A Military History of Medieval India

Book excerpt: The book, thus, presents a study of the development of warfare in the country from the 11th to the mid-18th century when modern warfare made its appearance in India, unlike in Europe where it had developed two centuries earlier. The first such occasion was in 1746 in the battle of the Adyar River (San Thome) when a few French soldiers supported by a detachment of European-trained "native soldiers" defeated a much larger local force of the Nawab of Carnatic, thus heralding the advent of modern warfare into the country's antiquated military system. Wars have been the primary, if not the only, instrument for political change since ancient times. A study of the development of warfare in a country is, therefore, an essential component for a correct understanding of its political developments. Notwithstanding this fact, India's military history has, thus far, been sadly neglected by the country's professional historians. This book, a result of huge scholarship and stamina, helps to set right this lacuna. The author draws many lessons of enduring value which the military history of medieval India has to offer the country's policy-makers, politicians, bureaucrats, historians, political scientists and professional soldiers