Pratap Singh I, (22 October 1845 – 4 September 1922), was a Maharaja of the Kingdom of Idar, administrator and Regent of the

Kingdom of Marwar Kingdom of Marwar, also known as Jodhpur State during the modern era, was a kingdom in the Marwar region from 1243 to 1818 and a princely state under British rule from 1818 to 1947. It was established in Pali by ''Rao Siha'', possibly a migra ...

and heir to Ahmednagar later renamed as Himmatnagar from 1902 to 1911.

Early life

Pratap was born on 22 October 1845 in Jodhpur, as the third son of Takht Singh I of Marwar and his first wife Queen Gulab Kunwar. He was educated privately, and little is known of his early life. He received administrative training under Ram Singh II of Jaipur.

Administrator and Regent

After their father's death in 1873, his eldest brother Maharaja Jaswant Singh succeeded to the throne of

Marwar Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. 'Maru' is a Sanskrit word for desert. The word 'wad' literally means fence in Rajasthani languages. Engl ...

. Maharaja Jaswant Singh invited by Pratap Singh to lead Jodhpur state administration. From 1878 to 1895, Singh served as Chief Minister for Jodhpur. After his brother's death in 1895, he served as regent for his fifteen-year-old nephew and heir to the Jodhpur throne Sardar Singh of Jodhpur until 1898, then again for his grandnephew Sumer Singh of Jodhpur from 1911 to 1918 and finally for his second grandnephew Umaid Singh from 1918 until his own death in 1922. In total, Pratap Singh had served four rulers of Jodhpur for over four decades. Following the death of the ruler of Idar in 1901, Pratap Singh was Maharajah of that state from 1902 until he resigned in favor of his adopted son in 1911 to return to Jodhpur to be regent. He travelled to Europe often and was close to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and her family, serving as aide-de-camp to

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

from 1887 to 1910. He was especially close towards his son, the future

George V of the United Kingdom George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

Soldier of the Empire

Commissioned in the Jodhpur Risala in 1878, Singh served during the

Second Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai ...

and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1887, served under General Ellis in 1897 and served in the Tirah Campaign in 1898 under General William Lockhart, during which he was wounded. Promoted to an Honorary

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

the same year, he commanded the Jodhpur contingent during the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

and was promoted to an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). In late 1901 he accepted the post of honorary commandant of the

Imperial Cadet Corps The Imperial Cadet Corps (1901–1917) was a cadet corps or military school founded exclusively to give officer training to the princes and gentlemen of British India. It was founded in November 1901 under the direct surveillance of Lord Curzon ...

under

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), known as Lord Curzon (), was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician, explorer and writer who served as Viceroy of India ...

, and was promoted to the honorary rank of major-general on 9 August 1902. He attended the 1903

Delhi Durbar The Delhi Durbar ( lit. "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by Britain at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was he ...

as an Aide-de-Camp to the Emperor, riding as part of the Viceroy's main entourage. Even as an elderly man of 70, Sir Pratap commanded his regiments during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

from 1914 to 1915 and in the Palestine Mandate at

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

and

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

. He led the Jodhpur Lancers, a cavalry unit, in France. He was promoted to

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

in 1916.

Later years

In 1911, Pratap abdicated the ''gadi'' (throne) of Idar in favour of his adopted son and nephew, Daulat Singh. Following his wartime service and a final stint as Regent of Jodhpur, Singh died at Jodhpur on 4 September 1922.

Honours

(ribbon bar, as it would look today) Order of the Bath UK ribbon

1000px ribbon bar of the Order of Maria Anna

Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon

EGY Order of the Nile - Grand Cordon BAR

Singh's honours included: * Empress of India Gold Medal, 1877 *

Mentioned in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

(MID), 1878 * Afghanistan Medal, 1878 *

Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Medal The Golden Jubilee Medal was instituted in 1887 by Royal Warrant as a British decoration to be awarded to participants of Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, Queen Victoria's golden jubilee celebrations. Issue The medal was struck to celebrate Quee ...

1887, with Diamond Jubilee bar, 1897 *

(MID) 1897 *

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (GCSI) # Knight Commander ( KCSI) # Companion ( CSI) No appointments ...

(GCSI), 1897; KCSI, 1886; CSI, 1878 *

India Medal The India Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1896 for issue to officers and men of the British and Indian armies. The India Medal was awarded for various minor military campaigns in India, chiefly for service on the North-West Frontier duri ...

w/Clasp, 1898 *

Kaisar-i-Hind Medal The Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for Public Service in India was a medal awarded by the Emperor/Empress of India between 1900 and 1947, to "any person without distinction of race, occupation, position, or sex ... who shall have distinguished himself (o ...

1st Class, 1900 * China War Medal, 1901 (He received the medal in person by King

during an audience in June 1902, when he visited London to attend the King's coronation) * King Edward VII Coronation Medal, 1902, with

Clasp, 1903 * Honorary commandant -

- 1904 * King George V Coronation Medal, 1911, with Delhi Durbar Clasp *

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(GCVO), 1911 *

1914 Star The 1914 Star, colloquially known as the Mons Star, is a British First World War campaign medal for service in France or Belgium between 5 August and 22 November 1914. Institution The 1914 Star was authorised under Special Army Order no. 350 in ...

, 1919 *

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men and women of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were st ...

, 1919 * Allied Victory Medal, 1919 *GCB: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

, 1918 (KCB, 1900) (CB, 1898) **KCB(m): Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (Military Division) – 29 November 1900 – in recognition of services during the recent operations in China (

). He was invested personally by King

during an audience in June 1902, when he visited London to attend the King's coronation. *Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Nile The Order of the Nile (''Kiladat El Nil'') was established in 1915 and was one of the Kingdom of Egypt's principal orders until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. It was then reconstituted as the Republic of Egypt's highest state honor. Sulta ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, 1918 *Grand Officer of the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

, 1918 *Jodhpur Great War Medal, 1919 *Grand Cross of the

Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...

, 1921

Titles

*1845-1873: Maharajkumar

Shri Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Assamese, Meitei ( Manipuri), Marathi, Malay (including In ...

Pratap Singh Sahib *1873-1878: Maharaj Shri Pratap Singh Sahib *1878-1886: Second Lieutenant Maharaj Shri Pratap Singh Sahib, CSI *1886-1887: Second Lieutenant Maharaj Shri

Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...

Pratap Singh Sahib, KCSI *1887-1897: Lieutenant-Colonel Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib, KCSI *1897-1898: Lieutenant-Colonel Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib,

GCSI The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India, GCSI) # K ...

*1898-1901:

Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib, GCSI, CB *1901-1902: Colonel Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib, GCSI, KCB *1902-1911: Major-General

His Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style (manner of address), style used to address (in grammatical person, second person) or refer to (in grammatical person, third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly ...

Maharajadhiraja

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, Maharaja of Idar, GCSI, KCB *1911-1916: Major-General His Highness Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCSI, GCVO, KCB *1916-1918:

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

His Highness Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCSI, GCVO, KCB *1918-1922: Lieutenant-General His Highness Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCB, GCSI, GCVO

Legacy

The poem ''A Ballad of Sir Pertab Singh'' was written by

Henry Newbolt Sir Henry John Newbolt, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (6 June 1862 – 19 April 1938) was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a role as a government adviser with regard to the study of English in England. He is perhaps ...

, which tells about the friendships the Maharaja had with an Englishman.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Pratap British Indian Army generals People from Jodhpur Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Indian Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania 19th-century Indian royalty 19th-century regents 20th-century regents Rajasthani people 1845 births 1922 deaths Rathore (clan) British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War British military personnel of the Tirah campaign British military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion Pratap Monarchs who abdicated Indian Army personnel of World War I Indian State Forces officers