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The kingdom has its origins as a small state, based in the city of Mysore, which was established around 1400 by the brothers Vijaya and Krisha Wodeyar as a tributary kingdom of the Vijayanagara empire. This empire collapsed after a severe military defeat at the Battle of Talikota in 1565, and soon after the Wodeyar dynasty asserted Mysore's independence. The Kingdom grew to include most of the southern part of modern-day Karnataka. From the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries, Mysore was the chief city, but nearby Srirangapatna (Seringapatam) was the capital after Hyder Ali took control of the kingdom in 1755 during the incumbent king's minority. His son Tipu Sultan inherited in 1782 with the title of Padshah.

Hyder and Tipu brought in many technological innovations, modernizing the Mysorean army and expanding Mysore's foreign trade. They also aligned themselves by and large with the French.

By the end of the eighteenth century, the Mysore Kingdom found itself in a series of wars with the British East India CompanyThe British East India Company popularly known as John Company was founded by a Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600. Over the next 250 years, it became one of the most powerful commercial enterprises of its time. The British East India, which was then expanding its control in India. After the final defeat of Tipu Sultan in 1799Events March 1 Federalist James Ross becomes President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate. March 7 Napoleon captures Jaffa in Palestine and his troops proceed to kill more than 2,000 Albanian captives. March 29 New York passes a law aimed at graduall, the British annexed part of the state and installed the five-year-old Wodeyar heir on the throne, and Mysore became a princely stateA princely state was a principality or kingdom in British India ruled by a local ruler, called a prince by the British (but who were truly kings). The princely states enjoyed local autonomy and had their own laws, languages, holidays, ministers, and monar in British India. The capital was moved to BangaloreBangalore Classification City Nicknames Silicon Valley of India, Garden City of India, Pensioners Paradise, Pub City of India Country India State Karnataka District Bangalore Language Kannada Time zone GMT+5:30 Importance Capital of Karnataka Information after 1830Events February 3 The previously autonomous state of Greece gains full independence from the Ottoman Empire as the final result of the Greek War of Independence. Negotiations for the borders between the two states continue until 1832, under the supervisio. Charging financial mismanagement on the part of the Wodeyars, the British took direct control of Mysore in 1831Events February- March Revolts in Modena, Parma and the Papal States are put down by Austrian troops February 20 Battle of Grochow. Polish rebel forces divide a Russian army. March 1 Democrat Samuel Smith becomes President Pro Tempore of the United States and retained it for half a century. After 1881, the house of Wodeyar was restored to the throne and Mysore became once more the highest-ranking Indian princely state ruled by a Hindu. For the next seventy years, Mysore enjoyed the reputation of being a model state.

After India's independence in 1947, the last Wodeyar Maharaja acceded to the Indian Government, and the kindgom became India's Mysore state. The former Maharaja was appointed rajpramukh, or governor, by the Indian Government until 1956, when the state was enlarged, and the former Rajpramukh became the state's first elected governor.