* All the quotes followed by an asterisk are taken from historical texts and some have been retranslated from French texts.
* Retranslated from the French.
1 Sometimes written as Oudh.
2 The local pronunciation of the word “Anglais,” meaning “English,” spread by the French in India.
3 Wide stole, supposed to hide the shape of a woman’s body.
4 Wide trousers worn by both men and women.
5 A loose-fitting tunic falling either just above or somewhere below the knees.
6 The women’s quarters. In India, for both Muslims and Hindus, the separation between men and women is known as “purdah.”
7 Grand vizier: prime minister; vizier: minister.
8 Courteous form of Muslim greeting: the hand is raised to the forehead while bending forwards. The lower one bends, the greater the respect. The tradition of adab flourished in Lucknow, which was known as the centre of the most sophisticated manners in the whole of India.
9 Your Majesty, Your Grace.
10 Joseph Garcin de Tassy in particular. He was a specialist in Oriental languages, a member of the French Academy and professor of Hindustani at the Imperial School.
11 Latticed wooden screens.
12 Mahal: the title given to a woman who has given birth to a male heir.
13 Hazrat Mahal’s origins are uncertain. She came from a poor family. Another version is that she may have been born in Farrukhabad, two hundred and fifty miles from Lucknow, her father being the caretaker of a mausoleum.
14 Velvet or silk hats that were fashionable among the aristocracy.
15 Floor-length trousers resembling a wide skirt, ending in a train.
16 Embroidery on fine muslin.
17 A cone of bitter leaf filled with betel nut chips and a small amount of tobacco that is chewed for a long time before spitting it out.
18 Sitar, sarangi: stringed instruments. Tabla: a pair of small drums played by striking them with fingers and palms.
19 One of the most popular dances of north India born out of a blend of Hindu and Muslim cultures. Very rhythmical, the feet and arms move very fast, while the bust remains immobile. King Wajid Ali Shah took it to a high level of perfection.
20 Excerpt from a poem dedicated to Hazrat Mahal.
21 Documents of the time show, in fact, that the terms ‘niggers’ and ‘negroes’ (sic) were commonly employed by the British to designate Indians.
22 “The beloved of the world.” Wajid Ali Shah was often called by this name.
23 In every state that was not annexed, the East India Company was represented by a British resident. All the residents were accountable to the Company’s governor general at the headquarters in Calcutta.
24 Khan: a sign of nobility.
25 Regional feudal lords who control a number of villages. A taluqdar can sometimes receive the title of rajah or nawab from a king.
26 Rice-based dish accompanied by a variety of side dishes.
27 Young girls and married women who looked after the cows; they were particularly known for their unconditional devotion to the god Krishna.
28 A dome-covered seat, fixed on an elephant’s back, where one or several dignitaries sit.
29 Doctor trained in traditional, plant-based medicine.
30 One mile is equivalent to 1.6 km.
31 For the Shiites, muta, a temporary marriage, is permitted and celebrated by a maulvi, a religious person. In the event of a child being born out of however short a relationship, it allows the child to be recognised and to be entitled to the same advantages as the other children, particularly the inheritance
32 Pleated trousers of Mughal origin, well fitted at the calves.
33 “Observe purdah!”
34 Contrary to the custom that stipulates that women of the royal family remain behind a curtain when receiving a man, for the occasion the Queen Mother has chosen the burqa, which despite everything allows more direct contact.
35 In the past, salt was a rare substance, indispensable for survival. “To eat someone’s salt” signifies to owe your life to the person who employs you.
36 Literally “the gentlemen’s wives,” as Indians called white women.
37 Published in Akola, in the State of Maharashtra.
38 In an annexed state, the resident becomes the chief commissioner.
39 British soldiers out in India did indeed lead extravagant lifestyles which they were unable to afford on their pay.
40 A plain, round, flat wheat bread that serves as a staple.
41 Reception hall in the men’s apartments.
42 Scholar. Singular of “ulema.”
43 Canopied divans topped by golden domes for noble ladies.
44 Richly decorated sedan chairs.
45 Small hookah made of clay.
46 Quranic schools.
47 The Punjab, the Sikhs’ homeland, was annexed by the British after the 1846 and 1849 Wars. Defeated, the Sikhs, who were also sworn enemies of the Mughals, chose to side with the British during the Sepoy Revolt.
48 Official reception.
49 Kanpur is located fifty miles away from Lucknow.
50 A Mahratti term for “lady.”
51 An evening during which poems are recited and improvised.
52 Large house.
53 Laddus and burfis: sweetmeats made from milk cream, sugar syrup and flavoured with different spices; gajar halwa: a sweet made from carrots.
54 Emperor Akbar, warrior and philosopher, the grandson of Babur, the first great Mughal, reigned from 1542 to 1605 and unified India under his authority.
55 The Peacock Throne can be admired today at the Golestan Palace in Tehran.
56 The great Mughals took pride in being descended from Timur Lang or Tamerlane.
57 Independence—this is the first time the word is used in India. It was taken up by Gandhi sixty years later
58 “Down with the British!”
59 Sharpened reed or quill pen.
60 Traders and moneylenders.
61 Long-handled fans made of peacock feathers.
62 Sahiban: gentlemen, plural of sahib.
63 Monument used for ceremonies, characterised by twelve open archways.
64 Wide raised seat, covered with brocade cushions, on which one sits cross-legged.
65 A coiled, gold turban decorated with a black pearl at the centre, surmounted by an egret’s feather.
66 Percussion instruments.
67 Royal decree.
68 Hindu scholars.
69 “Come on, brave men!”
70 Named after a previous resident of Lucknow.
71 Indian non-commissioned officers.
72 Princely title.
73 Court dress worn by men over a churidar.
74 Piece of cotton fabric worn by peasants, tied at the waist. One end is brought up through the legs and fixed at the waistband. It was later popularised by Gandhi as the common man’s garment.
75 A long, rigid stick used to maintain order.
76 Holy mendicants who roam the streets, going from one ashram to the next, and whom the people look up to for their powers.
77 Elegiac poems commemorating the martyr Hussain and his followers.
78 Cloth worn by men, tied around the waist like a skirt.
79 Infidels.
80 Siege train: artillery for attacking fortified places.#
81 Imperial prince.
82 Firoz means turquoise, a stone particularly appreciated by Shia Muslims, who consider it lucky.
83 Judge
84 Surah 24, verse 31 from The Holy Qur’an (translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali), Wordsworth Edition, 2000.
85 Surah 33, verse 59 from The Holy Qur’an (translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali), Wordsworth Edition, 2000.
86 Cannons mounted on wheels that spit fire very rapidly in all directions. They are equipped with a new device which eliminates the need to reload each time, as was the case with traditional cannons.
87 Later it was rumoured that the letter was a counterfeit written by the British to divide their adversaries.
88 The aristocrats.
89 Drawn from British military reports.
90 Bed made of woven rope.
91 Darling
92 A Year of Service in India, Vivian Majendie, London, 1859.
93 Decorations did not exist at the time. The sovereign presented court robes or shawls of unbelievable value.
94 Popular form of transport: a small carriage.
95 Excerpt from My Indian Mutiny Diary, William Russell, 1858.
96 ibid., p. 353
97 ibid., p. 353.
98 ibid., p. 353.
99 “Yes, my respected father.”
100 Rajah for the Nepalese, sometimes used in Bihar too.
101 Mother Mumtaz.
102 Respected mother.
103 Also called Powayan.
104 The British estimate that in the kingdom of Awadh alone about one hundred and fifty thousand fighters were killed, of which thirty-five thousand were sepoys, the others being men belonging to the general population.
105 An expression that dates back to the Hundred Years’ War and was imported into India by the French, who had opposed the British from the 18th century onwards.
106 As confirmed by a report by General Ramsay, the British resident in Nepal: “So far, the rebels have committed no outrages in the Terai, they pay for everything they take and treat the village authorities with deference and respect.” Excerpt from Foreign Political Consultation, National Archives of India, New Delhi.
107 Brazier.
108 Azimullah is to be assassinated in Istanbul, certainly eliminated for political reasons.
109 In a letter to the governor general in Calcutta, the resident writes: “Although he is not willing to admit it, he is not sure he will be obeyed if he was to send his army to fight the fugitives. He even fears it will lead to a revolt. The army leaders in fact consider that an unconditional amnesty should be granted to all the rebels: from the leaders to the lowest soldiers.”
110 Nepali script identical to Hindi.
111 The only one who manages to escape is Firoz Shah, “the prince of Delhi.” He is able to flee via Kandahar, Bukhara and Teheran, and finally stops at Mecca, where he dies in misery in 1877.