A Venetian At The Mughal Court: The Life Hardcover – 29 November 2021

I read Marco Moneta’s historical biography of Nicolo Manucci’s extraordinary life in two nights flat.The book draws for the most part from Storia de Mogor (translated: the story of the Mughals) - Manucci’s own detailed chronicle of his fascinating life and times (from the age of 18 to 82) in 17th century Hindustan.The book, more a time machine than a tome, draws you into another time, another world – from the very first page. The set-up is meticulous without being tiresome. One gets lost in a fascinating account of a tempestuous, significant time in the history of India – the fall of the great Mughal empire, and the rise of European powers, through the eyes of a fascinating firangi who often finds himself in the company of people significant to the times.We go from Shah Jahan’s court to Dara Sekhon’s army to Shah Alam’s private quarters in breathless spurts, having our own little private audience into the past as important historical realities are unpacked for us. The book is unputdownable in parts – indeed fact seeming often more dramatic than fiction, but what makes this retelling truly worthy of a read is that it is accessible - an easy, compelling read even for the most non-academic reader with only a cursory interest in history – a virtue often lost in the telling of historical accounts.

Wowww. A literal goldmine about the social,economic and political landscape from the eyes of a european.

Enjoying the read

Good read .

'A Venetian at the Mughal Court' by Marco Moneta tr. from Italian to English by Elisabetta Gnecchi Ruscone is Nicolo Manucci's biography, especially about his 'life and adventures' in the Indian subcontinent. Manucci's travelogue, 'Storia do Mogor' is a primary source for the reconstruction and studying Mediaval Indian History of the Mughal period spanning the time of Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb and little after the later. Reading about Manucci and not reading Manucci was a happy change for me as a reader. Reading about this personality as a hero is a text was fun! I wish this book came out sometime around 2018 or earlier, during my research days.Manucci was a young Venetian traveller who came to India during the reign of Shah Jahan in the 17th century. He found himself under the mentorship of Shah Jahan's eldest son and hier apparent, Dara Sukoh. His account of the War of succession in which Dara was defeated, humiliated and killed; Shah Jahan was imprisoned for life and Aurangzeb became the Emperor of Mughal India - is considered as one of the most important sources for the same. After Dara's death, whom Manucci speaks highly of, he left the Mughal Court and went to other parts of India, all the while gathering stories of places and people he met. This adventurer became a physician as well, a sought after one at that.Apart form the tracing Manucci's life and relating the important political events of 17th and early 18th century India, the book gives an idea about the general living conditions and culture of the place during that time. For example when Manucci first came to India, he saw that people " "spat red', as if they 'were bleeding'." Before someone "explained betel chewing to him, he imagined this to be 'some strange and very common disease'." When he was nearing his 80s, he desired to go back to Europe which was not encouraged beacuse of his age and how cumbersome travelling was during those times. It is assumed that he died in Madras or Pondicherry in his octogenarian years but "no trace has been found of his grave in Madras or Pondicherry".Apart from Manucci's 'Storia Do Mogor, Marco Moneta has consulted other reliable primary and secondary sources like Bernier, Catrou, Asher, Mukhia, J.N. Sarkar and others, which is enough to give this book a stamp of authenticity while tagging it a scholarly book on Mediaval Indian History, as is a good book on adventure and general reading.

Being long period,they should publish two books.

Translated from the Italian by Elisabetta Gnecchi Ruscone, A Ventian At The Mughal Court by Marco Moneta describes the adventures of an 18yo Venetian boy who sneaks into a ship travelling to the East. The boy, Nicolo Manucci, is hugely favoured by luck and his connections formed during the travels to spend his whole life, rather unplanned, in India.The book is divided into two parts. The first part showcases Manucci’s journey as a young boy who wanted to see the world becoming a witness to the happenings of Mughal court up and close. Though he spends his entire life under the reign of Aurangzeb, his loyalty was with Aurangzeb’s brother Dara Sukoh and his son Shah Alam. Marco Moneta adds life to Manucci’s adventures across the subcontinent with his brilliant storytelling – it almost feels like reader is travelling across India along with Manucci in 1600s. The description that stood out for me was that of Goa. It was amusing to read it as a place filled with diseases and people who had no values for another life.Firangi that Manucci was in India, he rose to a position of influence not only in the Mughal court but also took his fate into his own hands when he decided to become a physician through self-study and quite a bit of luck. From being an artilleryman to a renowned physician to becoming a bridge between the Indians and Europeans, he left no stone unturned. He longed to return to Venice, to be with his own people, but seeing no way of return he settled in British town of Madras – which forms the second part of the book. Despite learning the cultures, food habits, and languages of the place, Manucci at heart remains a Christian and obligated more towards the English than the Muslims, Hindus or even Portugese.It is a thoroughly researched account of Manucci’s life, bringing in the present-day criticism towards his Eurocentric views as well questioning the authenticity of his primary and secondary sources – leaving it to the reader to investigate more into history. Also, making a statement that while we can attempt to interpret history, there are multiple lenses to look at it.Translated from the Italian by Elisabetta Gnecchi Ruscone, A Ventian At The Mughal Court by Marco Moneta describes the adventures of an 18yo Venetian boy who sneaks into a ship travelling to the East. The boy, Nicolo Manucci, is hugely favoured by luck and his connections formed during the travels to spend his whole life, rather unplanned, in India.The book is divided into two parts. The first part showcases Manucci’s journey as a young boy who wanted to see the world becoming a witness to the happenings of Mughal court up and close. Though he spends his entire life under the reign of Aurangzeb, his loyalty was with Aurangzeb’s brother Dara Sukoh and his son Shah Alam. Marco Moneta adds life to Manucci’s adventures across the subcontinent with his brilliant storytelling – it almost feels like reader is travelling across India along with Manucci in 1600s. The description that stood out for me was that of Goa. It was amusing to read it as a place filled with diseases and people who had no values for another life.Firangi that Manucci was in India, he rose to a position of influence not only in the Mughal court but also took his fate into his own hands when he decided to become a physician through self-study and quite a bit of luck. From being an artilleryman to a renowned physician to becoming a bridge between the Indians and Europeans, he left no stone unturned. He longed to return to Venice, to be with his own people, but seeing no way of return he settled in British town of Madras – which forms the second part of the book. Despite learning the cultures, food habits, and languages of the place, Manucci at heart remains a Christian and obligated more towards the English than the Muslims, Hindus or even Portugese.It is a thoroughly researched account of Manucci’s life, bringing in the present-day criticism towards his Eurocentric views as well questioning the authenticity of his primary and secondary sources – leaving it to the reader to investigate more into history. Also, making a statement that while we can attempt to interpret history, there are multiple lenses to look at it.Translated from the Italian by Elisabetta Gnecchi Ruscone, A Ventian At The Mughal Court by Marco Moneta describes the adventures of an 18yo Venetian boy who sneaks into a ship travelling to the East. The boy, Nicolo Manucci, is hugely favoured by luck and his connections formed during the travels to spend his whole life, rather unplanned, in India.The book is divided into two parts. The first part showcases Manucci’s journey as a young boy who wanted to see the world becoming a witness to the happenings of Mughal court up and close. Though he spends his entire life under the reign of Aurangzeb, his loyalty was with Aurangzeb’s brother Dara Sukoh and his son Shah Alam. Marco Moneta adds life to Manucci’s adventures across the subcontinent with his brilliant storytelling – it almost feels like reader is travelling across India along with Manucci in 1600s. The description that stood out for me was that of Goa. It was amusing to read it as a place filled with diseases and people who had no values for another life.Firangi that Manucci was in India, he rose to a position of influence not only in the Mughal court but also took his fate into his own hands when he decided to become a physician through self-study and quite a bit of luck. From being an artilleryman to a renowned physician to becoming a bridge between the Indians and Europeans, he left no stone unturned. He longed to return to Venice, to be with his own people, but seeing no way of return he settled in British town of Madras – which forms the second part of the book. Despite learning the cultures, food habits, and languages of the place, Manucci at heart remains a Christian and obligated more towards the English than the Muslims, Hindus or even Portugese.It is a thoroughly researched account of Manucci’s life, bringing in the present-day criticism towards his Eurocentric views as well questioning the authenticity of his primary and secondary sources – leaving it to the reader to investigate more into history. Also, making a statement that while we can attempt to interpret history, there are multiple lenses to look at it.