The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty by William Dalrymple - I was rushing to read both this and Blood Meridian as neither could be renewed at the library (on hold by someone else). What they have in common is covering nearly the same time period - 1857 in this case - and a lot of slaughter.

Some good things about the Last Mughal are that it includes a lot of first person narrative about the events in quotes from letters, journals and a few accounts written later, as well as some excerpts from newspapers both British and Indian nationals. As far as history, Dalrymple covers well the relationships between Indians and British at that point of time, and slightly before and the recent changes. According to him the relationship had changed from one in which the British had more respect for Indian religion and culture and frequently had "gone native", changing religion in some cases or marrying natives. It also covers the relationship between the Islamic Mughal rulers in Delhi, and the Hindus. Delhi, itself, the ruler's city, was about half Muslim and half Hindu. Prior to the uprising told about in the book, this was a high point of tolerance between practitioners of the two religions with both practicing their religion freely. The Mughal's apparently didn't make a distinction between monotheists or people of the book, and others.

Although the title refers to the fall of the dynasty, actually the dynasty mostly consisted of a somewhat captive court, the the British East India company in control. However, there was a rich cultural life especially of poetry that centered in the court and the "last Mughal".

What I missed was context. There was a very brief summary in the introduction of the Mughal House of Timur in South Asia, Zafar, the ruler, being a descendent of Ghengis Khan, and a short summary of the growing power of the British and decline of the Moghuls. However, I was not clear how much of India was actually ruled by Delhi at this point in time as the account mentions other kingdoms. I feel a need to read a history of India now, and that might be helpful before reading this book.

Another context I miss is the why of the British beginning to mix less with the Indians, becoming more prostelitizing and contemptful of the Indian religions. The insurrection in the armed forces of Indian soldiers or sepoys was set off by bullets greased with cow and possibly pig fat and harsh treatment of those refusing to use them.

Most of the book is about the insurrection and its eventual defeat. Initially there is massive slaughter of Christians as the British are seen as trying to forcibly christianize. the Indians. Basically all Christians in Delhi unable to flee were slaughtered, though many were helped to flee by other Indians. Later, the slaughter is by the British, who also killed women and children, innocent bystanders, even people who had supported them, as well as those who fought them. They justified their slaughter by vengeance for the previous slaughter, and by their view of the Indians as less than human. Some viewed the entire battle as a fight for Christ. As Islamic Jihadists, many from the strict Wahhabi sect, came to support the city of Delhi, there also came to be more of a hard line between Muslims and Hindus from that point on.

I'd have preferred something that was less blow by blow, and more of an overall history, but as there are a lot of personal stories followed, there's still a lot of interest in the account. ( )

A magnificent work of Indian history! Dalrymple convincingly argues that the various centers of the Sepoy Mutiny (in particular, Delhi) may have had a very local underpinning for the resentment against the British, and in this work makes a compelling case. The narrative is stellar, compassionate, and unbiased. Exploring hitherto undiscovered Urdu sources, Dalrymple portrays Bahadur Shah Zafar as a poet disconnected with the environment outside of the immediacy of Delhi. The author describes how a moment of indecision cost Zafar his empire (mostly the environs of Delhi), eventually robbing him of what he most desired - freedom to compose Urdu poetry in his palace.
The book is an honest portrayal from both Indian and British angles, and one feels immersed in the lives and intrigues surrounding the characters in this great story. A tour de force indeed!

Having just read the novel The Siege of Krishnapur, and now interested in history of the British in 19th century India, somehow I stumbled onto the Last Mughal. As the Siege was entirely from the (imagined) viewpoint of British East Indian Company officials defending themselves in an outpost town, the Last Mughal interestly showed Delhi undersiege by the British. Unbelievalbe richness and detail of the Last Mughal, pulls you in to both a story with characters and a view of history that reads like a novel. Couldn't put it down! ( )

William Dalrymple's account of the fall of the Mughal dynasty in India is well researched, including perspectives from both British and Indian sources. It is long, but easy to read since the author has an almost conversational style of writing.

The history of the 1857 Uprising and its various battles was well detailed, but I found even more interesting were the insights I gained into the political positioning of the women, and the impact violence had on the British troops. The systematic hunting down of all Uprising "sympathizers" and the destruction of Delhi itself were difficult to reconcile with the perception of the British bringing enlightment to the Hindu/Muslim world. Looking back from today's perspective, it has caused me to reflect on the current conflicts in Afghanistan and elsewhere. ( )

Engrossing history of a rebellion against British rule and bloody aftermath ( )