Joanna No bilis So mbre is famously known as Begum Samru. She began her career as a dancing girl in 18th century India. Eventually became the ruler of Sar dhana, a small principality near Meerut, not far from Delhi. In Sar dhana, she was the head of a trained mercenary army. She received this designation from her European mercenary husband, named Walter Reinhardt So mbre. Her army used to have Europeans and Indians. In this blog we are going to tell you the The Legacy Of Begum Samru , so read this full blog carefully to get the complete information.
Apart from this, she is also remembered as the only Catholic ruler in India. She ruled the Sardhana between 18th and 19th century India. According to a report, she died immensely rich. Her inheritance was approximately 55.5 million gold in the year 1923 and 18 billion Deutsch in the year 1953.
Her inheritance from her husband continues to be disputed today. An organization named “Reinhard’s Erbengemeinschaft” still works to figure out the inheritance issue. In her lifetime she converted to Christianity from Islam.
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Life and Personality of Begum Samru
Begum Samru was fair complexioned, had slight stature, and had exceptional leadership abilities. During her rule, she headed her troops.
Meanwhile, she was of Kashmiri descent. When Begum Sambu was a teen married Walter Reinhardt Sombre, a mercenary soldier operating in India. He was a 45-year-old man who visited the red light area and fell for Farzana by witnessing her charm. Begum Samru was a girl of 14 years, mentioned by Johan Lall in his portrait called “Begum Samru – Faded Portrait in a Gilded Frame”.
Walter Reinhardt Sombre moved from Lucknow to Rohilkhand, then to Agra, Deeg and Bharatpur, and Doab. In these times, she helped him in operating the situation. Farzana was courted by some of her husband’s European mercenaries.
A tale about Begum Sambu is that when British General Lord Lake met her in the year 1802, the General gave her a hearty kiss, which shocked her troops. But with her intelligence and customary tact, she said that it was only “the kiss of the Padre to a repentant child”.
However, Begum Samru was only 4½ feet tall, used to wear a turban, and rode on horseback when she headed her troops to battle.
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Friendship and Succession of Principality of Walter Reinhardt Sombre
There was a superstition that she was a witch who could destroy the enemies by throwing her cloak at them. Throughout her entire life, Begum Samru had only one friend called Begum Umdaa. She belonged to the other Jagirdar family of Sardhana. She became her closest friend and their friendship lasted for long until her death with Begum Samru. Begum Umdaa was married, however, she took out time to meet her friend in Meerut in good times and bad times.
When Begum Samru’s husband Walter Reinhardt died, she succeeded his Principality.
Death of Begum Samru
In 1803, Begum Samru had to surrender to Lord Lake when she lost Aligarh. Lord Lake had given her good terms and let her stay in the estate, which was managed by his team.
With time, she became more powerful while ruling over Sardhana. When she was around forty, Begum Samru became a Catholic by a Roman priest and named her “Joanna Nobilis”. She died when she was 85 at Sardhana. After her death, David Ochterl ony Dyce So mbre descended on her property as he was the son of Walter Reinhardt So mbre with his first wife.
She was buried under the Basilica of Our Lady of Graces.
Conclusion
In last, We hope that this article is sufficient enough to clarify the information about The Legacy Of Begum Samru.