Context: The Koh-i-Noor is one of the most famous – or in some cases infamous – diamonds part of the Royal Crown Jewels of Britain. It is a large diamond that originated in India, and because of how it was acquired, has been seen as a legacy of British Imperialism, and with the countries of India, Pakistan and even Afghanistan demanding it back (Though on who owns it is a whole other debate). Britain has rejected these petitions.
Now, it is easy to just narrow this down to Britain having stole a cultural treasure from India during its Imperialist conquest of the subcontinent, and the discussion of ownership has been controversial. However, the story of the Koh-i-Noor is much longer.
*According to legend, the Koh-i-Noor possibly originated somewhere in Southern India, and came into the acquisition of the Delhi Sultanate, passing from dynasty to dynasty, until the Battle of Panipat when it came into the possession of the Mughals. However, emphasis on “Possibly” because its impossible to verify the details exactly about when or where it was found, and many competing theories exist as to its original owner.
It would remain with the Mughals until the 1740s, when Nader Shah, founder of the Persian Afsharid Dynasty sacked Delhi, taking with him the original Peacock Throne, and dismantled it. It allegedly was also when the “Koh-i-Noor” got its name, meaning “Mountain of Light.”
It didn’t remain with the Persians long. In 1751, it ended up being given away by Nader Shah’s grandson, who gave it to the Afghan Ahmad Shah Durrani, who was original one of Nader Shah’s commanders and founder of the Durrani Empire.
It would remain with the Durrani rulers, until 1808, when it came into the possession of the Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire. Now, how he acquired it from Shah Shuja Durrani is whole other matter. Some say he gave it in exchange for hospitality, others say he was imprisoned and force to give it along with other jewels. And in one case, he was extorted out of it when the Sikhs tortured his son.
It would remain with the Sikh Empire, until its fall to the British in 1849. It was there, when finally, the British came into possession of the Koh-i-Noor, when they demanded it as part of the treaty.
Edit: Dammit! I just noticed a typo in “Delhi” and it came out as “Dehli”
CockchopsMcGraw on
Empire podcast by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand does a good series of episodes on the Koh-i-Noor, well worth a listen
2 Comments
Context: The Koh-i-Noor is one of the most famous – or in some cases infamous – diamonds part of the Royal Crown Jewels of Britain. It is a large diamond that originated in India, and because of how it was acquired, has been seen as a legacy of British Imperialism, and with the countries of India, Pakistan and even Afghanistan demanding it back (Though on who owns it is a whole other debate). Britain has rejected these petitions.
Now, it is easy to just narrow this down to Britain having stole a cultural treasure from India during its Imperialist conquest of the subcontinent, and the discussion of ownership has been controversial. However, the story of the Koh-i-Noor is much longer.
*According to legend, the Koh-i-Noor possibly originated somewhere in Southern India, and came into the acquisition of the Delhi Sultanate, passing from dynasty to dynasty, until the Battle of Panipat when it came into the possession of the Mughals. However, emphasis on “Possibly” because its impossible to verify the details exactly about when or where it was found, and many competing theories exist as to its original owner.
In any case, the diamond ended up in the possession of Mughals, where it became part of the original Peacock Throne. This throne was massive, and embedded with many diamonds and jewels, and not just the Koh-i-Noor, but also the [Akbar Shah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akbar_Shah_diamond), [Great Mughal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mogul_Diamond), [Great Table](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Table_diamond), and [Shah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shah_diamond) diamonds, as well as the [Samarian spinel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarian_spinel) and the [Timur ruby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur_ruby).Â
It would remain with the Mughals until the 1740s, when Nader Shah, founder of the Persian Afsharid Dynasty sacked Delhi, taking with him the original Peacock Throne, and dismantled it. It allegedly was also when the “Koh-i-Noor” got its name, meaning “Mountain of Light.”
It didn’t remain with the Persians long. In 1751, it ended up being given away by Nader Shah’s grandson, who gave it to the Afghan Ahmad Shah Durrani, who was original one of Nader Shah’s commanders and founder of the Durrani Empire.
It would remain with the Durrani rulers, until 1808, when it came into the possession of the Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire. Now, how he acquired it from Shah Shuja Durrani is whole other matter. Some say he gave it in exchange for hospitality, others say he was imprisoned and force to give it along with other jewels. And in one case, he was extorted out of it when the Sikhs tortured his son.
It would remain with the Sikh Empire, until its fall to the British in 1849. It was there, when finally, the British came into possession of the Koh-i-Noor, when they demanded it as part of the treaty.
Edit: Dammit! I just noticed a typo in “Delhi” and it came out as “Dehli”
Empire podcast by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand does a good series of episodes on the Koh-i-Noor, well worth a listen