| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 107.2

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to the AHR online. About 251 words from this article are provided below; about 541 words remain.

If you are a individual member of the American Historical Association, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time. AHA members can go to the AHA individual membership section to locate their member numbers.
If you are not a member of the American Historical Association, you can:: • Join the AHA and receive many member benefits including print and electronic issues of the American Historical Review.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the American Historical Review (104.3-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the American Historical Review.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 107.2 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Asia

Shaharyar M. Khan. The Begums of Bhopal: A Dynasty of Women Rulers in Raj India. London and New York: I. B. Tauris. 2000. Pp. x, 276. $39.50.

This is a family history written by the son of Abida Sultaan, the last woman to be named heir to the throne of Bhopal. Hamidullah, her father and the last nawab, died after Bhopal had become part of India, and by then Abida had emigrated to Pakistan. This history begins with Dost Mohammed Khan, the founder of Bhopal, and traces the lives of Mamola Bai, wife of Dost's heir and regent for her two stepsons Faiz and Hayat, and Bhopal's four women rulers: Qudsia Begum, 1819–1837; Sikandar Begum, 1844–1868; Shahjehan Begum, 1868–1901; and Sultan Jahan Begum, 1901–1926. The book is arranged chronologically with chapters devoted to these key individuals. Exceptions are chapters on the siege of Bhopal, 1812–1813, and Sultan Jahan's successful efforts to have the British recognize her son Hamid as heir, and a concluding chapter that assesses the rule of the begums. An epilogue completes the history of Bhopal and of the family to the present. 1

In the preface, Shaharyar M. Khan states that he is not a historian but a career diplomat who began this project with a memoir written by his mother and decided to write a family history. He has mined autobiographies, biographies, letters, correspondence with the British, and family lore for details of court struggles, intrigues and alliances, relationships, and personal traits. . . .

There are about 541 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.