IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 141524 accession number: CM.1430-2009 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Monday 15 January 2024 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: One of the principal opponents to the rise of the power of the British East India Company's influence in India was the Kingdom of Mysore, centred on the eponymous city in southern India. The first military clash between the powers led Mysore to seek French aid, and the French East India Company was glad to have an ally against the more successful British Company. This alliance however tended to involve Mysore in the eighteenth-century wars between France and Britain without necessarily supporting Mysore when that kingdom came up against the British. The military rise of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte renewed this opposition in 1798 as Napoleon invaded Egypt in an attempt to cut off the British Empire's eastern possessions, and Tipu Sultan's Mysore readily joined the attack. The rapid defeat of the Egyptian campaign left Mysore in an awkward position, as Lord Arthur Wellesley had mustered forces that Mysore could not hope to resist. The key to the campaign was the capture of the capital Sriringapatnam in May 1799, in which attack Tipu Sultan was killed. After this Mysore was rapidly placed under British suzerainty. The East India Company issued this medal to their troops who had taken part in the siege and capture of Tipu Sultan's capital, in various metals for different ranks. The medal was made in small numbers in India but the bulk of the issue was done at the Soho mint in Birmingham, and this gold example came from there. The medal was issued unnamed, and the recipient is therefore unknown. A mere 30 gold medals were struck in England, however, so it is ineluctable that the original owner was a general office or high civilian dignitary. Lester Watson purchased it from the London dealer Baldwin at some point before 1928. title: Seringapatam Medal (English) NOTES ----- type: history note value: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Baldwin before 1928 LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Coins and Medals collection: Lester Watson Collection creditline: Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009 STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141524 TECHNIQUES ---------- struck CATEGORIES ------ category: medal DATING ------ creation date: 1808 - 1808 creation date earliest: 1808 creation date latest: 1808 CREATORS -------- maker: Birmingham maker: East India Company maker: Küchler, Conrad Heinrich maker: George III (1760-1820) DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Diameter units: mm value: 47.9 dimension: Weight units: g value: 61.39 EXHIBITIONS HISTORY ------------------- title: Images of Empire: The British Empire on 19th century medals CITATIONS -------- British Battles and Medals 7th edn British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959) --- IMAGES surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 186 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 186 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 186 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 186 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 192 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 192 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 192 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 192 pixels