In the Mirror of Persian Kings

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'If James Mill dismissed the Delhi Sultanate as "a government, moulded and conducted agreeably to the properties of Persian civilization, instead of a government moulded and conducted agreeably to the properties of Hindu civilization" Blain Auer shows the opposite. He argues that Muslim chroniclers of India self-consciously connected their reigning patrons to pre-Islamic Iranian kings precisely because this model provided a more universal ideal of governance that was far more suited to the diverse subject population of the subcontinent. Auer should be commended for elucidating this theme in a monograph-length study.' Ali Anooshahr, University of California, Davis 'Crisply narrated and richly detailed, this thought-provoking re-evaluation of a key moment in South Asian history offers a valuable corrective to the polarized narratives of the present. Through a magnificent array of primary sources, Auer illuminates the theory and praxis of politics during the rise of a 'Persian imperium'.' Supriya Gandhi, Yale University 'A very important contribution to the study of Islamic kingship. Every library interested in the history of India, Iran and Central Asia should acquire this book.' Roy Parviz Mottahedeh, Harvard University