Sir John Fortescue's The Clasping of the Jewel

The final campaigns that placed the Indian jewel into the Imperial crown



Among British Army historians the reputation of Sir John Fortescue stands virtually without equal. His comprehensive fourteen volume history is a work of unparalleled achievement in its field. Fortescue combines thorough source material research with insightful academic observation of the conduct of the campaigns he describes and of the decisions, errors and strategic and tactical options of their principal protagonists. The Leonaur editors have carefully selected passages from Fortescue's magnum opus to create a series of books, each focusing on a specific war or campaign.
The British Empire's subjugation of the Indian sub-continent had progressed inexorably from the founding of the first English trading settlement in the early 17th century. Vast regions of the country fell under the government or influence of the Honourable East India Company until the presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras, their power upheld by their own native armies supported by regiments of the Crown, had all but mastered India. Few Indian states remained independent by the middle years of the 19th century. Inevitably, among their populations were strong, fiercely martial peoples including the Amirs of Scinde, the Marathas of Gwalior and, greatest among them, the Sikhs of the Punjab. The Sikh Khalsa was the best organised and armed native army which had ever opposed the British and in two momentous conflicts-the First and Second Sikh Wars-came very close to victory. This books charts the hard fought battles that brought the British geographic control of the sub-continent from Ceylon in the far south to the passes of the Hindu Kush. The catalyst-and salutary lesson-of the 'Great Mutiny' shortly followed, though that catastrophe led to the creation of 'the Raj' which consolidated India into one governable state and paved the way towards independence. Contains many maps and images not in the original text.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.