St John Thackeray (1778–1824) was a collector and political agent, who was working in south India for

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

during the 1820s.

Early life

St John Thackeray was working as collector and political agent, for Southern Mahratta Doab region of British East India Company and he belonged to Madras Civil Service.

Attack on Kittur

Background

The

Kittur Kittur, historically as Kittoor, is a ''taluka'' in the Belagavi district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It was part of Bailhongal taluka but was declared as an independent taluka on 23October 2012 by the Chief Minister of Karnataka on the ...

Kingdom, founded in 1585 by one Desai, was ruled by Mallasarja, who was childless, with

Kittur Chennamma Kittur Chennamma (23 October 1778 – 21 February 1829) was the Indian Queen of Kittur, a former princely state in present-day Karnataka. She led an armed resistance against the British East India Company in 1824, in defiance of the Paramountcy ...

as the queen. Mallasarja died in 1824, and whether he adopted a boy before his death was a fact contested by St John Thackeray. Holding that the adoption was either false or forged, Thackeray marched to Kittur. Upon arriving, Thackeray sought to administer the territory. He sealed the treasury in an attempt to confiscate its treasure and jewels. Kittur Chennamma protested and closed the gates of the fort. Thackeray gave the order to blow up the gates, and in the meantime, one of Chennamma's soldiers shot Thackeray.

Death

St John Thackeray was killed on 23 October 1824 at

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, when he was waging a war against

, the ''Rani'' (Queen) of Kittur. It was observed that he along with other forces tried to enter into fortified town of Kittur with "inadequate means". First he was shot in the stomach as he rode towards the fort and was later hacked to death by a Kittur swordsman. Amateur Balappa, one of the lieutenants of Kittur Chennamma, was involved in killing Thackeray.

Memorial

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

was constructed at

Dharwar Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...

in memory of Thackeray.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thackeray, Saint John British East India Company people History of Karnataka Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 1824 deaths 1778 births