This study of eighteenth-century India reconstructs an important and hitherto neglected aspect of the political maelstrom that followed the collapse of Mughal power. The Ruhelas - immigrant Afghan horse traders and soldiers serving the Mughals - played a crucial role in the struggle for power that took place in North India which culminated in the destruction of Ruhela power at the hands of the British.

Scholarly studies of this conflict have concentrated on the British and in particular Warren Hasting's role, relegating the Ruhelas to a secondary place. This study utilizes contemporary Persian, Marathi, Urdu, and English sources to redress the balance.

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The Ruhela Afghans migrated to India in large numbers in the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, seeking service under the Mughal emperors: They established large settlements in the area now known after them as Ruhelkhand.

Beginning with an account of these early settlements, the author examines the circumstances in which the Ruhela chiefs established themselves as great landholders and eventually as a threat to Mughal power, the structure of the polity they created, and their relation with neighbouring powers, as well as their culture and society.

Separate chapters are devoted to the rise of Ruhela power under their two early leaders, Daud Khan and Ali Muhammad Khan; the part played by Safdar Jang of Awadh in the period 1748-51; the emergence of Najib-ud-Daulah; the third battle of Panipat; Ruhela relations with neighbouring powers, in particular the Marathas; and finally, the Ruhela War and consequent collapse of the Afghan principalities.

The concluding chapters provide an account of the Ruhela economy, administration, and culture, utilizing the limited material that is available. Four appendices give the text of Hafiz Rahmat Khan's correspondence with Colonel Champion, the treaties concluded with the British in 1774, and a list of administrative units as they existed under Ruhela rule. Three maps add to the authority and importance of this work.