The Indian Princes and their States [Paperback]

Fascinating portrait of the princes of India from their pre-colonial origins to post-World War II.Barbara Ramusack's book provides a broad-ranging overview of the princes of India. Frequently portrayed as synonymous with oriental luxury, the author describes the pre-colonial origins of these kings, and how they adapted their public activities and personal lifestyles in order to survive as political leaders and cultural icons. Their collaboration enabled the British to govern India with relatively limited manpower from the late 1790s to 1947. The book will make fascinating and accessible reading for students of colonial history, and for present-day visitors to the erstwhile princely states.Barbara Ramusack's book provides a broad-ranging overview of the princes of India. Frequently portrayed as synonymous with oriental luxury, the author describes the pre-colonial origins of these kings, and how they adapted their public activities and personal lifestyles in order to survive as political leaders and cultural icons. Their collaboration enabled the British to govern India with relatively limited manpower from the late 1790s to 1947. The book will make fascinating and accessible reading for students of colonial history, and for present-day visitors to the erstwhile princely states.Barbara Ramusack describes the pre-colonial origins of the Indian princes, frequently portrayed as synonymous with oriental luxury, and how they adapted their public activities and personal lifestyles to survive as political leaders and cultural icons. Their collaboration enabled the British to govern India with relatively limited manpower from the late 1790s to 1947. The book is intended for students of colonial history and visitors to the princely states.List of illustrations; General editor's preface; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Map; 1. Introduction: Indian princes and British imperialism; 2. Princely states prior to 1800; 3. The British construction of indirect rule; 4. The thl“!