The ancestors of Tipu Sultan supposedly belong to the Qureishi tribe, originating near Mecca in Arabia. According to an anonimous source, the founder of the family was Husain bin Yahya, Sharif of Mecca, who died in 1469. His grandson, Ahmad, proceeded to Sana in Yemen, where he married the local Governor's daughter and later succeeded his father-in-law. His thirteen-year old son, Muhammad, escaped to Baghdad following the assassination of his father. The family eventually migrated to India, establishing themselves at Kohir, a place situated between Hyderabad and Gulbargha in the Deccan. This lineage is almost certainly fanciful, probably invented sometime after Tipu's advent to power.
The family came to prominence under Tipu's father, Hyder 'Ali, an soldier of fortune who entered the service of the Hindu Raja of Mysore. A military genius, he rose to high commands under his masters, and for his efforts received extensive lands, honours and offices. Through guile and intrigue, he established control over the whole administration of the state, effectively seizing power in 1761 through appointment to the office of Sarvadhikari. He increased his powers further when the old Maharaja died, leaving three minor sons. The eldest of these succeeded under a regency headed by Hyder, who poisoned of his charge four years later, just before the regency was due to end. His younger brother followed, only to suffer the same fate. A third regency follwed when a young scion of the family succeeded through adoption by the mother of the recently two deceased, childless princes......................
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