Very interesting article. Reminds me of Paul Scott’s novels about partition. The issue of the princely state at partition integral to the plot of the last of the quartet
A factual error in an otherwise fine article. It is true that Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu & Kashmir did not accede to India on August 47 (at the time of partition of India). However, he signed the formal letter of accession to India in October that year, when the new state of Pakistan tried to annex J&K by force.
The sequence of events in Jammu and Kashmir was complex, and the Maharaja initially opted for independence, rather than accession to either India or Pakistan, in an attempt to buy time and avert partition-related bloodshed. This proved unsustainable and he eventually acceded to India in a decision that Pakistan regarded as invalid, given the Maharaja's prior undertakings. Although the Maharaja was Hindu, an estimated 77% of the population of the state was Muslim.
Just a quick correction, the Mughal kings were not a foreign empire like the British empire, but a fully integrated part of the Indian society they ruled over for almost 800 years. Like the British, they were initially invaders, but unlike the British empire on which the sun finally set one dominion at a time, the Mughals became part and parcel of the Indian society they integrated with
Very interesting article. Reminds me of Paul Scott’s novels about partition. The issue of the princely state at partition integral to the plot of the last of the quartet
Will have to check them out!
A factual error in an otherwise fine article. It is true that Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu & Kashmir did not accede to India on August 47 (at the time of partition of India). However, he signed the formal letter of accession to India in October that year, when the new state of Pakistan tried to annex J&K by force.
The sequence of events in Jammu and Kashmir was complex, and the Maharaja initially opted for independence, rather than accession to either India or Pakistan, in an attempt to buy time and avert partition-related bloodshed. This proved unsustainable and he eventually acceded to India in a decision that Pakistan regarded as invalid, given the Maharaja's prior undertakings. Although the Maharaja was Hindu, an estimated 77% of the population of the state was Muslim.
Just a quick correction, the Mughal kings were not a foreign empire like the British empire, but a fully integrated part of the Indian society they ruled over for almost 800 years. Like the British, they were initially invaders, but unlike the British empire on which the sun finally set one dominion at a time, the Mughals became part and parcel of the Indian society they integrated with
They did not integrate at all. The fight of between muslims and hindus is still ongoing..
Fascinating! Thank you for writing it!
Very interesting. A quirk of history.
I was writing about the Carnatic wars, so this was interesting to me. I didn't know the descendant was a quizzer.
You might find this piece interesting https://lila.substack.com/p/tipu-sultan-4-chaos-in-the-carnatic
https://lila.substack.com/p/tipu-sultan-5-robert-clive-dupleix
And this conversation about the Carnatic wars: https://lila.substack.com/p/tipu-sultan-8-podcast-interview-with
Thanks for sharing.
Fascinating! Thank you for sharing.
Very interesting article. Thank you