Female Warriors, Vol. 2 (of 2): Memorials of Female Valour and Heroism, from the Mythological Ages to the Present Era.Clayton, Ellen C. (Ellen Creathorne)
History
Female Warriors, Vol. 2 (of 2): Memorials of Female Valour and Heroism, from the Mythological Ages to the Present Era.
Clayton, Ellen C. (Ellen Creathorne)
Amazons; Women -- Biography; Women soldiers
Jehandur Shah, who ascended the throne in 1712, entertained the same
respect for Juliana. She experienced some persecutions when this
emperor was deposed in 1713 by his nephew Ferokshere; but the death
of this tyrant, in 1719, restored to her all her influence, which she
retained till her death, in 1733.
* * * * *
During the latter half of the eighteenth century, the native princes of
India finding, by dearly bought experience, that Indian discipline was
ludicrously inferior to the European system, determined to introduce
the latter into their own battalions. With this view they offered high
rewards to European officers who would accept the command of their
troops and teach them how to fight. Hundreds of adventurers--British,
French, German, Swiss, Portuguese--soldiers of fortune, in short,
from every part of Europe, took service under the various rajahs and
princes, and many of them attained to high rank and honours. It was not
uncommon for the widows of these officers to be given the post left
vacant by their deceased husbands; and these female commanders led
their troops to battle, or stopped at home, as they pleased.
One of these soldiers of fortune was Colonel Mequinez, a Portuguese,
who commanded a regiment of Topasses in the service of Hyder Ali Khan,
Sultan of Mysore. At his death, Hyder Ali gave the widow (also a
Portuguese) the command of her husband's regiment, to hold it till the
adopted son of her husband had attained his majority. Madam Mequinez
never went into action; she left the duty of leading the Topasses in
the field to the officer next in command. But in every other respect
she fulfilled the duties of colonel; the colours were carried to her
house, at the door of which a sentry paced up and down: she received
the pay for the entire corps, and caused the deductions for each
company to be made in her presence, and she always inspected the
regiment herself.
Madam Mequinez was excessively avaricious, besides having a character
for immorality. Having been detected in a plot to cheat the Provincial
Father of the Mysore Jesuits out of a large sum in rupees and jewels,
she was excommunicated, and sentenced to undergo public penance. Some
months latter she finally disgraced herself by marrying a "mongrel
Portuguese sergeant" belonging to her regiment. But she was very much
surprised when the bacsi informed her that the Sultan had reduced her
pay to that of a sergeant, because she had brought shame on the memory
of her first husband, who had been a great favourite with the Sultan,
Hyder Ali.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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