The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857

The first rule of history is not to take sides, one that William Dalrymple breaks almost on the first page.

Attempting to replace the existing foreign ruling class of India with themselves, the British caused resentment that boiled over in 1857 into a full scale uprising. As the British and their Indian allies tried to put down the uprising both sides were the victims of, and the perpetrators of massacres, and both had their heroes and their villains.

Sadly Dalrymple undermines his detailed research by almost ignoring the massacres of Europeans and Christian converts and the culpability of the Mughal court in them while reporting in detail any British wrongdoing.

This is a good book ruined by the author's prejudices.

the last mughal (2/2 people found this helpful)

I have now read every single book ever published by William Dalrymple. I would be hard put to name a favourite as each one of them is something of a masterpiece in its own right. The Last Mughal must rate among the very best of Dalrymple's work and indeed must rank as one of the finest on the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Most accounts of the Mutiny are centred around the British forces gathered outside the walls of Delhi. This book gives a unique insight into what was happening inside the walls in the weeks and months leading up to the British invasion and the aftermath.
Dalrymple's writing of history is, in a sense, unique. The Last Mughal reads like a rivetting thriller without ever compromising on fact or scholarship. The author has a profound appreciation of his subject. For anyone with even a passing interest in Indian or British colonial history, a must read.

Bahadur Shah Zafar (1/1 people found this helpful)

"Kitna Budnaseeb Hai Zafar Dafan Ke Liye
Do Guj Jameen Bhi na Mili KUey Yaar Mein"

when i started to read this book , these 2 lines haunted me as if Zafar kept on talking from his grave. a very well written book. this is my second book written by william dalrymaple.i feel so connected to the author, to his work.thank you Mr. Dalrymaple for giving us this masterpiece.

A good read (1/1 people found this helpful)

This book is a very good read as you will be transported back into the nineteenth century delhi. This was my first William Dalrymple buy and definitely not my last.
I am an indian and I am very aware of the indian mutiny and the history of mughals. This book does a lot of justice to its topic but the book has been written from a westerner's point of view. Specialy the first half of the book when the author describes the life styles of the population and the general defficiencies in the mutineers that eventualy led to their downfall. for example lack of brigade level leadershipo qualities have been quoted as one of the many reason for failure but the actual reason for the failures were the fragile trust between the muslims and the hindus etc etc. Mughals traditinaly went into combat with very large armies and traditional military doctrine of the mughals had not been lost by the time of the mutiny.
Having said that, this book is a bright spotlight on one of the momentous ocaasions of mordern indian history.

New Focus on a familiar subject (2/2 people found this helpful)

I couldn't wait to get home and snuggle up in bed to read this, what a treat, I've read practically everything there is on the mutiny and it was the first time I really got the chance to see the rather sad background drama which was overshadowed by the main events which predominantly involved the British. I rather liked Bahadur who seems to have been one of the more liberal of the Indian 'Kings" and who the British may well have retained as an ally had they not mucked things up at Meerut, however, as we all know Bahadur's life and the future of his dynasty were numbered, but I can't help feeling sad that he didn't get the chance to live out his life as he he had expected. Unfortunately events beyond his control left this once magnificent ruler in abject poverty in a country that was totally alien to him. I just loved it and will definitely put it on my read again shelf for the future.

The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857

William Dalrymple

Reader Reviews:

The Last Mughal's Pollyanna (0/2 people found this helpful)

the last mughal (2/2 people found this helpful)

Bahadur Shah Zafar (1/1 people found this helpful)

A good read (1/1 people found this helpful)

New Focus on a familiar subject (2/2 people found this helpful)

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