WEBVTT - The Tiger of Mysore

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Minky. Listener discretion is advised.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's imagine for a moment that you're spending an afternoon

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<v Speaker 1>in London, and why not let's make it one of

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<v Speaker 1>those perfect days at the beginning of winter, right when

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<v Speaker 1>it starts to snow, but the snow is still new

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<v Speaker 1>and white and hasn't gone muddy brown in the streets yet.

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<v Speaker 1>You look at your watch or i suppose your phone,

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<v Speaker 1>and do you see that you have a few hours

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<v Speaker 1>before you're scheduled to meet a friend in a pub

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<v Speaker 1>where you'll sit by a fireplace drinking mold wine, and

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<v Speaker 1>so to kill the time before your perfect English evening,

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<v Speaker 1>and to lessen the chill just starting in your toes,

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<v Speaker 1>you dip through the beautiful ornate stone entrance way to

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<v Speaker 1>the Victoria and Albert Museum on Cromwell Road. The Vienna

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<v Speaker 1>Museum has an eclectic but gorgeous permanent collection, showcasing objects

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<v Speaker 1>from across centuries. One exhibit has theatrical costumes from decades

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<v Speaker 1>of shows. There are robes in McLellan ware performing Shakespeare.

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<v Speaker 1>An original puppet from the London production of war Horse.

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<v Speaker 1>One room is dedicated exclusively to cartoons or designs for

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<v Speaker 1>tapestries from the Renaissance master Raphael, but a slightly less

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<v Speaker 1>showy room. If you turned left walking through the main

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<v Speaker 1>hallway would bring you to room forty one, in which

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<v Speaker 1>the museum houses its artifacts from South Asia, and in

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<v Speaker 1>which you'd see what is, in my estimation, one of

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<v Speaker 1>the most interesting single objects on display in the entire museum.

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<v Speaker 1>In the center of room forty one, behind a protective

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<v Speaker 1>glass wall, stands in artifa act called Tippoo's Tiger. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a carved wooden tiger from the seventeen hundreds, almost life sized,

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<v Speaker 1>nearly six ft long. The tiger is beautifully painted with

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<v Speaker 1>patterned stripes in black and gold that look almost like Paisley.

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<v Speaker 1>A hidden compartment on the side of the tiger reveals

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<v Speaker 1>a small organ that's still playable with keys. Beneath the

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<v Speaker 1>tiger is a second wooden figure. It's a man being

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<v Speaker 1>mauled to death by the tiger. If you turn a

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<v Speaker 1>crank on the figure, the man's arms move and he

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<v Speaker 1>makes dying moans. He's identified by the museum as a European,

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<v Speaker 1>but the intent was almost certainly that he was British.

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<v Speaker 1>The automatone tiger was one of the prized possessions of

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<v Speaker 1>the Sultan of the Kingdom of Mysor at the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the eighteenth century. Tippoo Sultan, who fought against the

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<v Speaker 1>encroaching power of the British East India Company during a

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<v Speaker 1>series of Anglo Mysore Wars. Tippoo was one of the

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<v Speaker 1>few Indian leaders to achieve decisive victories in battles against

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<v Speaker 1>the British, and he became known as the Tiger of Mysore.

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<v Speaker 1>His emblems were all tiger themed and stripes decorated many

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<v Speaker 1>of his weapons and banners. That the wooden tiger, formerly

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<v Speaker 1>belonging to the Tiger of Mysoor, now sits behind glass

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<v Speaker 1>in a British museum, feet away from where they sell

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<v Speaker 1>tea and SCons for a genteel picnic in the museum's

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<v Speaker 1>courtyard seems to me something a little beyond irony, a

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<v Speaker 1>metaphor for the impact of imperialism disguised behind civility and

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<v Speaker 1>well maintained museum facilities. But before you begin raising the

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<v Speaker 1>banner for Tippoo Sultan, he was also a complicated figure

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<v Speaker 1>whose own legacy is currently be debated. In the present

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<v Speaker 1>day Indian state of Carnatica. It would be easy to

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<v Speaker 1>saunter through the Victoria and Albert Museum, note the interesting

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<v Speaker 1>centuries old autonomouton, and continue walking along without fully understanding

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<v Speaker 1>who the man was who had had the strange mechanical

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<v Speaker 1>animal built. Neither fully hero nor fully villain. Tippoo Sultan

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<v Speaker 1>is one of history's most enigmatic military leaders, the prince

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<v Speaker 1>of a dying nation who roared before his ultimate defeat.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Dana Schwartz and this is noble blood. Tippoo Sultan

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<v Speaker 1>was born on the first of December in seventeen fifty one,

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<v Speaker 1>just six years before the East India Company would begin

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<v Speaker 1>its company rule in India on behalf of the British Empire.

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<v Speaker 1>He was born in Devon Holly, which is located to

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<v Speaker 1>the north of present day Bangalore. He was the eldest

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<v Speaker 1>son and ostensible heir to a man named hyder Ali.

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<v Speaker 1>Though hyder Ali was a Muslim in a predominantly Hindu population,

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<v Speaker 1>he rose to his position as the de facto ruler

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<v Speaker 1>of the Kingdom of Mysor through his incredible tactical victories,

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<v Speaker 1>ultimately through his military prowess, he overthrew the kingdom's Hindu

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<v Speaker 1>leadership and became the sultan himself. Hyder was illiterate, and

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<v Speaker 1>so it was important to him that his son and

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<v Speaker 1>heir be given a princely education, first so that Tippoo

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<v Speaker 1>would be able to eventually lead the Kingdom of Mysore confidently,

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<v Speaker 1>but also so that he would be able to communicate

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<v Speaker 1>effectively with the European allies, whose help he would need

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<v Speaker 1>to push back the encroaching British powers. So from a

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<v Speaker 1>young age, Tippoo was taught not just how to read,

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<v Speaker 1>but also everything there was to know about military history

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<v Speaker 1>and political strategy. By the time Tippoo was seventeen, his

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<v Speaker 1>father trusted him with actual power. Tippoo became his father's

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<v Speaker 1>right hand man, learning on the job about ruling and

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<v Speaker 1>expanding kingdom and about fighting enemies domestic and foreign. Tippoo

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<v Speaker 1>led forces into battle against the British during the conflict

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<v Speaker 1>that's now known as the Second Anglo Mysore War, which

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<v Speaker 1>began in seventeen eighty. It was during that conflict, when

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<v Speaker 1>Tippoo was thirty one years old, that his father died,

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<v Speaker 1>and so Tippoo became the Sultan of the Kingdom of Mysore.

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<v Speaker 1>There would ultimately be four Anglo Miso Wars within a

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<v Speaker 1>period of a few decades. At the end of the

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<v Speaker 1>seventeen hundreds. The second would be Tippoo's most resounding victory.

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<v Speaker 1>Aided by French allies, Tippoo successfully invaded and raided a

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<v Speaker 1>camp held by British powers, ultimately ending the conflict with

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<v Speaker 1>a treaty that seated no land to the British. During

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<v Speaker 1>the Battle of paul Lore in seventy Tippoo shocked the

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<v Speaker 1>East India Company by using rockets against them that were

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<v Speaker 1>more advanced than the British had ever seen. Now, I

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<v Speaker 1>am quite literally not a rocket scientist, but my understanding

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<v Speaker 1>is that in Layman's terms, these new rockets, rather than

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<v Speaker 1>use paper tubing to hold the propellant, used iron casings,

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<v Speaker 1>which made them able to fly further and higher and

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<v Speaker 1>fly with more force. These rockets, which were all tipped

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<v Speaker 1>with a spear, were slightly less accurate than earlier, more

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<v Speaker 1>rudimentary rockets, but fired in a large group, they completely

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<v Speaker 1>overwhelmed the British. Using his rockets, Tippoo won the battle

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<v Speaker 1>and helped end the second Anglo Mysore War. In France,

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<v Speaker 1>Louis the sixteen recognized Tippoo as an important ally, and

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<v Speaker 1>the two were in frequent communication, with Tippoo sending representatives

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<v Speaker 1>and dignitaries to French court at Versailles. It was also

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<v Speaker 1>during this period that the legend of Tippoo as the

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<v Speaker 1>Tiger of Mysor began to take hold. According to the

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<v Speaker 1>story that was frequently told, retold, and perhaps ultimately fictionalized,

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<v Speaker 1>Tippoo was hunting in a forest with a French friend

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<v Speaker 1>of his when they came upon a tiger stand very still.

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<v Speaker 1>Tippoo warned his friend, and for a few moments, both

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<v Speaker 1>he and the frenchman stood in terrified silence, waiting to

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<v Speaker 1>see if the tiger would lose interest and stroll away.

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<v Speaker 1>It didn't. The tiger pounced on the frenchman, killing him instantly.

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<v Speaker 1>Tippoo reached for his gun, which found that it was

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<v Speaker 1>jammed and wouldn't fire, which put Tippoo in a very

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<v Speaker 1>vulnerable bull position. When the tiger turned its attention toward him,

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<v Speaker 1>the tiger lunged tip who was able to fight the

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<v Speaker 1>animal off and pull a dagger from somewhere on his belt,

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<v Speaker 1>which he used to stab and kill the tiger. From

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<v Speaker 1>that time on, Tippoo used the motif of the tiger

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<v Speaker 1>in almost all of his personal regalia. He was truly

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<v Speaker 1>the Tiger of Mysore, not just because of his military prowess,

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<v Speaker 1>but because of the way he shaped and modernized the kingdom.

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<v Speaker 1>During his reign, Tippoo introduced new coinage, a new calendar,

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<v Speaker 1>and seven new government departments. He continued to advance and

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<v Speaker 1>develop rocket technology, and he worked closely with French engineers

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<v Speaker 1>to build one of his most unique possessions, the wooden

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<v Speaker 1>automaton tiger pouncing on a European soldier. This symbolism doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>require much of an explanation, but Europeans weren't Tippoo's only enemies. Mysore,

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<v Speaker 1>in the south of India, was a comparatively smaller power

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<v Speaker 1>on the Indian subcontinent, and one of their largest threats

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<v Speaker 1>was from the Maratha Empire. One of Tippoo's most important

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<v Speaker 1>military victories was the defeat of the Marathas in seventeen

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<v Speaker 1>eighty seven, but they would continue to be formidable rivals,

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<v Speaker 1>especially during what would be known as the Third Anglo

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<v Speaker 1>Mysore War beginning in seventeen eighty nine. Now, if you're

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<v Speaker 1>a long time listener of this podcast, you might be

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<v Speaker 1>aware of something that was happening in France in seventeen

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<v Speaker 1>eighty nine, a little revolution that might have slightly distracted

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<v Speaker 1>the political powers that be from honoring alliances with foreign allies.

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<v Speaker 1>The New French Republic actually debated how they would tell

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<v Speaker 1>Tippoo that his friend Louis the sixteenth wouldn't actually be

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<v Speaker 1>answering his letters anymore. And so for the Third Anglo

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<v Speaker 1>Mysore War, Tippoo went without French help. The British allied

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<v Speaker 1>with the Marath Empire and roundly defeated Mysore in swallowing

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<v Speaker 1>up half of Tippoo's kingdom in a single gulp. But

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<v Speaker 1>things were about to get much much worse. To get

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<v Speaker 1>into what happened during the Fourth Anglo Mysore War, first

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<v Speaker 1>we have to discuss a bit of propaganda that still

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<v Speaker 1>persists today, a story that's still fully in place in

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<v Speaker 1>multiple Wikipedia articles and has been echoed across the Internet

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<v Speaker 1>without any independent verification. This is how the story goes.

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<v Speaker 1>After the fall of the monarchy in France, the New

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<v Speaker 1>French Republic decided that they would spread the good word

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<v Speaker 1>of the doctrine of Republicanism to their ally, the Kingdom

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<v Speaker 1>of Izor in Southern Asia, and so in sevente an

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<v Speaker 1>emissary from France named Francois Rapot arrived and with Tippoo,

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<v Speaker 1>Sultan and the French soldiers who are already stationed in

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<v Speaker 1>Mysor collectively began the Jacobin Club of Mysoor. During the

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<v Speaker 1>first ceremony, Tippoo announced that he would henceforth be known

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<v Speaker 1>as Citizen Tippoo, and the crowd joyfully proclaimed that they

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<v Speaker 1>hated all kings except him, even more sinister than Jacobins

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<v Speaker 1>in India. For the British, Napoleon had just invaded Egypt.

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<v Speaker 1>Clearly he was gearing up for a full scale invasion

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<v Speaker 1>to push Britain out of Asia. The British decided that

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<v Speaker 1>their only logical move would be a preemptive attack, so

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<v Speaker 1>they launched a full invasion on all four sides of Mysore.

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<v Speaker 1>With more than doubled the soldiers that Tippoo had at

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<v Speaker 1>his command, the British invaded the capital city of Sarangapatam,

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<v Speaker 1>killing Tippoo in the conflict. They would continue to annex

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<v Speaker 1>most of the MisOr Kingdom, leaving just the pocket core

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<v Speaker 1>of the kingdom to be ruled in name at least

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<v Speaker 1>by the Hindu dynasty that had been overthrown by Tippoo's father.

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<v Speaker 1>But here's the slightly sticky part. There's no evidence of

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<v Speaker 1>Tippoo Sultan ever joining, let alone founding, a Jacobin Club.

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<v Speaker 1>And yet the threat of the Jacobin Club a revolutionary

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<v Speaker 1>cell within Asia was a central element of the East

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<v Speaker 1>India Company's propaganda that permitted them to make a preemptive invasion.

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<v Speaker 1>Francois Rapad, that's so called agent of the French Republic.

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<v Speaker 1>He had absolutely no connection to the French government whatsoever.

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<v Speaker 1>According to actual sources, he was a pirate whose ship

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<v Speaker 1>ran aground, and then he claimed to be the emissary

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<v Speaker 1>of the French so that he would be welcomed by

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<v Speaker 1>Tippoo Sultan. The documents that the East India Company circulated

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<v Speaker 1>before their invasion as their so called smoking gun of

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<v Speaker 1>republicanism may very well have been forged. But even if

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<v Speaker 1>they weren't, the actual documents themselves, detailing repelled speeches to

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<v Speaker 1>local French soldiers, make no mention of the word Jacobin

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<v Speaker 1>at all. The only time Jacobin appears is on the

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<v Speaker 1>East India company's title page, which they added. Throughout this period,

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<v Speaker 1>in England and the entire British Empire, Tippoo was vilified

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<v Speaker 1>as a tyrant and a religious extremist in plays and cartoons.

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<v Speaker 1>It's actually become a little complicated, at least in terms

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<v Speaker 1>of my research trying to tease out exactly how religiously

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<v Speaker 1>tolerant tip Who actually was. He was a Muslim leader

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<v Speaker 1>in a predominantly Hindu territory. Some sources claim that he

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<v Speaker 1>was a large secular ruler and they celebrate him, especially

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<v Speaker 1>in the context of his anti imperialist victories, but other

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<v Speaker 1>sources claim that he forced the local population to convert

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<v Speaker 1>to Islam and imprisoned those who didn't, and that he

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<v Speaker 1>destroyed local temples. There's currently a debate and controversy in

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<v Speaker 1>the modern day Indian state of Karnatica as to how

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<v Speaker 1>Tippoo Sultan should be taught in schools. I think, as

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<v Speaker 1>with almost all historical figures, it's worth taking a nuanced

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<v Speaker 1>approach to Tippoo Sultan and his accomplishments, such as they were.

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<v Speaker 1>He built up local infrastructure and mysore, building roads, developing

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<v Speaker 1>the silk industry, formalizing the government's departments and introducing a

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<v Speaker 1>coinage system. He valiantly fought off British imperialism for decades.

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<v Speaker 1>But also he was almost certainly cruel and or bigoted

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<v Speaker 1>in the places that many of the effective rulers in

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<v Speaker 1>the eighteenth century were when it came to religion. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think he was a saint or a monster. I

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<v Speaker 1>think the adage that history is told by the victors

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<v Speaker 1>is certainly true, and in this case the victors were

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<v Speaker 1>the British and the formerly ruling Hindu dynasty, and so

0:16:20.400 --> 0:16:24.360
<v Speaker 1>a lot of contemporary writing about Tippoo Sultan needs to

0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:29.240
<v Speaker 1>be taken with a grain of salt. On May fourth

0:16:29.440 --> 0:16:33.960
<v Speaker 1>sev during the fourth and final Anglo mice Or War,

0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:38.160
<v Speaker 1>Tippoo Sultan was killed by an unknown British soldier while

0:16:38.160 --> 0:16:42.080
<v Speaker 1>he was defending the capital city of Sri Ranabatana from

0:16:42.080 --> 0:16:46.400
<v Speaker 1>the British troops who had breached the walls. Tippoo's French

0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:50.320
<v Speaker 1>advisers had urged him to leave the city, to escape

0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:54.000
<v Speaker 1>through secret passageways, and to live to fight another day

0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:58.880
<v Speaker 1>defending other forts, but Tippoo Sultan would not abandon his capital.

0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:03.320
<v Speaker 1>When the raid was over and the smoke lifted, the

0:17:03.360 --> 0:17:08.240
<v Speaker 1>British found Tippoo's body among his soldiers. The British raided

0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:12.840
<v Speaker 1>the fort, pillaging Tippoo's palace and taking his treasures for themselves.

0:17:13.480 --> 0:17:17.639
<v Speaker 1>General Cornwallis himself claimed a ring and a dagger, among

0:17:17.680 --> 0:17:21.320
<v Speaker 1>other effects that eventually made their way to the British

0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:26.480
<v Speaker 1>Museum in London. The British would meant a coin celebrating

0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:30.560
<v Speaker 1>their victory, a lion pouncing on a tiger meant to

0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:35.879
<v Speaker 1>represent their empire defeating the mighty Tippoo Sultan hero to

0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:49.520
<v Speaker 1>some enemy, to others, tiger to all. That's the story

0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:52.879
<v Speaker 1>of Tippoo, Sultan and Mysor. But keep listening after a

0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:56.160
<v Speaker 1>brief sponsor break to hear a little bit more about

0:17:56.200 --> 0:18:07.880
<v Speaker 1>what happened to his personal effects. It's a present day

0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:11.399
<v Speaker 1>question as to whether or not the British Museum should

0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:14.920
<v Speaker 1>be able to house the artifacts that were, in effect

0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:19.680
<v Speaker 1>trophies that they claimed from their imperialistic invasions all over

0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:24.240
<v Speaker 1>the world. Some people argue that treasures like the Parthenon

0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:27.800
<v Speaker 1>marbles that were removed by the Earl of Elgin should

0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:31.080
<v Speaker 1>actually be displayed in the country in which they were discovered.

0:18:31.560 --> 0:18:35.640
<v Speaker 1>When it came to those particular sculptures, known colloquially as

0:18:35.760 --> 0:18:40.399
<v Speaker 1>the Elgin Marbles. UNESCO actually offered to help mediate the

0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:45.040
<v Speaker 1>dispute between Greece and the British Museum, although the British

0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:49.480
<v Speaker 1>Museum actually declined, arguing that UNESCO is meant to only

0:18:49.560 --> 0:18:54.840
<v Speaker 1>mediate between countries. Their perspective, I'm sure, is that they've

0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:59.760
<v Speaker 1>been dutiful custodians and that the display of artifacts from

0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:04.040
<v Speaker 1>all all over the world, visible together in one central hub,

0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:09.840
<v Speaker 1>is an important and powerful educational tool. But Tippoo Sultan's

0:19:10.000 --> 0:19:14.920
<v Speaker 1>artifacts would eventually return to their homeland. In two thousand four,

0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:19.640
<v Speaker 1>the Indian billionaire VJ. Malia purchased the sword Tippoo used

0:19:19.720 --> 0:19:23.159
<v Speaker 1>in his final battle and Tippoo's personal ring from the

0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:27.280
<v Speaker 1>British Museum and brought them back to India, he believed

0:19:27.600 --> 0:19:32.560
<v Speaker 1>their rightful home. One quick note before we leave, and

0:19:32.680 --> 0:19:35.840
<v Speaker 1>as I'm sure you're tired of me talking about, I

0:19:35.880 --> 0:19:38.760
<v Speaker 1>wrote a book. It's called Anatomy, a Love Story, and

0:19:38.800 --> 0:19:42.399
<v Speaker 1>it's a novel that comes out January. If you wanted

0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.560
<v Speaker 1>to pre order a copy, that would mean the world

0:19:44.600 --> 0:19:48.560
<v Speaker 1>to me. If you're a fan of spooky, slightly macabre stories,

0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:51.840
<v Speaker 1>you're absolutely going to love it. I put everything that

0:19:51.920 --> 0:19:54.600
<v Speaker 1>I love in a Noble Blood story and everything I've

0:19:54.680 --> 0:19:58.239
<v Speaker 1>learned researching that period of history into this book. If

0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:01.920
<v Speaker 1>you want a signed copy, they're doing them through book Soup,

0:20:02.240 --> 0:20:06.440
<v Speaker 1>and I'll also be sending signed book plates and pins

0:20:07.000 --> 0:20:09.800
<v Speaker 1>through the website, where I also sell Noble Blood merch.

0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:13.480
<v Speaker 1>Df t b A dot Com. D f t b

0:20:13.600 --> 0:20:16.639
<v Speaker 1>a dot Com is where there's a variety of Noble

0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:19.960
<v Speaker 1>Blood merch for you to enjoy, and eventually, I hope

0:20:20.119 --> 0:20:24.480
<v Speaker 1>books of Anatomy a Love Story. And finally, we have

0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:28.520
<v Speaker 1>just begun a series on the Patreon called Rain on Me,

0:20:28.920 --> 0:20:32.000
<v Speaker 1>where I'm joined by one of my closest friends, Karamadanqua,

0:20:32.080 --> 0:20:35.879
<v Speaker 1>and we go through the beautiful disaster that is the

0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:39.080
<v Speaker 1>c W show Rain about Mary, Queen of scott So

0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:41.760
<v Speaker 1>if you're interested in watching along with us and hearing

0:20:41.760 --> 0:20:46.160
<v Speaker 1>our takes on that truly disastrous, but beautiful and sort

0:20:46.200 --> 0:20:50.200
<v Speaker 1>of amazing show, subscribe on the Patreon now. As always,

0:20:50.280 --> 0:20:52.879
<v Speaker 1>thank you so much for listening and the best support

0:20:52.920 --> 0:20:56.080
<v Speaker 1>anyone could give this show is just continuing to listen

0:20:56.119 --> 0:20:58.200
<v Speaker 1>and be with me as we you know, keep learning

0:20:58.240 --> 0:21:07.600
<v Speaker 1>and growing. Noble Blood is a production of I Heart

0:21:07.680 --> 0:21:10.960
<v Speaker 1>Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey. The show

0:21:11.040 --> 0:21:15.040
<v Speaker 1>is written and hosted by Dana Schwartz. Executive producers include

0:21:15.040 --> 0:21:19.520
<v Speaker 1>Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. The show is

0:21:19.560 --> 0:21:23.560
<v Speaker 1>produced by rema Ill Kali and Trevor Young. Noble Blood

0:21:23.600 --> 0:21:26.399
<v Speaker 1>is on social media at Noble Blood Tales, and you

0:21:26.400 --> 0:21:28.639
<v Speaker 1>can learn more about the show over at Noble blood

0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:31.720
<v Speaker 1>Tales dot com. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio,

0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:35.440
<v Speaker 1>visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:38.440
<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows. M