Barring the guts and glory accounts of British imperial historians, the military history of South Asia has rarely attracted the serious attention of scholars. This volume attempts to fill this gap by tracing the impressive developments that occurred in South Asia-often in close interaction with the outside world-in military organization, tactics, and technology. The essays collected here raise some intriguing questions: Did the Sultanate period witness a military revolution? What were the ramifications of the development of artillery and firearms for Mughal warfare? How far were new techniques of warfare devised in the pre-colonial period the result of diffusion from the West rather than local initiative? An authoritative collection of pioneering attempts to highlight the importance of military activity in Indian social and economic history, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of medieval and early modern Indian history, and of military history in particular.

About the Authors:

Jos J.L. Gommans in Lecturer in Indian History, Kern Institute, Leiden University, Holland.

Dirk H.A. Kolff is Professor of Modern Indian History, Kern Institute, Leiden University, Holland.

Excerpts from Review:

'These Dutch historians have displayed rare insight in piecing together the development of military art and practice in South Asia.'

- Business Standard

'...[T]his is a remarkable book. The inclusion of ...long-forgotten essays will encourage upcoming scholars to address the interconnections between war, society and the evolution of the polity in a newer and more meaningful way.'

- The Telegraph

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