Reign
Pratapsingh ascended the throne in 1739. He was the last ruler of Thanjavur to be referred in the official records of the English East India Company as "His Majesty".
As soon as Pratapsingh ascended the throne he had to contend with the intrigues of the pretender Shahuji in the company of a treacherous Maratha noble Koyaji Kattigai. It was also evident that the conspirators were in league with Sayyid. So immediately after ascending the throne, Pratapsingh ordered the death of Sayyid.
In 1748, the pretender Shahuji sent an envoy, first to Puducherry and then to Fort St. David to negotiate terms of alliance with the French East India Company. The British East India Company initially supported Pratapsingh but switched sides when Shahuji offered Devikottai. The British sent two expeditions against Devikkottai which was defended by a garrison of 5,000 men. Their first attempt was a complete failure while the second ended in a truce. The second expedition was remarkable as the one in which Lawrence and Clive distinguished themselves. The War was brought to an end by the treaty of friendship between Pratapsingh and the Company. Devikkottai was made over to the English as per the provisions of the treaty.
In the early part of his reign, Pratapsingh also had to deal with the imperious attitude of Dost Ali, the Nawab of the Carnatic. Pratapsingh was soon deposed by Dost Ali who took over the administration of Thanjavur. But a Maratha invasion from the north brought about the death of Dost Ali and the restoration of Pratapsingh. The Maratha troops left after making one Murari Rao the ruler of Tiruchirapalli with whom Pratapsingh was in bad terms. Soon afterwards, the Nizam of Hyderabad sent a formidable force to Thanjavur to exact tribute. Two other expeditions forced the Raja into submission.
The third and final expedition of the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1742, resulted in the deposition of Murari Rao and the annexation of Tiruchirapalli. As a result of this campaign, Thanjavur was forced to become a vassal of Hyderabad and pay annual tribute.
Read more about this topic: Pratap Singh Of Thanjavur
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