Tipu Sultan (Tiger of Mysore)

Tipu Sultan (1751–1799), known as the 'Tiger of Mysore', was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 until his death in battle in 1799. Succeeding his father Hyder Ali, Tipu was one of the most technologically innovative and determined opponents of the British East India Company in India.

Tipu revolutionized warfare by deploying iron-cased Mysorean rockets against British forces at the Battle of Pollilur, inspiring William Congreve's later British artillery designs. He established a state monopoly on silk production, introduced banking systems and a solar calendar, and sought alliances with Revolutionary France, the Ottoman Empire, and Afghanistan. He died sword in hand defending his capital at the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War.