Begum Samru

 A fifteen year-old Farzana caught the eye of the mercenary - Walter Reinhardt Sombre, who is also infamous as the Butcher of Patna as his troops had killed 150 Englishmen there. The 45 year old Austrian mercenary and the 15 year old dancing (nautch) girl soon became comrade-in-arms. She married him later and after his death, took over his mercenary Army. Her sharp wit and charm earned them favours in the Mughal court and soon they managed to secure the the feudal grant of the state of Sardhana (present-day Meerut). After the death of Sombre, she manipulated his son and placed him under house arrest. In her later years, she inexplicably converted to Christianity taking up the name "Joanna Nobilis Sombre" after her late husband. 

In the picture: Begum Samru's court at the state of Sardhana. Notice the presence of Europeans in addition to the local people. It is said that she held her court adorning a turban and usually with a hookah in her hand. Such a brazen act gains more importance as this was during a time when women were veiled and confined to their households. Given her husband's history of butchering Englishmen, it is indeed a testimony to her crafty ways that she managed to not only survive but thrive. There had been many instances of her rumored alliances with various European men.  

A comprehensive and detailed account written by Mahendra Narain Sharma. The account is important in the study of Begum Samru as it includes not only her political achievements and her prowess as a ruler and Commander-in-Chief but also her patronage of the arts and architecture. It combines all the historical facts with new-found knowledge of her life but its greatest strength is perhaps its objectivity. The book contains ten chapters, starting from the history and location of the state of Sardhana and ends with a look at her achievements and her legacy in women empowerment. 

A collection of the images of the paintings that hung at the Palace of Begum Samru in her province of Sardhana. The collection was published in 1914 and was compiled by Sir Evan Cotton. A picture is worth a thousand words and this compilation is proof of that.