| ID | 131404 |
| Title Proper | Paul's great game |
| Other Title Information | Russia's plan to invade British India |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Oye, David Schimmelpenninck van der |
| Publication | 2014. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article examines the ill-fated Russian expedition to conquer British India in 1801 with a Cossack host via Central Asia. Undertaken by Emperor Paul I during his brief diplomatic dalliance with Napoleon, the enterprise proved highly unrealistic and was abandoned less than a month after it began. I pay special attention to the knowledge that officials in Saint Petersburg had about the regions to be traversed. I conclude that, despite British fears of a tsarist overland invasion of their South Asian possessions during much of the nineteenth century, this poorly planned mission was the only Russian attempt ever made. |
| `In' analytical Note | Central Asian Survey Vol. 33, No.2; Jun 2014: p.143-152 |
| Journal Source | Central Asian Survey Vol. 33, No.2; Jun 2014: p.143-152 |
| Key Words | Russia ; India ; Central Asia ; Orientology ; Military Intelligence ; Cossacks ; Napoleonic Wars |