The writer William Knighton (c.1824-1900) spent much of his career in Sri Lanka and India. Published in 1855, this is an account of the court of the notorious Indian King Nussir-u-deen (c.1803-37), written from the viewpoint and using the testimony of an anonymous British member of the King's retinue. Richly descriptive, it is an intimate portrait of life in the service of a hedonistic sovereign so hated and paranoid that he feared his own family would try to poison him. He is characterised as a cruel and frivolous man who ...
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The writer William Knighton (c.1824-1900) spent much of his career in Sri Lanka and India. Published in 1855, this is an account of the court of the notorious Indian King Nussir-u-deen (c.1803-37), written from the viewpoint and using the testimony of an anonymous British member of the King's retinue. Richly descriptive, it is an intimate portrait of life in the service of a hedonistic sovereign so hated and paranoid that he feared his own family would try to poison him. He is characterised as a cruel and frivolous man who only trusted his sycophantic barber. As well as describing the lavish royal lifestyle, the narrator documents the King's thirst for hunting, for exotic-animal fights and for abusing and humiliating members of the royal family. This is a lurid and engrossing tale of a monarch in decline and the corruption and favouritism that led to his eventual assassination.
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Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). 340 p. Cambridge Library Collection - South Asian History . Worked examples or Exercises. Intended for professional and scholarly audience.
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Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Contains: Unspecified. Cambridge Library Collection - South Asian History . Includes unspecified. Intended for professional and scholarly audience.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Contains: Unspecified. Cambridge Library Collection - South Asian History. Includes unspecified. Intended for professional and scholarly audience.