John Nicholson (East India Company officer)
Anglo-Irish military officer / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Brigadier General John Nicholson, CB (11 December 1822 – 23 September 1857) was an Anglo-Irish military officer who rose to prominence during his career in British India. Born in Ireland, Nicholson moved to the Indian subcontinent at a young age and obtained a commission in the Bengal Army where he spent the majority of his career helping to expand the East India Company's territories in numerous conflicts, including the First Anglo-Afghan War and the first and second Anglo-Sikh wars. Nicholson created a legend for himself as a political officer under Henry Lawrence in the frontier provinces of British India, especially in the Punjab, and he was instrumental in the establishment of the North-West Frontier.[2] Nicholson's most defining moment in his military career was his crucial role in suppressing the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a conflict in which he died.
John Nicholson | |
---|---|
Born | (1822-12-11)11 December 1822[1] Dublin, Ireland |
Died | 23 September 1857(1857-09-23) (aged 34) Delhi, Mughal Empire |
Buried | |
Allegiance | East India Company |
Service/ | Bengal Army |
Years of service | 1839–1857 |
Rank | Brigadier General |
Unit | Bengal Native Infantry |
Battles/wars | First Anglo-Afghan War First Anglo-Sikh War Second Anglo-Sikh War |
Awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Other work | Colonial administrator |
A charismatic and authoritarian figure, Nicholson led a life whose controversial exploits have created a polarized legacy; contemporary descriptions of Nicholson presented him as the man who was crucial in suppressing the Indian Rebellion,[3] while more recent historical accounts have described him as an "imperial psychopath"[4] and "a violent, manic figure, a homosexual bully; an extreme egoist who was pleased to affect a laconic indifference to danger".[5] His imposing physical appearance and noted deeds of valor and violence created an almost mythical status and even religious worship among the numerous tribes of the North-West Frontier whom Nicholson brought into the British Empire.[6]