
The Indian Frontier
Horse and Warband in the Making of Empires
Jos Gommans(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 25. June 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-1-032-65259-7 (ISBN)
Description
This omnibus brings together some old and some recent works by Jos Gommans on the warhorse and its impact on medieval and early modern state-formation in South Asia. These studies are based on Gommans' observation that Indian empires always had to deal with a highly dynamic inner frontier between semi-arid wilderness and settled agriculture. Such inner frontiers could only be bridged by the ongoing movements of Turkish, Afghan, Rajput and other warbands. Like the most spectacular examples of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empires, they all based their power on the exploitation of the most lethal weapon of that time: the warhorse. In discussing the breeding and trading of horses and their role in medieval and early modern South Asian warfare, Gommans also makes some thought-provoking comparisons with Europe and the Middle East. Since the Indian frontier is part of the much larger Eurasian Arid Zone that links the Indian subcontinent to West, Central and East Asia, the final essay explores the connected and entangled history of the Turko-Mongolian warband in the Ottoman and Timurid Empires, Russia and China.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Postgraduate
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
408 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-032-65259-7 (9781032652597)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
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Routledge
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1st Edition
Routledge
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1st Edition
Routledge
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Person
Jos J.L. Gommans holds the chair of Colonial and Global History at the University of Leiden. His major publications include The Rise of the Indo-Afghan Empire, c.1710-1780 (Leiden, 1995; Delhi, 1999; 2017) and Mughal Warfare: Indian Frontiers and High Roads to Empire, 1500-1700 (London, 2002).
Content
Introduction, 1. The Horse Trade in Eighteenth-century South Asia, 2. The Silent Frontier of South Asia, c. ad 1100-1800, 3. The Eurasian Frontier after the First Millennium ad: Reflections Along the Fringe of Time and Space, 4. Warhorse and Post-Nomadic Empire in Asia, c. 1000-1800, 5. The Embarrassment of Political Violence in
Europe and South Asia, c. 1100-1800, 6. Indian Warfare and Afghan Innovation
during the Eighteenth Century, 7. Warhorse and Gunpowder in India, c. ad 1000-1850, 8. Slavery and Naukari among the Bangash Nawabs of Farrukhabad 9. The Warband in the Making of Eurasian Empires
Europe and South Asia, c. 1100-1800, 6. Indian Warfare and Afghan Innovation
during the Eighteenth Century, 7. Warhorse and Gunpowder in India, c. ad 1000-1850, 8. Slavery and Naukari among the Bangash Nawabs of Farrukhabad 9. The Warband in the Making of Eurasian Empires