The mighty Maratha Confederacy was brought to its knees due to disunity and intense infighting. After Shivaji passed away, the ambitions of individual leaders caused irreparable damage to the Maratha cause, even at the apex of Maratha glory. This led… Continue Reading
The “Great Game” was an Anglo-Russian conflict over the control of Tibet, East Turkestan, and Central Asia. In the 19th century, this vast region was a patchwork of backward states and tribal confederacies. The Russians feared British inroads into this… Continue Reading
The Great Indian Rebellion, lasting from May 1857 to July 1859, was not uniform in scope or strength. A dozen rebellions erupted at different regions at points of time, with varying levels of vigor and efficacy. The rebellion in Central… Continue Reading
Britain’s conquest of India (1740s-1840s) was made possible through her unchallenged naval power. Without any Indian fleet to intercept them in the high seas, the British could do much mischief in her wars of conquest. The Mughal Navy was once… Continue Reading
The Strategic Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organization conducting espionage, sabotage, guerilla war and other violent acts against the Axis powers during World War II. Real and fictionalized accounts of the SOE have been told countless times in films… Continue Reading
Today is the 47th anniversary of the Liberation of Bangladesh. The surrender of the entire Pakistani garrison in East Bengal and the gains in the Western Sector made India the clear victor of the war of 1971. It was one… Continue Reading
Undivided India’s North West Frontier had always been a zone of insurgency. Ruling or occupying forces, such as the Pakistanis, Americans, the British and the Mughals have faced the wrath of the fiercely independent, and warlike Pathan tribes of the… Continue Reading
The Anglo-Mysore Wars ended on May 1799, with Tipu Sultan’s end at Srirangapattana’s walls. This victory meant that British control of South India spread from coast to coast, with all threats eliminated. British leaders now realized that there was now… Continue Reading
In pursuit of empire-building, the British cut down millions of acres of forests. Britain ruled the waves and her shipbuilding consumed astronomical quantities of timer. Technological progress, public works, and the industrial revolution made wood even more essential. For instance,… Continue Reading
As Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose features in the news once again let us remember his first army, the ill-fated Indian Legion a.k.a. Azad Hind Legion a.k.a. Legion Fries Indien. Raised in Germany, this force never had its moment in the… Continue Reading
The Age of Discovery (15th – 17th century) had spread accounts of exotic people, places and animals of the East and the New World in Europe. Many European kings and nobles began to keep menageries, i.e. collection of exotic lifeforms,… Continue Reading
Before the British became the undisputed master of India in the early 19th century, the European view of India was not as disdainful or prejudiced as it would come to be. In this “pre-colonial” phase foreign scholars and missionaries had… Continue Reading
Bombay port was a scene of hectic activity in November of 1819: a great imperial expedition was underway. Warships, troop carriers and support ships were being readied to carry three thousand British and Indian soldiers to wage war in the… Continue Reading
Pakistan’s horrific military campaign “Operation Searchlight” (March-May 1971) was a success by most yardsticks. The Mukti Bahini, the resistance movement of ethnic Bengalis of East Pakistan, was severely mauled. A genocide of hundreds of thousands of Bengalis had commenced under… Continue Reading
The design and issue of currency sometimes lead to controversy. Such controversies have often led to withdrawal or redesign of currency, with governments scrambling to offer explanations, contain the damage or to save face. This is due to the status… Continue Reading