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The Bourbons of Bhopal in India claim to be legitimate descendants of the House of Bourbon, descended from Jean Philippe de Bourbon, Count of Clermont, an otherwise unknown historical figure. == History == Traveller and photographer Louis Rousselet wrote in ''Le Fils du Connétable'' .〔〔 when he had visited Isabella de Bourbon, known in the Court as Bourbon Sirdar, and got struck by her "European type".〔〔 This is his account of his surprise to find a Bourbon Princess in Bhopal: Kincaid's account of Jean de Bourbon's exile and settlement in India: More detailed accounts can be found in ,〔 〔 and (both written by Charles Augustus, William Kincaid's son〔), and . The Family held the position of Governor of the Imperial Seraglio until the fall of Delhi after the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739〔http://indiansaga.com/history/mughal_nadir.html〕 when Francis II (1718-1778) moved to their principality of Shergar to be the last Raja of Shergar. He was attacked and died along most of the family by the troops of the Raja of Narwar in 1778 (General Sir John Malcolm 1823). His surviving son Salvadore II and his two sons moved to Gwalior and finally to Bhopal. All the members of the Bourbons of Bhopal were known at the Bhopal Court by Muslim names. They were the most influential and wealthiest family in Bhopal, only after the Royal family themselves. The most prominent members of the family were Balthazar of Bourbon- Shazad Masih (1772-1829), son of Salvadore II. He became Prime Minister in 1820 until he was poisoned by Afghan nobles in 1829〔Sharyah Khan: ''The Begums of Bhopal''〕 and married an English lady, Isabella Johnston, the princess that French traveler Rousellet met. Their son, Sebastian of Bourbon- Mehrban Masih (1830-1878) was appointed Prime Minister (1857) to the Begums and built one of the most beautiful palaces in Bhopal, Shaukat Mahal〔http://www.mp-tourism.com/bhopal.0.html〕 and the Catholic Church of Bhopal, on land given by his mother Princess Isabella (died 1852).〔http://www.ucanindia.in/diocesan-directory/home/diocese/bhopal/84/ 〕 Eventually the family fell out of favour in the last two reigns. After Indian independence, the new Indian state abolished the old jagirs (land entitlements) in 1948, and royal and noble status in 1971. Deprived of any privileges, the family joined the ranks of the working bourgeoisie.〔〔 The Bourbons of Bhopal are certain that their direct ancestor Jean Phillipe was the secret son of the Constable of France and his wife Duchess Suzanne, according to family oral traditions. Though there are no records of Jean Phillipe of Bourbon in official family genealogy of the House of Bourbon, Prince Michael of Greece in his book, Le Rajah Bourbon (Michel de Grece 2007) gives a very plausible explanation to this and he does believe this branch of the Bourbons to be the eldest branch of the family. There are other different accounts of Jean de Bourbon's possible lineage. One has the Constable survive the sack of Rome and eventually marry a Mughal princess named Alaïque, Jean Philippe’s mother. Another possible candidate is a member of the Bourbon-Busset branch, reported lost at sea in 1580.〔〔 though the dates do not match. The current Head of the Bourbon-Bhopal family is Balthazar of Bourbon-Bhopal, a lawyer by profession, born on 29 July 1958. He is married to Elisha Pacheco and has three children: Frederick, Michelle, and Adrian. His mission is to preserve for history the political, cultural and religious contribution of the Bourbons of India in the subcontinent and prevent this important contribution from being relegated to a footnote in history books.〔https://www.facebook.com/Bourbon.Bhopal/info〕 On May 22, 2013, the Ambassador of France to India visited Bhopal and met with Balthazar of Bourbon at a function and in a statement declared, "It is extraordinary to have a Bourbon here today!"〔http://www.ambafrance-in.org/April-2013-Note-from-the-Consul〕〔http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-03-22/bhopal/37936002_1_balthazar-napoleon-baroque-music-laxmikant-sharma〕 Balthazar IV is the son of Salvadore de Bourbon (1917–1978), who claimed the lineage in his memoirs ''Les Bourbons de l'Inde'' which was edited by Lucien Jailloux and published posthumously with a preface written by historian of India and member of L'École Française d'Extrème-Orient Jean Deloche.〔〔〔〔〔〔 Salvadore de Bourbon's work is based upon 19th century articles by people such as Claude Sosthène Grasset d'Orcet writing in ''La Revue britannique'' , Gabriel Ferrand writing in ''La Revue de Paris'' , and Colonel William Kincaid's ''Historical sketch of the Indian Bourbon family'' .〔 The story goes that Jean Phillippe (simply "Jean de Bourbon" in some accounts〔), the secret son of Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon, the so-called "''Constable of Bourbon''", arrived in the court of Mughal emperor Akbar in 1560, relating a tale of his journey there that included pirates, kidnapping, and an attempt to sell him in a slave market in Cairo. Prince Michael of Greece has incorporated this into a historical novel, ''Le Rajah Bourbon'' , whose publication spurred a renewed interest in this claim to the French throne.〔〔〔 The story of the Bourbons of India is formidable by all accounts though there is not 100% certainty that they are descended from the Capetian dynasty, as they were during many generations in high positions of power and possessed great wealth. In Bhopal they were the most influential and wealthiest family, only after the Royal family themselves( Sharyar Khan). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bourbons of India」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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