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Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan By: H. G. (Henry George) Keene (1825-1915) |
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THE FALL OF THE MOGHUL EMPIRE OF HINDUSTAN,
A NEW EDITION,
WITH CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS. 1887 PREFACE. Two editions of this book having been absorbed, it has been
thought that the time was come for its reproduction in a form
more adapted to the use of students. Opportunity has been taken
to introduce considerable additions and emendations. The rise and meridian of the Moghul Empire have been related in
Elphinstone's " History of India: the Hindu and Mahometan Period;
" and a Special Study of the subject will Also be found in the "
Sketch of the History of Hindustan" published by the present
writer in 1885. Neither of those works, however, undertakes to
give a detailed account of the great Anarchy that marked the
conclusion of the eighteenth century, the dark time that came
before the dawn of British power in the land of the Moghul. Nor
is there is any other complete English book on the Subject. The present work is, therefore, to be regarded as a monograph on
the condition of the capital and neighbouring territories, from
the murder of Alamgir II. in 1759 to the occupation of Dehli by
Lake in 1803. Some introductory chapters are prefixed, with the
view of showing how these events were prepared; and an account of
the campaign of 1760 1 has been added, because it does not seem
to have been hitherto related on a scale proportioned to its
importance. That short but desperate struggle is interesting as
the last episode of medi¾val war, when battles could be decided
by the action of mounted men in armour. It is also the sine qua
non of British Empire in India. Had the Mahrattas not been
conquered then, it is exceedingly doubtful if the British power
in the Bengal Presidency would ever have extended beyond Benares. The author would wish to conclude this brief explanation by
reproducing the remarks which concluded the Preface to his second
edition. "There were two dangers," it was there observed; "the first, that
of giving too much importance to the period; the second, that of
attempting to illustrate it by stories such as those of Clive
and Hastings which had been told by writers with whom
competition was out of the question. Brevity, therefore, is
studied; and what may seem baldness will be found to be a
conciseness, on which much pains have been bestowed." "The narrative," it was added, "is one of confusion and
transition; and chiefly interesting in so far as it throws light
on the circumstances which preceded and caused the accession of
the East India Company to paramount power in India." The author
has only to add an expression of his hope that, in conjunction
with Mr. S. Owen's book, what he has here written may help to
remove doubts as to the benefits derived by the people of India
from the Revolution under consideration. Finally, mention should be made of Mr. Elphinstone's posthumous
work, "The Rise of British Power in the East." That work does
not, indeed, clash with the present book; for it did not enter
into the scope of the distinguished author to give the native
side of the story, or to study it from the point of view here
presented. For the military and political aims and operations of
the early British officers in Madras and Bengal, however,
Elphinstone will be found a valuable guide. His narrative bears
to our subject a relation similar to that of the "Roman de Rou"
to the history of the Carling Empire of Northern France. OXFORD, 1887. CONTENTS. PART I. CHAPTER I Preliminary Observations on Hindustan and the City of Dehli CHAPTER II. Greatness of the Timurides Causes of Empire's decline Character of Aurungzeb Progress of disruption under his descendants Muhamadan and Hindu enemies The stage emptied CHAPTER III. Muhamad Shah CHAPTER IV. Ahmad Shah Alamgir II. CHAPTER V, Afghan invasion CHAPTER VI. Overthrow of Mahrattas at Panipat PART II. CHAPTER I. A.D. 1760 67. 1760. Movements of Shahzada Ali Gohar, after escaping
from Dehli Shojaa ud Daulal His Character Ramnarayan defeated |
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