Soldier of Misfortune
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A01=G.S. Cheema
annotated text
Author_G.S. Cheema
Category=NHF
Category=NHTQ
decaying Mughal Empire
eighteenth century Europeans
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eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
tragic circumstances
vicissitudes of Fortune
Product details
- ISBN 9788119139286
- Dimensions: 160 x 240mm
- Publication Date: 31 May 2023
- Publisher: Manohar Publishers and Distributors
- Publication City/Country: IN
- Product Form: Hardback
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In two parts, Louis Laurent de Federbe, Comte de Modave, like most eighteenth century Europeans came to India in search of fortune. He failed in his quest, dying under tragic circumstances, but his memoirs were saved and brought back to France. However, it was not until 1971 that Jean Deloche of the Ecole Francaise d'Etreme Orient published a properly collated and annotated text. The memoirs present a fascinating contemporary commentary on the political situation of the rapidly decaying Mughal Empire. His pen-portraits of the Emperor Shah Alam II, of Shuja-ud-Daulah, Mirza Najaf Khan, and his fellow adventurer and compatriot, Rene Madec are particularly valuable. He spent more than a year at the court of Delhi, and had the opportunity to observe the emperor closely. The latter comes across as kindly, courteous and gentle, essentially a family man, always surrounded by his sons, and never shy of showing his affection for them.
G.S. Cheema is a former civil servant and writes mainly on historical subjects. His first book, The Forgotten Mughals, came out in 2002. This was followed by Our History, Their History (2012), and The Ascent of John Company (2017). In 2014 he published A Memoir of the Mughal Empire, a translation of Jean Law de Lauriston's Memoire sur quelques Affaires de L'Empire Mogol. The present work?is?his?second?translation?of?the?memoirs?of?a?French?adventurer.
