Pratap Singh of Idar

Lieutenant-General Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Sri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, Kaiser-i-Hind, LLD (22 October 1845-4 September 1922) was a career British Indian Army soldier and Maharaja of the princely state of Idar and heir to Ahmednagar from 1902 to 1911, when he abdicated in favor of his adopted son.

Early Life 1845-1878

The prince who would become a great warrior of the British Empire was born on 22 October 1845 in Jodhpur, well before the British Raj consolidated its power. He was the third son of His Highness Maharaja Sir Takht Singh of Jodhpur (1819-13 February 1873) the Maharaja of Jodhpur, and his first wife, Maharani Gulab Kunwarji Maji Sahiba. He was educated privately, and little is known of his early life.

Administrator and Regent 1878-1922

From 1878 to 1895, Pratap Singh served as Chief Minister for Jodhpur following his father's death in 1873 and his eldest brother's succession to the throne. After his brother's death in 1895, Pratap Singh (by now Sir Pratap Singh) served as regent for his fifteen-year-old nephew and heir to the Jodhpur gadi until 1898, then again for his grandnephew from 1911 to 1918 and finally for his second grandnephew from 1918 until his own death in 1922. In total, Pratap Singh had served four rulers of Jodhpur for over four decades. He travelled to Europe often and was close to Queen Victoria and her family, serving as aide-de-camp to Edward VII from 1887 to 1910. He was especially close towards his son, the future George V of the United Kingdom. Probably the only man from whom the King-Emperor would take orders from, Sir Pratap was very protective of his sovereign, deciding his bedtime or winding up engagements if he decided that George V was getting tired!

Soldier of the Empire 1878-1918

Commissioned in the Jodhpur Risalda in 1878, Pratap Singh served during the Second Afghan War and was Mentioned in Despatches. He was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1887, served under General Ellis in 1897 and served in the Tirah Campaign in 1898 under General William Lockhart, during which he was wounded. Promoted to Colonel the same year, he commanded the Jodhpur contingent during the Boxer Rebellion and was promoted to Major-General in 1902. In 1903, he was made honorary commandant of the Imperial Cadet Corps under Lord Curzon. Even as an elderly man of seventy, Sir Pratap commanded his regiments heroically during the First World War in France and Flanders from 1914-1915 and in the Palestine Mandate at Haifa and Aleppo. He was promoted to Lieutenant-General in 1916.

Final Years 1911-1922

In 1911, Sir Pratap had abdicated the gadi of Idar in favor of his adopted son, Daulat Singh. Following his wartime service and a final stint as Regent of Jodhpur, Sir Pratap Singh died at Jodhpur on 4 September 1922, one month shy of 77.

Honors 1877-1922

Kaiser-i-Hind Gold Medal (2nd Class)-1877

Mentioned in Dispatches (MID)-1878

Afghanistan Medal-1878

Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Medal-1887

Mentioned in Dispatches (MID)-1897

India Medal w/Clasp-1898

Kaiser-i-Hind 1st Class-1900

China War Medal-1901

King Edward VII Coronation Medal-1902, with Delhi Durbar Clasp-1903

King George V Coronation Medal-1911, with Delhi Durbar Clasp

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)-1911

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)-1918 (KCB-1901) (CB-1898)

Grand Cordon of the Order of the Nile of Egypt-1918

Grand Officer of the Legion d'Honneur-1918

Jodhpur Great War Medal-1919

Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Romania-1921

Titles

1845-1873:Maharajkumar Shri Pratap Singh Sahib

1873-1877:Maharaj Shri Pratap Singh Sahib

1877-1878:Maharaj Shri Pratap Singh Sahib, Kaiser-i-Hind

1878-1886:Second Lieutenant Maharaj Shri Pratap Singh Sahib, CSI, Kaiser-i-Hind

1886-1887:Second Lieutenant Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib, KCSI, Kaiser-i-Hind

1887-1897:Lieutenant-Colonel Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib, KCSI, Kaiser-i-Hind

1897-1898:Lieutenant-Colonel Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib, GCSI, Kaiser-i-Hind, LLD

1898-1901:Colonel Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib, GCSI, CB, Kaiser-i-Hind, LLD

1901-1902:Colonel Maharaj Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib, GCSI, KCB, Kaiser-i-Hind, LLD

1902-1911:Major-General His Highness Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCSI, KCB, Kaiser-i-Hind, LLD

1911-1916:Major-General His Highness Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCSI, GCVO, KCB, Kaiser-i-Hind, LLD

1916-1918:Lieutenant-General His Highness Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCSI, GCVO, KCB, Kaiser-i-Hind, LLD

1918-1922:Lieutenant-General His Highness Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Sir Pratap Singh Sahib Bahadur, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, Kaiser-i-Hind, LLD

References

Dreamwater Free Web Space: ERROR 404 at www.4dw.net