The adventures of Benoît de Boigne in India!

There are quite some interesting historic links between India and France. And some of them are simply astounding and yet very rarely known by the public! Recently, I had a chance to visit the famous “La Fontaine des Elephants” or “La Colonne de Boigne“ or simply, “Les Quatre sans Culs” monument, erected in 1838, in the city of Chambéry, honouring its brave and adventurous general Benoît de Boigne, who met tremendous success in India !

This monument, with a height of 17.65 meters, has three parts: a fountain (with four elephants each looking in one distinct direction), a column (imitating the trunk of a palm tree) and a statue of Benoît de Boigne at the top. Above the elephants are carved scenes of the hero's life, in India and in Chambéry, as well as many weapons and emblems of the Marathas alongside whom he fought. The deities Ganesh and Buddha are also visible.

Benoît Leborgne (he changed his name to Boigne in India) was born (at Chambéry on 8 march 1751) in a family of fur traders and had a family shop. The young de Boigne was very fascinated by the wild, furred animals that his father’s shop housed such as lions, elephants, panthers, tigers etc. He was intrigued and wanted to explore and visit the country from where these wonderful animals came.

At the age of 17, de Boigne began his military career as a simple soldier in the Irish regiment of the French king Louis XV. This is where he learnt military skills as well as the English language. The regiment was mostly made up of Irish soldiers hostile to the British. In 1773, at the age of 22 de Boigne went to Paros (a greek island) to fight the Russian-Turkish war, from the side of the Russians. Unfortunately for him, the Russians lost this war, de Boigne got captured and was brought to Constantinople as a slave. His hardship ended when his master recognised de Boigne’s ability to speak English and got his services employed to deal with an English trader lord Algernon Percy. Percy, surprised upon seeing a European enslaved by a Turk, did the necessary manoeuvres to liberate de Boigne.

De Boigne then worked for a while as a guide for Percy in the Greek islands until finally they reached Paros where he quit this job and was finally set free. He then went to the Turkish port city Smyrne where he met several traders coming from India and who told him about the fabulous diamond mines of Golkonda and the precious sapphires from Ceylon (Sri-Lanka). And they also told him that a lot of Indian Kings and Kingdoms were looking for European military officers to organise and train their armies. In those times, a lot of European officers made fortunes in India by offering their military experience, their knowhow in the production of armaments, in particular the cannons, so also in implementing novel war strategies.

Excited by these leads, de Boigne was taken over by an idea of exploring a land route to reach India, passing through Afganistan or Kashmir. He discussed about this project with several Counts and Kings, including Catherine II (Russia) to fetch letters of recommendation as well as financial support. The Tsarian in particular was interested in this expedition so as to extend her influence until Afganistan as well as to possibly counter the British in India. In 1777 de Boigne began his journey, but after a few difficult attempts he decided to give up on this plan and instead took the sea route to reach India. However, around Egypt, caught in a storm, he lost all his belongings, including the precious letters of recommendations. Unable to go back, he went to the local (in Egypt) British consulate where he was advised to go and work for the East India Company and received a letter of recommendation in this regard.

He arrived in Madras (India) in 1778. Surprised and impressed by this exotic land and people, he started giving fencing lessons for his survival. De Boigne finally got an assignment to train a battalion of the East India Company. After 4 years of this experience, he wished to move to other territories to pursue his ambitions. He then went to Calcutta to meet the governor Warren Hastings and shared with him his dream to explore a land route between India and Europe. Warren Hastings gave him a letter of recommendation for the Nabab Asad-ud-Daulah (of the British vassal state of Aundh). De Boigne began this journey in 1783, met the Nabab at Lukhnow and earned in turn letters of recommendations for his future stop overs in Kabul and Kandhahar as well as some money. He spent few months in Lukhnow and started learning Hindi and Persian. It is here that he changed his name from Leborgne to de Boigne, realising that the British had a difficulty in pronouncing the “R” in his name.

The Savoyarde took up his journey afresh and went to Delhi where he met the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam. However, just the day after this visit the political situation changed and the Maratha sergent Mahadaji Sindhia declared himself as the head of the Delhi and Agra provinces. The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam was thus rendered as a mere titular head. This was because the name of the “Mughal” dynasty commanded such a tremendous respect that even if its authority and strength had eroded by then, no other Indian king of those times dared to take its place.

Mahadaji Sindhia invited de Boigne for a meeting. But before the meeting, de Boigne realised that all his belongings had been stolen, including the precious letters of recommendations for Kabul and Kandahar, at the behest of the Sindhia. During the meeting, Sindhia told him that he suspected that de Boigne’s project of finding a land route was actually a prelude to a future Afgan invasion. He instead proposed De Boigne to work for him, which the later refused. The enemy of the Sindhia, the King (Rajah) of Jaipur got to learn about these developments and invited de Boigne to train and build two battalions. However, once the battalions were ready, the Rajah dismissed de Boigne without any payment!

Meanwhile, very impressed with the news of European style trained two battalions by de Boigne, Mahadaji Sindhia contacted him afresh. De Boigne accepted the service at the Sindhia and was given the responsibility to train two battalions that collectively included 1700 soldiers as well as to administer a cannon smelting factory at Agra. During these years (1784-1788) several battales took place between the Maratha, Mughals, Rajputes and Rathors (Rajputes of Marwar/Jodhpur and Bikaner). Thanks to the important and influential role played by De Boigne, the Maratha came up triumphant in these battles. However, he saw his proposal of building a strong brigade with 10000 soldiers as well as giving importance to the artillery-infantry over the cavalry, refused by the Sindhia. Upon this refusal, de Boigne resigned and went back to Lukhnow. Here he earned huge fortune by doing commerce. And it is here that he married to Nour, daughter of a Mughal Colonel.

With an ambition to capture North and North-West India, in 1788, the Sindhia contacted De Boigne again. This time, he offered him the post of an Army General (next only to Sindhia) and the task of building a brigade of 12000 soldiers. In order to finance the expenses of this brigade, Sindhia gifted de Boigne a huge Jagir (a piece of land) between Delhi and Lukhnow. He earned exclusive and complete rights to administer and govern this area, in return of an annual fee to be paid to the Sindhia. He employed several Europeans at his service, made French as the official language and the flag of Savoyarde (his region of origin in France) as the flag of his territory. In addition to adoption of many innovative army weapons and strategies, he also introduced an (medical) ambulance division that was open to the wounded soldiers of his army as well as that of the enemy. In particular the enemy soldiers would be treated and upon healed; they would be given a choice to join the Maratha army or would be set free. Sindhia was against this ambulance division but allowed de Boigne to proceed with a condition to bear its expenses.

In 1790 the Marathas had to confront the united front of the Rajputes, Ismail Beg (Mughal + Rohilla army), the Rathors as well as the kingdom of Bikaner and Jaipur. Thanks to the brilliant brigade built by de Boigne, the Maratha army won many important battles. Even the East India company was alarmed by the rise of this brave army. During the six months of 1790, in a very hostile territory, his brigade defeated an army of 100000 soldiers, confiscated 200 camels, 200 cannons, many bazars, and 50 elephants. The Maratha army won 17 fortresses. Thanks to these victories he saw his social, military and political position raised. Meanwhile, he also got done the restoration work of the Taj Mahal, that happened to lay within his jagir.

Jealous by the resounding success of their cousin, the Marathas of central India (Peshwas of Pune), the Holkar of Indore, in coalition with Ismail Baig (Mughal), made a coalition against de Boigne and the Sindhia. De Boigne defeated Ismail and imprisoned him. He also won important battles against the Holkar, thus instating the supremacy of the Sindhia. Sindhia rewarded him with even a bigger jahagir. He was among his trusted men and in fact, his right hand. He could by then administer not just his own jagir but whole of royal affairs of North and North-West India.

Meanwhile Sindhia, who became indisputable with his military might and political prominence in India, attracted many enemies and conspiracies / treasons. Invited for talks with the Peshwas in Pune, Mahadaji Sindhia got trapped by Nana Fadnavis and the Holkar. Sindhia asked de Boigne to send more army for his rescue, which he did but it was too late and Sindhia got killed on 12th February 1794. After the death of Sindhia, de Boigne could have consolidated his power and become the emperor of North and North West of Hindustan. But instead, he decided to remain loyal to Daulat Rao Sindhia, the nephew and heir of Mahadaji Sindhia. De Boigne realised quickly that the political situation by then had changed. Daulat Rao Sindhia, on his part, turned out to be a rather weak administrator.

In 1795, after 17 years of stay in India, with his health deteriorating, de Boigne abandoned his responsibility as an Army General and instead appointed his deputy Pierre Cuillier-Perron as head and started preparing for his departure to Europe. At the end of his career, he was at the helm of a European style trained army of 100000 soldiers. Sindhia army was among the last Indian (native) army resisting the British in India. However, before leaving for Europe, he sold his personal army of 500 soldiers and property to the British.

Upon his return to Europe, he went to London. He took up the British nationality and got separated from his Indian wife and married a young French lady, Adélaïde d’Osmond. In 1802 he came to Paris and met Napolean Bonapart. Napolean proposed to him to lead an army of French and the Russian, to reach India through Afganistan and chase away the British. However, de Boigne, aged 50 by then and suffering from chronique dysentry refused this proposal.

In 1807, de Boigne returned to Chambéry and stayed there until his death on 21 June 1830. Before his death, he generously donated his wealth for carrying out several public works for the city of Chambéry, so that it could develop on material, religious and social spheres.

What a fascinating life! On my side, I come from Maharashtra and I was lucky to be part of a time until when the history books weren’t really tampered. And yet, I and many others were made to believe that the Maratha Empire in the north and in the north-west was a proof of might and reach of the brave Maratha army, on its own. However, to my memory, not even a word was uttered about this pivotal role that de Boigne had played in those conquests! And I doubt, to what extent the French people know about the exploits of this brave Savoyarde ?