The Siege of Mangalore- May 1783-January 1784

Mangalore Fort surrendered to British forces commanded by Brigadier-General Richard Mathews on March 9, 1783. Its qilledar, Rustum Beg, had earlier defied the order from Sheikh Ayaz, governor of the province, in Bednur, to surrender. Rustum Beg was hanged in November on Tipu’s orders.

The East India Company Directors in Bombay came to know of the capture of Mangalore when they received Mathews’s letter on March 21, 1783. It began:

“Gentlemen,

I have the honour to inform you that the Garrison of Mangalore hath surrendered. The breach being nearly practicable yesterday evening the Killadar sent out proposals of capitulation…I was put in possession early this morning. The terms granted were, that the Killadar and his friends should be at liberty to go wherever they pleased, and have their private property secured to them, which I agreed to chiefly on account of the approach of the enemy, who are said to be in force to the number of 9,000 horse and foot…”[1]

So began the immediate developments leading to The Captivity of 1784.

[1] Forrest, George W. 1887. Letters, Despatches, and other State Papers preserved in the Bombay Secretariat, Home Series, Vol II. Bombay:  277-278