Description:
Behind the ink of formal treaties lies the poignant reality of human collateral. In this episode, Ramjee Chandran details the emotional exchange that saw two of Tipu Sultan’s young sons handed over as political hostages to guarantee a massive war indemnity. Uncover the behind-the-scenes political maneuvering by Mysorean vakeels to protect key heirs, the grand 21-gun procession to the British lines, and how Lord Cornwallis transformed a solemn surrender into a personal, career-defining moment of redemption following his loss at Yorktown.
Key Details from the Script:
Human Collateral as Guarantee: The preliminary peace articles required Tipu Sultan to yield two of his sons to the British until his three-crore-rupee indemnity (plus 30 lakh rupees in durbar expenses) was paid in full.
The Diplomatic Gamesmanship: Tipu’s envoys (vakeels Ghulam Ali Khan and Ali Reza Khan) artfully engineered the handover:
Fateh Hyder (The Eldest): The vakeels claimed he was "obnoxious" (disliked) by Tipu. In reality, officers like Alexander Baillie noted he was an active 19-year-old military commander leading troops, making his capture an intolerable military loss.
Abdul Khaliq (Middle Son): Claimed to be too sickly to leave the women's quarters; the British rejected this plea, and the 10-year-old was sent regardless.
Muiz-ud-din (Youngest of the three): Framed as Tipu's "favourite" and heir apparent to project sincerity. Historians like Denys Forrest suspect the vakeels swapped Muiz-ud-din for Muhi-ud-din—Tipu's only fully legitimate son born of Ruqiya Banu Begum—fooling the British with the phonetic similarity of the names.
The Grand Procession: On February 26, 1792, the two young princes (Abdul Khaliq, 10, and Muiz-ud-din, 8) departed Srirangapatna on silver howdahs atop elephants. Escorted by camel couriers, standard-bearers, 100 silver-speared pikemen, and sepoys, they were saluted by both the fortress guns and a 21-gun salute from the British camp.
The Meeting with Cornwallis: Lord Cornwallis personally met the boys at his tent door, embracing them and taking each by the hand. Head vakeel Ghulam Ali declared that Cornwallis must now be their father. Cornwallis assured them of equal care to his own son, exchanging gifts of a gold watch for a Persian sword.
Publicity, Medals, and Aftermath:
News of the handover triggered massive public celebration in London. Matthew Boulton’s Soho Mint struck a commemorative medal featuring Cornwallis with the Latin motto fas sit parcere hosti ("let it be right to spare the enemy").
Artist Robert Home sketched the famous scene, and Cornwallis was elevated from Earl to Marquess.
Ghulam Ali Khan remained with the princes in Madras during their two-year captivity until Tipu fully paid the debt in March 1794.
Historical Echoes & Cornwallis's Karma: This hostage event echoed theHoysala King Veera Ballala III, whose son Virupaksha was taken as a hostage to Delhi in 1311 and held for two years. For Cornwallis, receiving Tipu's sons and sword provided personal closure after his humiliating 1781 surrender at Yorktown during the American Revolution.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Prestige Group, that makes this podcast possible.
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The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani.
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