“Clear as the Spotless Sun”: Honour, Reputation, and Self-Fashioning in the Career and Memoirs of Amir Khan of Tonk

Historians of the late pre-colonial Indian political and military landscape have often pointed to the prevalence of self-interested pragmatism, intrigue and shifting allegiances within it. Against this backdrop, this thesis examines a prominent, yet understudied, military and political player within late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century India, Amir Khan of Tonk, through the lens of martial honour. This is done through analysis of both his career and memoirs, the Amirnama, in which he is represented as one “whose conduct and character within and without were clear as the spotless sun”. Following the Amirnama’s account of the four main stages of his career, whilst also cross-referencing with other relevant contemporary sources, reveals the complex and manifold relation of theoretical ideals of martial honour with the realities of political and military action within his world. During the early stages of his career, cultivating a reputation for bravery and clemency on the...Show moreHistorians of the late pre-colonial Indian political and military landscape have often pointed to the prevalence of self-interested pragmatism, intrigue and shifting allegiances within it. Against this backdrop, this thesis examines a prominent, yet understudied, military and political player within late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century India, Amir Khan of Tonk, through the lens of martial honour. This is done through analysis of both his career and memoirs, the Amirnama, in which he is represented as one “whose conduct and character within and without were clear as the spotless sun”. Following the Amirnama’s account of the four main stages of his career, whilst also cross-referencing with other relevant contemporary sources, reveals the complex and manifold relation of theoretical ideals of martial honour with the realities of political and military action within his world. During the early stages of his career, cultivating a reputation for bravery and clemency on the battlefield facilitated his social climbing, enhancing “his fame and rank” and forging valuable alliances. Yet increasingly, a gulf appeared between the rhetoric and reality. Whilst honour could legitimise political action, it also contrasted sharply with the flexibility of allegiance, use of deception and even murder increasingly deployed by Amir Khan to achieve his ambitions and strategic aims. Ultimately, securing his political survival in the face of encroaching British power would necessitate jettisoning a plethora of social obligations to those with whom he was theoretically “honour-bound”. Examining Amir Khan’s self-fashioning in the Amirnama in light of these controversial acts reveals how the gap between the theoreticals of martial honour and the murkier realities of realpolitik pragmatism could be, at least rhetorically, reconciled.Show less

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“Clear as the Spotless Sun”: Honour, Reputation, and Self-Fashioning in the Career and Memoirs of Amir Khan of Tonk