Description
- RELEASE DATE : NOVEMBER 2021
- Author:Marco Moneta
- Pub: November 2021
- ISBN: 9780670094332
- Price: Rs. 699/-
- Category: Non-Fiction/ Biography
- Binding: Hardback
- Extent: 320
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Venetian Nicolò Manucci's unusual story is distinct from those of
other European travellers and adventurers who documented their stay
in India. The young teenager who arrived on Indian shores with little
education or connections and lived here till his death at the age of 82 was
witness to some of the most dramatic events in the subcontinent's history.
Living by his wits, he started his career as chief artilleryman in Dara Shukoh's
fratricidal battle against Aurangzeb for the Mughal throne. Thereafter,
Manucci joined the Rajput general Jai Singh in his campaign to subdue the
Deccan rebellion led by the Maratha leader Shivaji. However, Manucci had no
stomach for a prolonged military career. With a great capacity for learning
and immense good fortune, he made his way into the Mughal court,
incredibly, as a court physician to Aurangzeb's heir Shah Alam. In service of
the future Mughal emperor, Manucci was to head back to the Deccan once
again to meet the continued challenge posed by Shivaji's son Sambhaji.
Manucci would spend the rest of his life within European settlements in
Madras and Pondicherry. But by now, his deep knowledge of and
connections within the Mughal court would prove useful in European
negotiations with Mughal authorities. Marco Moneta tells the gripping story
of a man who was witness to the intrigues and rivalries in Mughal and
European territories, and who not just survived but rose to a position of
influence and respect in a hostile and alien world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marco Moneta holds a PhD in philosophy from Florence University. Before
devoting himself to academic teaching and historical research, he worked in
the field of industry and business consultancy. In 2006, he authored a
volume on the great Italian poet and philosopher Giacomo Leopardi. From
early 2000, he has been travelling in the subcontinent for both research and
pleasure. In the last decade, his interests and research have been aimed at
the interactions between Europeans and Indians in the early modern age. A
Venetian at the Mughal Court is the first result of a work in progress on
European travellers to Southeast Asia in the seventeenth century.
