Phoenix: Queen Victoria's Maharajah: Duleep Singh 1838-93

by Michael Alexander, Sushila Anand

In this delightful portrait of a unique character, the quixotic Duleep Singh, a deposed Punjabi maharajah, converted to Christianity and moved to England, where he became a favorite of Queen Victoria. But, his extravagance and the parsimony of the India Office eventually led him to declare a holy war to recover his homeland from the British Empire. The account is based on the archives at Windsor and the India Office Library.

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Michael Charles Alexander was an English writer. He was editorial director of 'Common Ground' in 1946-50 and editorial director of 'Oxford University Press' in 1950-51.

Michael Charles Alexander was born on November 20 1920, the son of Rear-Admiral Charles Otway Alexander and his wife Antonia (nèe van Geermans), from a prominent Dutch family. Michael was educated at Stowe, where he soon made a name for himself as something of a free-thinker, by no means the typical naval officer's son, but a true "Stoic" in both senses of the word. In 1939 he entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and was commissioned, after the outbreak of War, into the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. He soon volunteered for commando training and, in 1941, went out to the Middle East with Layforce.

Reviews

[Scooter Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book fascinating. The former Maharajah of the Punjab was most definitely taken advantage of, as a child ruler, but the East India Co. And then the British Indian government. To think of the billions he and his territories were worth, and to..... Din't want to spoil it fir those who haven't read it yet! A shameful segment in the history of Great Britain's 'Conquest' and pillaging of India.