The History of Bengal (From The First Mohammedan Invasion Until The Virtual Conquest of That Country by the English, A.D. 1757)

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Stewart's work offers insights into the complex interactions, wars, and cultural shifts in Bengal over the centuries, from the first Muslim invasions in the 13th century until the English conquest following the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Stewart's narrative traces key events and figures, focusing on how Islamic rulers established themselves in Bengal and how they governed, while also examining the arrival of European powers, especially the British.

The book provides detailed accounts of the administrative, military, and social developments of the era, as well as the gradual decline of local rulers and the rise of British influence. Stewart uses primary sources, including Persian manuscripts and records, which he translated, providing readers a view into historical documents of the time.

The book is of particular interest to historians and scholars studying South Asia, Islamic history in Bengal, and the early stages of colonialism in the region. It serves as a foundational text in the study of Bengali history, shedding light on the significant cultural and political transformations that occurred as a result of the Muslim rule and subsequently, the English East India Company's encroachment.

Charles Stewart (1764-1837), was a British orientalist who served in the Bengal Army from 1781 until 1808. He was assistant- professor of Persian at Fort William College, Calcutta from 1800 until 1806, while from 1807 until 1827, he was professor of Arabic, Persian, and Hindustani language at the East India College in Haileybury, India. During this time, he edited and translated oriental works.

In offering this work to the public, I do not flatter myself that, to the generality of English readers, it will have many attractions; but to those whose views are not confined to the circle of domestic occurrences, or European politics, I trust it will not be unacceptable.

Every Traveller in a foreign country must be sensible, with how much more interest he views the monuments of antiquity of whose history he has acquired a previous knowledge, than those vestiges of former times which, from his ignorance of the events connected with them, he can only contemplate as useless heaps of ruins, or admire merely for their romantic situations or picturesque beauties.

To those therefore who are looking forward to Bengal as their place of sojourn for several years, a work which faith- fully details the events that have been transacted in the country they are about to visit, will, I should hope, prove both instructive and interesting: and to those who have already been resident in the East, it may be presumed to afford some pleasing reflections, by recalling to their minds scenes where many of them will probably acknowledge they have spent the happiest period of their lives.