Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan


Book Description

Finalist for the 2018 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in History "A luminous biography." —Rafia Zakaria, Guardian Four centuries ago, a Muslim woman ruled an empire. Nur Jahan, daughter of a Persian noble and widow of a subversive official, became the twentieth and most cherished wife of the Emperor Jahangir. Nur ruled the vast Mughal Empire alongside her husband, leading troops into battle, signing imperial orders, and astutely handling matters of the state. Acclaimed historian Ruby Lal uncovers the rich life and world of Nur Jahan, rescuing this dazzling figure from patriarchal and Orientalist clichés of romance and intrigue, and giving new insight into the lives of women and girls in the Mughal Empire. In Empress, Nur Jahan finally receives her due in a deeply researched and evocative biography that awakens us to a fascinating history.




Eastern Encounters


Book Description

Catalog of an exhibition held at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, United Kingdom in June 2018.




Queenmaker


Book Description

The only woman in the Bible who is noted to have loved a man, Queen Michal was King David's childhood sweetheart, his first wife, and daughter of his great friend and greater enemy, King Saul. Married to and then abandoned by David at age 14, Michal is forced to marry him again and become his first queen ten years later. Thrown into transition and turmoil, Queen Michal resists the ambition and greed that have become integral to David's personality and kingship. Acting nobly as his queen, but refusing to compromise her soul, Michal is drawn in friendship to the women in the king's court. Among his concubines and mistresses is Bathsheba, who becomes the mother of David's son, Solomon. In Queenmaker, Michal emerges as a wise and loving woman whose female family sustains her and establishes the spiritual foundation of the entire kingdom. Queenmaker depicts in unforgettable detail the characters of one of the greatest periods in Biblical history-their public deed and private thoughts-and gives readers the court of the kings as only a woman could see it.
















Maharanis


Book Description

Until the 1920s, to be a Maharani, wife to the Maharajah, was to be tantalizingly close to the power and glamour of the Raj, but locked away in purdah as near chattel. Even the educated, progressive Maharani of Baroda, Chimnabai—born into the aftermath of the 1857 Indian Mutiny—began her marriage this way, but her ravishing daughter, Indira, had other ideas. She became the Regent of Cooch Behar, one of the wealthiest regions of India while her daughter, Ayesha, was elected to the Indian Parliament. The lives of these influential women embodied the delicate interplay between rulers and ruled, race and culture, subservience and independence, Eastern and Western ideas, and ancient and modern ways of life in the bejeweled exuberance of Indian aristocratic life in the final days both of the Raj, and the British Empire. Tracing these larger than life characters as they bust every known stereotype, Lucy Moore creates a vivid picture of an emerging modern, democratic society in India and the tumultous period of Imperialism from which it arose. Through the sumptuous, adventurous lives of three generations of Indian queens—from the period following the Indian Mutiny of 1857 to the present, Lucy Moore traces the cultural and political changes that transformed their world.




Kings and Queens of India


Book Description

The incredible stories of the most powerful and ambitious rulers in Indian history. They ruled vast and influential kingdoms across our country. They laid down laws and systems of administration. They fought wars that had far-reaching impact, and negotiated peaceful times that nurtured the arts and the sciences. They made decisions that, whether right or wrong, shaped events and moulded our culture. They were the kings and queens who played lead roles in the spectacular drama of India’s past. From Kanishka, Harshavardhana, Razia, Akbar and Ranjit Singh in the north to Narasimhavarman, Rajaraja Chola, Krishnadevaraya, Mangammal, Marthanda Varma and Tipu Sultan in the south, and from Gautamiputra Satakarni, Amoghavarsha, Mihira Bhoja and Shivaji in the west to Bimbisara, Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka, Gopala I and the Bhaumakara queens in the east – this book tells the riveting stories of close to 50 important rulers whose actions left a mark on the history of India. Read about their lives and the times they lived in, what they achieved and what they failed at – and why they are still remembered – in Kings and Queens of India. Packed with intriguing facts, this comprehensive volume is the perfect introduction to India’s rich and utterly fascinating royal heritage. *Dynasties Download: Important dynasties and their significance *Impact Summary: Why these monarchs matter in history *Top Trivia: Fun facts about Indian royals