim and brutal ruler, but at the same time he is regarded by many as a martyr whose wars against the British foreshadowed the historic uprising of…

Dr. Jennifer Howes: The Story Tellers of Mysore: Tipu Sultan’s female entourage and the 1806 Vellore Mutiny

After the Fourth Mysore War, when the British were dismantling Tipu Sultan's establishment, the East India Company unexpectedly took charge of 601 women who resided permanently inside Srirangapatnam Palace. Along with Tipu's sons, they were moved 200 miles east, to Vellore Fort, in the Company-controlled territory of Madras Presidency. Documentation about these court women held…