The formation of the Mysore revenue system between the mid-eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries was closely connected with warfare, military expansion and the changing nature of the Mysore state. During this period, Mysore emerged from a regional kingdom into a powerful military state under Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, and subsequently came under British control after the defeat of Tipu in 1799. Continuous warfare created enormous demands for money, grain, horses, weapons and manpower. Consequently, the revenue system was reorganized to extract greater resources from agriculture and other economic activities. War and militarization therefore influenced not only the size of taxation but also the methods of revenue collection, administrative centralization and state control over resources. In the first half of the eighteenth century, Mysore's political structure was relatively decentralized. The Wodeyar rulers depended considerably on local chiefs, poligars, revenue farmers and other intermediaries for collecting revenue. Land revenue was the principal source of state income, but the state's control over the countryside was uneven. Local authorities retained substantial power, and the central government did not possess a completely uniform system of assessment and collection. The military demands of the eighteenth century gradually changed this arrangement. The rise of Haidar Ali was a major turning point. Haidar Ali built a strong and centralized military state and expanded Mysore's territories through warfare. His conflicts with the Marathas, the Nizam of Hyderabad and the British, particularly the Anglo-Mysore Wars, required sustained financial resources. A large standing army could not be maintained through occasional tribute or irregular contributions from local chiefs. The state therefore needed a more dependable and regular revenue stream. Land revenue became increasingly important for financing the army and the administrative machinery. Military expansion also encouraged greater political centralization. Haidar Ali sought to bring territories and local power holders under stronger central authority. The weakening of the autonomy of local chiefs enabled the Mysore government to exercise more direct control over agricultural production and revenue collection. Revenue administration thus became an instrument of state-building. Areas brought under Mysore's authority were increasingly incorporated into systems through which the central government could assess and collect taxes.