Rajwadas- The Indian Princely States (1707-1950) (Set of 2 Volumes)

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The year 1707 is a convenient date at which to start a history of the Indian princely states as it marks the death of the last great Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, whose dynasty had ruled India as a unified state for almost 150 years, and the beginning of the rapid decline of the Mughal raj. The following 150 years were times of political chaos until the sub-continent was once again functioning as a unified state, this time under another foreign raj, that of the British.

This book follows the formation and the fortunes of the 800 or so states that predated or emerged from the wreckage of the Mughal empire. It is presented in two parts. Part One starts with an all-India overview history of the princely states, both those which emerged from the demise of the Mughal empire and those which predated and survived the Mughal raj, up to the watershed 1857 uprising in north India. It then investigates the constitutional relationship between the states and the British crown, the new paramount power, as this lay at the core of the political relationship: between the two polities on the subcontinent: princely India and British India. It then examines the constitutional, economic and populist forces at work during the ensuing nine decades and considers those actions and attitudes on the part of the princes in the period leading up to India's independence that virtually ensured their extinction after 1947. Part Two contains a history of each of the states.

Adrian Sever was born in Australia and is a graduate in History from Murdoch University in Perth. His abiding interest in India began when he paid the first of numerous extended visits in 1964. Since then he has taken a postgraduate degree in Asian Studies at the Australian National University and served in the Australian diplomatic service in Cambodia, China, Nepal and North Korea, and as Deputy Permanent Australian Representative to UNESCO. For several years he was Executive Director of the Australia India Council, a body established within the Australian foreign ministry to develop all facets of Australia's relationship with India. He is the author of four other books and numerous articles on the history and culture of various Asian countries.

The year 1707 is a convenient date at which to start a history of the Indian princely states as it marks the death of the last great Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, whose dynasty had ruled India as a unified state for almost 150 years, and the beginning of the rapid decline of the Mughal raj. The following 150 years were times of political chaos until the sub-continent was once again functioning as a unified state, this time under another foreign ray, that of the British.

This book follows the formation and the fortunes of the 800 or so states that predated or emerged from the wreckage of the Mughal empire.

At the start of the 20th century, the British raj, successor to the Mughals, was at the height of its power. In addition to directly administering three-fifths of the sub-continent, it exercised paramountey over almost 600 principalities that had survived the collapse of Mughal power and the consolidation of British power. Half a century later, these princely states had ceased to exist abolished at the stroke of a constitutional pen to form part of the successor raj to the British, the Republic of India.

This book is presented in two parts. Part One starts with an all-India overview history of the princely states, both those which emerged from the demise of the Mughal empire and those which predated and survived the Mughal raj, up to the watershed 1857 uprising in north India. It then investigates the constitutional relationship between the states and the British crown, the new paramount power, as this lay at the core of the political relationship between the two polities on the subcontinent: princely India and British India. It then examines the constitutional, economic and populist forces at work during the ensuing nine decades and considers those actions and attitudes on the part of the princes in the period leading up to India's independence that virtually ensured their extinction after 1947. Part Two contains a history of each of the states.

Many place names in India have changed since independence. For consistency with contemporary records the names by which places were officially known prior to 1947 have been used.

In accordance with contemporary historical practice, dates in this book are designated BCE (before the common era) and CE (common era), corresponding to BC and AD of Western history.

**Contents and Sample Pages**