George Thomas (soldier)
Encyclopedia
George Thomas was an Irish
mercenary
who was active in 18th century India. In the 1790s he was the most successful general in India.
His father was a poor Catholic tenant farmer near Roscrea who died when George was a child. Originally pressganged
at Youghal
, where he worked as a labourer on the docks, Thomas deserted from the British Navy in Madras in 1781. Still illiterate, he led a group of Pindari
s north to Delhi
by 1787, where he took service under Begum Samru of Sardhana
. Supplanted in her favour by a Frenchman, he transferred his allegiance to Appa Rao, a Mahratta
chieftain.
He fought one of his best campaigns against the Sikh
chiefs, taking almost all of the Punjab
. He was finally defeated and captured by Sindhia's army under General Pierre Cuillier-Perron
. He died on his way down the Ganges on the 22nd of August 1802.
The Punjab remained Indian-ruled until its conquest by the East India company in 1849.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
mercenary
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
who was active in 18th century India. In the 1790s he was the most successful general in India.
Biography
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
at Youghal
Youghal
Youghal is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Sitting on the estuary of the River Blackwater, in the past it was militarily and economically important. Being built on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a distinctive long and narrow layout...
, where he worked as a labourer on the docks, Thomas deserted from the British Navy in Madras in 1781. Still illiterate, he led a group of Pindari
Pindari
The Pendharis or Free Companions were dispersed throughout the Maratha states and were countenanced and protected by the Maratha chiefs to whom they acted as agents for supplying all the commissariat required by their armies. They were composed of different tribes who congregated together solely...
s north to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
by 1787, where he took service under Begum Samru of Sardhana
Sardhana
Sardhana is a town and a municipal board in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located northeast of New Delhi, and 13 mi from Meerut...
. Supplanted in her favour by a Frenchman, he transferred his allegiance to Appa Rao, a Mahratta
Mahratta
Mahratta may refer to* the Maratha caste, a ruling class of the Indian subcontinent* the Maratha EmpireShips*SS Mahratta , lost in a collision with SS Victoria in 1887 in the River Hoogly.* SS Mahratta , lost on the Goodwin Sands in 1909....
chieftain.
He fought one of his best campaigns against the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
chiefs, taking almost all of the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
. He was finally defeated and captured by Sindhia's army under General Pierre Cuillier-Perron
Pierre Cuillier-Perron
Pierre Cuillier-Perron , French military adventurer in India, whose name was originally Pierre Cuillier, was born at Luceau near Château-du-Loir in France, the son of a cloth merchant....
. He died on his way down the Ganges on the 22nd of August 1802.
The Punjab remained Indian-ruled until its conquest by the East India company in 1849.
Further reading
- Hennessy, MN "George Thomas - the Rajah from Tipperary", London, Sidgwick and Jackson, 1971. ISBN 0283484926
- "George Thomas - the Rajah from Tipperary", The Calcutta Review, No. CXL (1880) (reprint of H. G. Keene, George Thomas -An episode from the Great Anarchy)
- Bidwell, Shelford, Swords for hire: European Mercenaries in Eighteenth Century India (1971). John Murray.
- Haefs, Gisbert, Raja (2000), btb Verlag, a historical novel in German
- Francklin, Military Memoirs of Mr George Thomas (1803);
- Compton, Military Adventurers of Hindustan (1892).