 | Tipu Sultan (20 November 1750 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the Indian ruler who resisted the East India Company’s conquest of southern India. Opinion in England considered him a vicious tyrant, while modern Indian nationalists have hailed him as a freedom fighter. |  In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the combined forces of the British East India Company and the Nizam of Hyderabad defeated Tipu, and he was killed on 4 May 1799 while defending his fort of Srirangapatna. |
 Tipu's Tiger, c.1790 (wood). Made for the amusement of Sultan Tipu; the tiger has a miniature organ with keyboard and bellows to simulate the groans of a dying British officer. |  Inscribed Sword of Tipu Sultan |  Cannon used by Tipu Sultan at Srirangapatna in 1799 |
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 A gem-encrusted gold tiger finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan sold for £434,400. | Tipu Sultan ruled a vast swathe of southern India during the 18th century. He fought ferociously against the encroachments of the British East India Company, but was ultimately defeated.
 |  'In this world I would rather live two days like a tiger, than two hundred years like a sheep.' - Tipu Sultan |
 | A 3-pounder bronze cannon sold for £1.4m ($2.1m). A flintlock pistol with left-hand lock, made for Tipu Sultan at Seringapatam, dated AD 1797-98. |  |
 Inscription on the barrel reads: 'The peerless rifle of the Khusraw of India to which the forked lightning in second can seal the enemy's fate if his forehead is made the target.' | A two shot superimposed-load silver-mounted Flintlock from the armoury of Tipu Sultan, dated AD 1793-94. A pair of silver-mounted Flintlock pistols with left and right-hand locks, made for Tipu Sultan, dated AD 1794-95. Sold For: £134,500 |  |
 |  A Tipu Sultan sword fitted with a captured English blade. |  |
