What do you think?
Rate this book
The Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan - This digital book also includes an annotated bibliography of select works associated with India
This digital book includes an annotated bibliography of select works associated with India (added 2011).
This revised edition was published in 1887.
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.
This revised edition was published in 1887.
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.
- GenresHistoryIndiaNonfiction
202 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1876
124 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
About the author
H.G. Keene
144 booksHenry George Keene (1825–1915)
C.I.E.; Fellow of the Univesity of Calcutta; grandson of Henry George Keene (1781–1864), orientalist (the brother-in-law of George Harris, first baron of Seringapatam). This author wrote articles for the Dictionary of National Biography.
C.I.E.; Fellow of the Univesity of Calcutta; grandson of Henry George Keene (1781–1864), orientalist (the brother-in-law of George Harris, first baron of Seringapatam). This author wrote articles for the Dictionary of National Biography.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 10, 2015
I am sure the book is historically accurate. The style or writing is extremely painful to follow though. A reader can just get lost in the extremely large number of characters that just burst on to the scene. This was the case for me even though I am from india and was familiar with at least some of these characters and events.
The degree of difficulty of reading and the sheer lack of interest the book generates can be gauged from that I could finish 3 other books in the time that it took me to give up on this one. What is even worse is that one of these books was War and Peace - the longest novel ever written!!
All in all, a thoroughly avoidable book..
The degree of difficulty of reading and the sheer lack of interest the book generates can be gauged from that I could finish 3 other books in the time that it took me to give up on this one. What is even worse is that one of these books was War and Peace - the longest novel ever written!!
All in all, a thoroughly avoidable book..
September 13, 2018
This book traces the history of Northern India as the sun finally set on the Mughal Empire, covering a timeline of over a 100 years between 1707 to 1810s.
The author uses contemporary British, Mughal and Marathas sources to describe in detail, a period of Indian history that saw the rise of several races aspiring to fulfill the void left behind by the decline of the Mughals before the British established themselves as the Masters of the Subcontinent.
Some of the highlights of the book include the details regarding the Third Battle of Panipat, the slow yet steady rise of the British, the success of the mercenary French soldiers in India and so on.
The author uses contemporary British, Mughal and Marathas sources to describe in detail, a period of Indian history that saw the rise of several races aspiring to fulfill the void left behind by the decline of the Mughals before the British established themselves as the Masters of the Subcontinent.
Some of the highlights of the book include the details regarding the Third Battle of Panipat, the slow yet steady rise of the British, the success of the mercenary French soldiers in India and so on.
October 28, 2017
Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan by H.G. Keene... This is an after read to Alex Ruthurford's series on the Moghul Empire (6 in the series), though this does not have fictional narrative, it is more of factual details after the 6th Emperor Aurangzeb. Though the characters throughout the book are confusing, the temperament of the story line keeps the reader hooked to the book. The end of Moguls as seen from the various chronicles is when the Emperor Shah Alam is blinded on 20th August 1788, but the rule continues till the British takes over the realm by mid 19th Century. A very careful read to understand the characters.
February 28, 2019
Painfully slow to read
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews