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Question 42 of 73 · Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule
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The British army under Sir Eyre Coote defeated Hyder Ali at the Battle of Porto Novo, during the Second Anglo-Mysore War, in:

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Answer: Option C — July 1781

Detailed Solution

The Battle of Porto Novo (Parangipettai) was fought on 1 July 1781, during the Second Anglo-Mysore War, between the British army under Sir Eyre Coote and the forces of Hyder Ali of Mysore.

About the battle:

  • Porto Novo (now Parangipettai) is a coastal town in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.
  • In 1780, Hyder Ali had invaded the Carnatic with a large army and defeated a British force under Colonel William Baillie at Pollilur (September 1780).
  • The Governor-General, Warren Hastings, sent Sir Eyre Coote from Bengal to lead the British forces in the south.
  • At Porto Novo, Coote's army, though much smaller, defeated Hyder Ali's army.
  • This victory saved Madras from capture by Hyder Ali.

Other battles of 1781:

  • Coote also won battles at Pollilur (August 1781, a second battle at the same place) and Sholinghur (September 1781).
  • However, Hyder Ali's forces remained powerful.

The Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780-1784):

  • Hyder Ali had allied with the Nizam and the Marathas, but Warren Hastings broke the alliance through diplomacy.
  • The French gave some help to Mysore.
  • Hyder Ali died in December 1782, and his son Tipu Sultan continued the war.
  • The war ended in 1784 with a treaty under which both sides returned their conquests.

About Sir Eyre Coote:

  • He was an experienced British general who had also fought in Bengal and in the Carnatic.
  • He died at Madras in 1783.

About Hyder Ali:

  • He was born around 1720, and rose from a soldier in the Mysore army to become its ruler (from 1761).
  • He was illiterate but a brilliant military leader and administrator.
  • He built a strong, modern army.
  • He was a determined enemy of the British.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗September 1780 was the Battle of Pollilur.
  • ✗June 1790 was during the Third Anglo-Mysore War.
  • ✗May 1799 was the fall of Srirangapatna.

Quick tip

Remember: Battle of Porto Novo = 1 July 1781 (Sir Eyre Coote defeated Hyder Ali; Second Anglo-Mysore War); Pollilur (September 1780) = Hyder Ali defeated Baillie.

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Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Arrival of Europeans & Expansion of British Rule, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers the arrival of the Portuguese, Dutch, English, Danes and French in India, the growth of the East India Company, and the battles, wars and treaties through which British power expanded, including the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, the Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha and Anglo-Sikh wars, and policies such as subsidiary alliance and the doctrine of lapse. Typical questions ask which battle was fought in which year and between whom, which treaty ended which war, and which Governor-General introduced a policy. For example, the Battle of Plassey (1757) was fought between Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, and the Treaty of Allahabad (1765) gave the Company the diwani of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. Practise the arrival of Europeans and expansion of British rule questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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