A Passage to Europe

What was an Indian prince doing in the retinue of a French envoy at Constantinople in 1796? When Ottoman Emperor Selim III, struck by the unusual sight of a fellow Muslim in a French cortège, asked how he came to be there, Ahmad Khan told him his extraordinary story.

A Passage to Europe traces the journey of Indian prince Ahmad Khan from Gujarat to Constantinople, revolutionary France, London and back again. His voyage began in 1772 with the annexation of the coastal town of Broach by the East India Company; two decades later, he reached London seeking redress. The British government looked into his case, but although his tale was true, Khan was not the man he claimed to be. Back in Bombay, authorities arrested and imprisoned him for being a spy, and then he simply vanished.

Uncovering the elusive paper trail, Rahul Markovits brings to life the remarkable journey of this unlikely traveller’s passage to Europe, revealing a story of empire, intrigue and deception at the dawn of the modern age.

'An outstanding piece of work, impressively original in its approach...a very rich field of enquiry.’ – Professor Polly O’Hanlon, University of Oxford

‘An engrossing read...a refreshing new angle on the Age of Revolutions. Intriguing and entertaining.’ – Sanjay Subrahmanyam, University of California

‘A fascinating and scholarly epic of trans-cultural sleuthing... A Passage to Europe challenges Euro-centric accounts of imperial endeavour.’ – John Keay, author of India: A History

‘A masterclass in forensic archival research. Few historians have succeeded in bringing to life such an important but hitherto unknown figure.’ – John Zubrzycki, author of Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic