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Mint:
Birmingham
Issuer:
East India Company
Artist:
Küchler, Conrad Heinrich
Ruler:
George III (1760-1820)
(Inferred)
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.
History note: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Baldwin before 1928
Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009
Diameter: 47.9 mm
Weight: 61.39 g
Method of acquisition: Given (2009) by Watson, Lester
Production date: AD 1808
Inscription present: Lion and tiger locked in combat
Inscription present: Siege party entering breached walls of a fortress
Accession number: CM.1430-2009
Primary reference Number: 141524
Watson Catalogue: 342
Ordering: M-0313
Previous object number: LW.0313
Stable URI
Owner or interested party:
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department:
Coins and Medals
This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:
The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Seringapatam Medal (English)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141524 Accessed: 2024-12-22 09:35:01
To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:
{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/141524
|title=Seringapatam Medal (English)
|author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-22 09:35:01|publisher=The
University of Cambridge}}
To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:
https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-141524
To use this as a simple code embed, copy this string:
<div class="text-center">
<figure class="figure">
<img src="https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0313_281_29.jpg"
alt="Seringapatam Medal (English)"
class="img-fluid" />
<figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Seringapatam Medal (English)</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
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