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Between 1819 and 1926 four Muslim women rulers reigned over Bhopal, the second largest Muslim state of India, despite staunch opposition from powerful neighbours and male claimants. Even the British East India Company initially opposed female rule in Bhopal until the Begums quoted Queen Victoria as their model and inspiration. Qudsia, the first Begum, was supported by her powerful French-Bourbon Prime Minister in her departure from the traditional. She was succeeded in 1844 by Sikandar, her only daughter, who discarded purdah like her mother and was a powerful and awesome ruler, leading her armies into battle, and indulging in the male-dominated pastimes of polo and tiger-hunting. Sikandar's only daughter, the highly controversial and liberal Shahjehan, made her mark on the state by building extensively, while the last Begum, Sultan Jahan, was a pioneering figure in education reform, and a standard-bearer for women's emancipation. The story ends with her abdication in favour of her son, the first male ruler (Nawab) of Bhopal in five generations. This book offers the first balanced history of the state and, in discussing the Begums' policies in dealing with the British, also provides a fascinating account of British Imperial relations with princely states.
The story of the four brilliant and dynamic begums of Bhopal - Qudsiya Begum, Sikander Begum, Shah Jahan Begum and Sultan Jahan Begum.
During the reign of Akbar, between the years 1557 and 1559, a European called Jean Philippe du Bourbon arrived at the Court of Delhi. He was French and claimed to belong to one of the noblest families of that Kingdom. He recounted that he had been made prisoner by Turkish pirates during a voyage, and was taken as a slave to Egypt. This had occurred in 1541 when he was only fifteen years old. Once in Egypt, due to his charm and qualities he gained the favour of the sovereign and joined the army being this start of the adventure that took him to India.The emperor Akbar, to whom the youth told his story, became captivated by his refined manners and his intelligent appearance and he offered him a position in his army after which he was appointed Master of Artillery. Full of honours and riches, Prince Jean Philippe du Bourbon died in Agra leaving two sons from the sister of the Emperor's Christian wife. The eldest, Alexander became a favourite of Emperor Jahangir who made him Hereditary Governor of the Palace of the Begums.The Bourbons retained their position in the Imperial Court until the invasion of India by Nadir Shah, when the exiled themselves to their feud of Shergar.The Indian King of France is a historical novel that narrates the lives of some of the most prominent members of the dynasty. It is written in the first person as if the joint conscious of all of them is recounting their story. It starts with the amazing account of the first Indian Bourbon, Prince Jean Philippe and then travels through time until our present days with a very interesting first hand account of his life by the current head of the family, Prince Balthazar IV of Bourbon-Bhopal and an essay by the heir apparent, Prince Frederick who is studying in California to become a film-maker. The novel is a fascinating account of this family who is the eldest branch of the Bourbons and thus would have the right to claim the throne of France
After Aurangzeb Alamgir, History Has Been Singularly Unkind To The Later Mughals. Even The School History Books Do Not Talk Of Them. But The Period With Its Vicious Court Intrigues, Recalcitrant And Increasingly Independent Provincial Governors, And A Ruling Class Which Had Become Utterly Amoral, Corrupt And Unscrupulous Makes For A Gripping Story And Fascinating Parallels Can Be Drawn With The Political Scene Of Today.