"'Defending British India against Napoleon: The..." Topic

… Foreign Policy of Governor-General Lord Minto, 1807-13'.

"Napoleon made his name through decisive battles, from Marengo and Ulm to Austerlitz and Jena. It was his diplomacy, however, that most frightened officials in the British East India Company (BEIC). With the conclusion of the 1807 Treaties of Tilsit and Finkenstein, which guaranteed peace with Russia and Persia respectively, Napoleon secured a corridor from which to strike at British interests on the subcontinent. The European battlefield became threateningly global. Standing in his way was a newly appointed—and, until now, understudied—civil servant: Lord Minto, the governor-general of India from 1807 to 1813. His career is the central focus of Defending British India against Napoleon. Based on Amita Das's unpublished dissertation—which has been updated and edited by her son, Aditya—the book explores the drastic steps undertaken by Minto to counter the growing French threat in Asia. The result is a panoramic retelling of how Britain frustrated Napoleonic ambitions while simultaneously turning the Indian Ocean into a "British Lake."

The authors focus on three phrases of Minto's foreign policy: the creation of a series of buffer states along India's northwestern frontier; the conquest of the Mascarene Islands, which served as a staging ground for French privateers; and the occupation of the Dutch East Indies (France annexed Holland in 1810). In doing so, they connect two stories often told in isolation: Britain's fight against Napoleon and the evolution of the British East India Company (BEIC) into a government agency. As an acolyte of Edmund Burke, Minto opposed the aggressive policies of more heralded Company leaders such as Warren Hastings and Arthur Wellesley. His response to the growing French menace in Asia struck a middle ground between Burkean moderation and the more muscular diplomacy of his predecessors. Such policymaking, the authors maintain, redefined the working dynamic between Parliament and the BEIC. It helped transform the Company from a subsidiary of the British government to an advisory partner in Asia…."
Main page
link

Amicalement
Armand

Looks very interesting. I'd get this, were it not for the price. Even on Amazon a wee bit pricey!

Glad you like it my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand