Fall of the Mughal Empire v2.c29.s2.8

v2.c29.s2.8

The insolent challenge of the young Jat Rajah continued as the dominant factor of Jaipur history till the death of the two principals,—Madho Singh on 6 March 1768 and Jawahir Singh four months later. In 1765 Sombre (Walter Reinhard) with his well-drilled contingent of a thousand men left the service of Madho Singh for that of the Jat Rajah. Next year (c. June) Jawahir received a more valuable accession to his strength in the person of the able and honest French mercenary René Madec. But Jawahir’s career was foredoomed to failure from his wilful character. He quarrelled with everybody else. After provoking Madho Singh by invasion and insult, he in November 1767 dreamt of building up a coalition with all the Rajput States and expelling the Marathas from Rajputana and even Malwa! And yet he gave fresh offence to Madho Singh which resulted in his disastrous defeat near Pushkar (14 Dec. 1767) and another reverse near Kāmā (29 Feb. 1768.) These affairs we have treated in the chapter on Jat history. [Barbe, p. 43. SPD. xxix. 128, 162, 162a, 84.]