Thimmaraja Wodeyar II was the first 'maharaja' to rule as absolute monarch and denounce Mysore Kingdom's vassalage to the Vijayanagara Empire.
Right in his father's days, Thimmaraja Wodeyar II had learnt the lineage of the royal families in Vijayanagara.
However, right after coming to power in 1553, he formally declared independence of the Kingdom of Mysore from the Vijayanagara Empire.
In this political mood, the Bahamani sultans and the Mughal emperors began further invasion of fiefdoms.
Thimmaraja Wodeyar II took this opportunity and declared independence, although it wasn't until his brother's time that this came into full swing.