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Portuguese-Mysore War of 1790
After killing thousands of Christians in South Canara Tipu's next stop was Goa. In 1788 the English Bombay governor General Abercromby provided Tipu of Mysore with assurances that the British East Índia Company would not get involved in any war between Portugal and Mysore. The Marathas & Mysore were enemies but in 1789 Tipu negotiated with Nana Fadnavis of the Maratha an alliance against Portugal in Goa in return for a Huge payment.

In 1790 the army of Mysore had over 100,000 men, Tipu sent an army of 25,000 men to Hangal near the border with Goa to protect Mysore from Portuguese attacks while he attacked the southern enclaves of Calecute and Cananor with half his army. His plan was to occupy the Portuguese forces in Goa with the Maratha Army from Pune and his forces in Hangal allowing him to capture the southern enclaves and then crush the Portuguese in Goa between his combined army and the Maratha army.

Goa was alerted to Mysore’s and Maratha’s plots and alliances early in the negotiations but decided to keep its knowledge a secret while it prepared its defenses and forces. In January the Portuguese sent several small forces into the Maratha-Mysore border area to attempt to intercept Tipu payment to the Maratha. It was hoped that stopping the payment plus a demonstration in Maratha territory would neutralize the Maratha, thus allowing the Portuguese to deal with the Mysore without worrying about possible Maratha involvement.

On January 10, 1790 a Portuguese reconnaissance force spotted the Mysore force entering Maratha territory. A message was sent to the Portuguese main force located in the Belguam region of Goa close to the Maratha border. On January 15, a Portuguese force of 10,000 men under the Marquês d’ Alorma ambushed the Mysore force of 5,000 men delivering the payment to the Maratha near the town of Mudhul. The Mysore force was wiped out to the last man. As a lesson to the Maratha, the residents of the town of Mudhul were driven put and the town was burned down. The Portuguese sent the heads of the Mysore force as well as the heads of the leaders of the town of Mudhul in the empty money chests to Nana Fadnavis. The Maratha who were still recovering from last Portuguese-Maratha war sued for peace.

Nana Fadnavis sent an emissary to Goa to provide the Portuguese Vice-rei Francisco da Cunha e Meneses assurances that Maratha would stay neutral during the Portuguese-Mysore conflict. The Vice-rei of Goa demanded that the Maratha withdraw all their soldiers 50 miles from Goa Portuguese border and as part of the ceasefire between Goa and Pune on February 15 Nana Fadnavis agreed to Portuguese demands, leaving Portuguese forces free to deal with Tipu and Mysore.

On January 16 Tipu led his army against Calecute which had been reinforced by sea from both Damão and Diu and like all other Portuguese territories in India its defenses upgraded. The Mysore army was unable to capture Calecute and was forced to besiege it. On February 25, Tipu received news of Portugal’s capture of the payment to the Maratha and Nana Fadnavis peace deal with Portugal as well as reports of large Portuguese forces massing on Mysore’s border with Goa. He launched a desperate attack on Calecute hoping to capture the city so he could lead his forces against the main Portuguese forces from Goa. Tipu’s forces attacked Calecute’s defenses for 3 days but were unable to capture it.