The Tale of Walter Reinhardt and Begum Samru

Mid-18th century India was a chaotic place. The once-mighty Mughal empire had crumbled under its own weight soon after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb. Internal feuds led to the successive ascensions of four emperors in the single year of 1719. Nadir Shah's invasion of India in 1739 did the rest and shattered the remaining power and prestige of the empire. Provincial governors started declaring independence one after another. Marathas and East India Company saw the opportunity and started to expand. 

In this power vacuum, several small states were fighting for control. Consequently, the demand for professional soldiers and mercenaries was quite high. Walter Reinhardt Sombre of Luxembourg was one such adventurer and mercenary. He came to India in the early 1760s as a sailor in the French navy. He changed his allegiances several times and served under British and various local rulers. At one time, he served in the army of Mir Qasim of Bengal under his Armenian General Gregory (known as Gurjin Khan to the locals). Soon he formed his own mercenary army and employed Europeans and local Jats as soldiers. In 1767, he met a dancer girl named Farzana from Lucknow and married her. In the next ten years, he served several masters in northern India. He even served as the Mughal Governor of Agra for some time. In his final years, he was awarded the fiefdom of Sardhana by Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II for his services.

After his death in 1778, his widow; now known as Begum Samru took over the control of his mercenary army and estate. She converted to Roman Catholicism in 1781 and adopted the name Joanna Nobilis Sombre. She proved even more resourceful than her late husband. Begum Samru became immensely rich through campaigns with her soldiers of fortune. She used to ride on horseback and lead her forces into the battle. Her courage and military prowess gave rise to the superstitions that she possesses some magical powers. More than once, she saved the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II from invaders and rebels. Although by that time, the Mughal empire was also reduced to a very tiny state. She was awarded the title of Zeb-un-Nisa by Shah Alam II and he often referred her as 'My most beloved daughter'

In 1803, she surrendered to the East India Company after the fall of Aligarh but continued to rule her state until her death in 1836.  She was buried under a huge church 'the Basilica of Our Lady of Graces' which she had built in Sardhana.

Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, Sardhana  District Meerut, UP (Image Credit: Wikipedia)

The lives of Walter Reinhardt and Begum Samru seems like some pages straight out of a work of fiction. In fact, above are just the broad strokes of their life histories. Their actual story contains a lot more intrigue, betrayals, encounters, and action. They also interacted with other such adventurers of the era like George Thomas a.k.a. 'Jahazi Sahib' and Maratha General 'Jaghirdar Benoît de Boigne'. So why is there no reference to them in our popular culture? Such a rich story should have spawned numerous works of fiction. It seems like a perfect recipe for a modern soap opera if nothing else. But there is none, barring one or two little-known narratives. 

... perhaps because they belonged to a time and civilization that left no descendants.