The Prince Who Beat the Empire: How an Indian Ruler Took on the Might of the East India Company

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Moin Mir

The Prince Who Beat the Empire

How an Indian Ruler Took on the Might of the East India Company

Moin Mir

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English

Amberley Publishing
15 September 2024

History; Asian history

An acclaimed history of empire and resistance: this is the moving story of the rebel prince who beat the world's most powerful corporation.

The ships of the East India Company first docked at India's shores in Surat in the early 17th century. In time, through astute politics and military power, the Company became masters of this great port. But the Company came not with the intention of building Indian maritime trade, but with the single-minded goal of destroying its trading prowess. By 1800 the port was completely annexed, through a Treaty that gave protection to future generations of the local Nawab rulers.

But, as elsewhere in India, the Company violated its promises. It stopped the family's income, usurping its palaces, estates, jewellery and possessions. This left the infant granddaughters of the last Nawab on the brink of destitution.

But in an unprecedented counter-attack, the father of the two girls stood to defy the Empire and expose its corruption overseas to the British at home. Travelling to London, he would shatter the Company's reputation. His campaign for justice would call for the end of British rule in Hindustan. Not only did the prince win back the family's possessions for his daughters but found true love in Victorian England.

By: Moin Mir
Imprint: Amberley Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
Weight: 192g
ISBN: 9781398122550
ISBN 10: 1398122556
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 15 September 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Moin Mir was born in India and lives in London. His career in advertising and brand consultancy has taken him across Asia and Europe. He has published an English translation of Mirza Ghalib's (India's foremost Urdu poet) letters and has extensively researched the history of Sufism and cultural revivalism in India. He is a member of the Nawab family of Surat and is next in line to succeed as Darbar of Kamandiyah, Gujarat.

Reviews for The Prince Who Beat the Empire: How an Indian Ruler Took on the Might of the East India Company

'Moin Mir weaves a fascinating tale of triumph and fortitude, reanimating in delightful prose a forgotten chapter from our colonial past. Painstakingly crafted and richly researched, this is the remarkable story of a quest for justice against the might of empire, and of the travails of an Indian prince who stood up for that which was his by right. -- Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire ‘A moving story, and a deeply sympathetic hero: courageous, gentle and magnificently stylish, who took on and defeated a monolithic tyrant and also found love in Victorian England. This is a wonderful book.’ -- DOMINIC WEST, Actor in The Affair, 300, The Wire ‘A gripping untold history which Moin Mir has written with great knowledge and flair. Meer Jafar Ali Khan achieved what no other Indian prince was able to: the political defeat of the East India Company in the House of Commons. The British political establishment, convinced by his passionate fight for justice, rose for the first time in favour of an Indian and against their own empire. This is a stirring historical book.’ -- JESSICA DOUGLAS-HOME, Author of A Glimpse of Empire