1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from house 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast Tracy 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: Wilson and I'm Holly Frying. The subject of today's podcast 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: has been requested by a couple of different listeners. One 5 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: was Lackbreit, who wrote back in March, and another is Christopher, 6 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: who wrote in after promotions for the movie Suffragette raised 7 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: some controversy about the film's treatment of race, and I 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: want to be very clear, I have not seen seen Suffragette. 9 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: I cannot personally comment on how the film treated race. 10 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,519 Speaker 1: But the thing that people were criticizing stem from the 11 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: fact that basically everybody in the movie is white, which 12 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: is simultaneously woefully inaccurate and sadly true. It number one, 13 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: people of color, particularly women of color, were definitely part 14 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: of the suffrage movement in the United Kingdom, but at 15 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: the same time, that same movement a lot of times 16 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: was focused on the needs of white women, sometimes specifically, 17 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 1: to the exclusion of everyone else, and that is true 18 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: also in the United States suffrage movement. It's not something 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: that was unique to Britain. So that brings us to 20 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: today's subject. So Fia du leep Singh She was an 21 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: Indian princess whose father was the last Maharajah of the 22 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: Sikh Empire in what's now India and Pakistan. Queen Victoria 23 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: was her godmother. I've learned Queen Victoria had quite a 24 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:37,119 Speaker 1: lot of god children, oh Vicky, so Fire was one 25 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 1: of so many. Uh So she became a very vocal presence, 26 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: a very vocal presence and the women's suffrage movement in 27 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: Britain and Princess Sofia's background and her upbringing had a 28 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: really huge influence on how she came to be part 29 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: of the movement and just generally how her life played out. 30 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: And her story doesn't make a whole lot of sense 31 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: without knowing a bit about her father and her grandfather. 32 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: So we're gonna tell her story in two parts. Today 33 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: is the Sad Royal childhood installment of this two parter. 34 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: If you have missed past hosts focused on Sad Royal childhoods, 35 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: that's what we're going to talk about today. Part two 36 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 1: is going to talk about her adult life and how 37 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: she started working to help women in Britain get the 38 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: right to vote. Sofia de Leippe Singh's grandfather, Runjeet Singh 39 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: founded the seek Empire at the turn of the nineteenth century. 40 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: He took the city of Lahore in seventeen nine and 41 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: then was named in Maharajah in eighteen oh one. Throughout 42 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,519 Speaker 1: the nineteenth century, ron Jet sing annexed and conquered territories 43 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: that neighbored his own. He was backed by an army 44 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,360 Speaker 1: that was made of Sikh, Muslim and Hindu soldiers. A 45 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 1: lot of his conquering and annexing, by all the accounts 46 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: that I found, seems to have been pretty welcomed because 47 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: the rulers that he ousted were often very corrupt and also, 48 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: banding together the neighboring kingdoms made the region as a whole, 49 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:03,520 Speaker 1: say for a more stable Added to this was the 50 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: fact that he showed respect and tolerance for the various 51 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: religious beliefs and practices that existed within the region, rather 52 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: than forcing everyone to convert to the Maharaja's religion, which 53 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: as we said, was Sikhism. He even made a point 54 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: of marrying Hindu, Sikh and Muslim wives. Apart from all 55 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: this expansion of territory, one of the other acquisitions during 56 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 1: this time was the Kohe Neword Diamond. There's a whole 57 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: podcast about it in the archive, and he wore this 58 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: gem on a piece of jewelry on his arm, defying 59 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: the popular belief that this uh stone was in fact cursed. 60 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: By the time of Ranjit Singh's death in eighteen thirty nine, 61 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: the Sikh Empire was very large and very wealthy. But 62 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: without him around to lead this empire, the leaders of 63 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: the various factions that he had united started to work 64 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 1: against each other again. And it really didn't help that 65 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: one after another his successors were all assass needed. None 66 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: of them managed to hold on to their reign for 67 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: more than a couple of years. The heir to maintain 68 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: control of the empire for the longest period after Ranjeet 69 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: Singh's death was his youngest son, du Leip Singh. He 70 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: was Sofia du Leip Singh's father. Du Leip's mother, Maharani Jindkar, 71 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 1: was known as jindn She was one of his father's 72 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: more recent wives. At the time of his death, she 73 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: had refused to participate in the ritual of Sati, in 74 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:32,239 Speaker 1: which Ranjeet's otherwives burned themselves to death on his funeral pyre. 75 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: She said that she was more dedicated to Dulip than 76 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 1: his than to his late father. That dedication became extremely 77 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: evident when Dulip Singh became the next person in line 78 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 1: of succession in eighteen forty three. His mother acted as 79 00:04:46,839 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: his regent, and her political savvy protected the young Maharaja 80 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: for several years. She was able to keep him relatively unharmed, 81 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: even as others around him were assassinated an ongoing power 82 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,960 Speaker 1: grab that changed with the First Anglo Sikh War, which 83 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: was fought between the Seak Empire and the British East 84 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:10,840 Speaker 1: India Company and its allies. The British East India Company 85 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 1: took over what remained of the Seek Empire in eighteen 86 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: forty nine, claiming to be acting on the young Maharaj's behalf, 87 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 1: It presented him with a treaty that outlined, among other things, 88 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:25,160 Speaker 1: terms for quote protecting him until he was sixteen. In 89 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: the meantime, his mother would still act as regent. Side 90 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 1: note also included in this treaty was surrendering the Collonord 91 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 1: Diamond to the Queen of England, and this British protection 92 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: was unfortunately not to be The British East India Company 93 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: slowly infiltrated Lahore with its own troops. It banished Duleiep's mother, 94 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: who had become vocal about their distrust of them, when 95 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: Delip was nine years old. At the age of eleven, 96 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: Dulip himself was exiled. He was sent to one of 97 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:58,359 Speaker 1: India's northwestern provinces, away from his supporters, and given to 98 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: a Scottish family to tooter. Eventually he converted from Sikhism 99 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:07,679 Speaker 1: to Christianity. At the age of fifteen, Julip Singh asked 100 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: if he could visit England to see the Queen, and 101 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: Queen Victoria, who had been intensely curious about the boy, 102 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,920 Speaker 1: enthusiastically agreed, and once he was in England, do Leiep 103 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: Singh became one of Queen Victoria's favorites. The India Office, 104 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: which oversaw Britain's rule of the Indian provinces, granted him 105 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: an income which was pittance in comparison to the wealth 106 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: of the seek Empire, but made him richer than a 107 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: lot of British nobility. But even though he had lots 108 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:36,359 Speaker 1: of money and he was clearly doated on by the Queen, 109 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 1: he was still Indian and therefore still viewed his inferior 110 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: by much of the British aristocracy. As Duleep got older, 111 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: he started very publicly and very enthusiastically carousing around with 112 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: Prince Albert, then known as Bertie, who would later become 113 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:56,599 Speaker 1: King Edward the seventh. Naturally, this public carousing became quite 114 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,479 Speaker 1: embarrassing to the monarchs, so she started trying to find 115 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: a good match for him, hoping that if Julip Sing 116 00:07:02,279 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: got married, he would settle down. She had to do 117 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:07,839 Speaker 1: this while also trying to keep him in the dark 118 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: about the realities of British colonial rule in India, which 119 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: we have other things on in the archive. To be 120 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: very very for a generously brief it was not great. Yeah, 121 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: And when Queen Victoria's husband Albert died on December fourteenth 122 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: of eighteen sixty one, as his fairly common knowledge, Victoria 123 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: lost interest in a lot of things, and that included 124 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 1: dou Leip and his family's situation. Two years later, while 125 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: the Queen was still deeply in mourning, Duleep's mother also 126 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: died at the age of forty five. It was only 127 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: after making his last trip to India to take his 128 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: mother's body home and have it cremated according to seek 129 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 1: traditions that he realized that his life in England was 130 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: likely to be extremely lonely upon his return, so with 131 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: the Queen still otherwise occupied, he took the matter of 132 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:01,760 Speaker 1: his marriage and to his own hands. On the way 133 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 1: back to England, he stopped in Cairo he married the 134 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,360 Speaker 1: beautiful and pious Bomba Mueler. This was the illegitimate daughter 135 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: of a German merchant and an enslaved woman from Abyssinia, 136 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 1: which today is mostly Ethiopia. Du Leep wrote to Bomba's 137 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: father to ask him to grant her legitimacy so that 138 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: the whole thing would not be quite so shocking to 139 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 1: the Queen. Then he married her after knowing her for 140 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 1: about four months. Fortunately, once the Queen actually met her, 141 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: she liked her as well. The couple moved to Elveden 142 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 1: Estate in Suffolk, which Duleep spent lots of time and 143 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: money remodeling. He blended British and Indian influences into this project, 144 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 1: and he added a huge menagerie to the grounds, full 145 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,960 Speaker 1: of animals that were to the British landscape quite exotic, 146 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: including leopards, cheetah's, monkeys and parrots. This was, as you 147 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: can imagine, quite lavish. This remodeling project went on for 148 00:08:56,679 --> 00:09:01,079 Speaker 1: thirteen years, which also saw the births all of Sophia's 149 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:05,320 Speaker 1: older siblings. Just as the remodel was complete, it also 150 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:08,840 Speaker 1: saw the birth of Sophia herself. We will talk about 151 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: her early life after a brief word from one of 152 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,679 Speaker 1: our sponsors, and now we go back to our story. 153 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:19,000 Speaker 1: So Fia Douleep Singh was born on August eight, seventy six. 154 00:09:19,520 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: In addition to being the youngest, uh the youngest of 155 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: the Duleep Singh children at the time, there was a 156 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,720 Speaker 1: several year gap between her and her brothers and sisters, 157 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: who had all been born within one or two year 158 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: increments of one another. So how's the baby she was 159 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: doated on. Not long after her birth, though, things sort 160 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,559 Speaker 1: of started to go south at home. Although her father 161 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: had a sizeable income from the India Office, he was 162 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: outspending it and significantly so. He also had something of 163 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 1: a gambling problem. Plus he just felt like he was 164 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: royalty so he should be able to do what he wanted, 165 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: even though he didn't really have an empire anymore. In 166 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: spite of the fact that every and I was trying 167 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: to keep him in the dark about it. He also 168 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,920 Speaker 1: started learning more about British activities in his former home, 169 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:09,400 Speaker 1: as well as about how his mother had been treated 170 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: by the British, which was not well. He became increasingly defiant, 171 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: and when the Queen's bankers started insisting that he reigned 172 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:21,319 Speaker 1: in his spending, he responded by spending even more. It 173 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: took the Queen herself sending him a letter directly before 174 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: he begrudgingly approached his life with any sort of adherence 175 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: to a budget. In August of eighteen seventy nine, Sophia's 176 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: little brother, Albert Edward duleep Singh was born, making Sophia 177 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: one of six siblings to survive their infancy. Because they 178 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 1: were so much younger than the older four children, Sofia 179 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: and the baby, who was known as Eddie were particularly close. 180 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: After Eddie's birth, things continued to get worse around the 181 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: duleep sing home. Julippe himself had been having affairs throughout 182 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: his marriage, and these became increasingly serious and increasingly public. 183 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,680 Speaker 1: He had a number of illegitimate children, and some of 184 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:04,720 Speaker 1: the older ones he gave jobs at the Elveden estate. 185 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: This behavior became increasingly upsetting to his wife, and a 186 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: huge riff started to develop in the couple's marriage. Finally, 187 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:16,600 Speaker 1: the British government made it clear that it would no 188 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,440 Speaker 1: longer tolerate do Leif's excesses. It offered him a one 189 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:22,559 Speaker 1: time payment that would allow him to settle all his 190 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:25,559 Speaker 1: debts in an exchange, it would take control of the 191 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,079 Speaker 1: estate at Elveden upon his death. This meant that de 192 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: Leppe would basically be broke but not in debt, and 193 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: would have no property to leave his children. In desperation, 194 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: he wrote to the Queen directly, and in her reply 195 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 1: she suggested that she might be able to help his 196 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:43,839 Speaker 1: children after he was gone, but though when it came 197 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: to his own finances, she basically reminded him that he 198 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: had been warned. In her words, quote as I once 199 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: or twice mentioned to you before. I think you were 200 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:56,439 Speaker 1: thought extravagant and that may have led to a want 201 00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:59,440 Speaker 1: of confidence as regards to the future. Oh, you have 202 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:02,839 Speaker 1: to admire her turn of phrase. Yeah, I was just thinking. 203 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: I'm glad I never ran a foul of Queen Victoria 204 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: needing to tell me and I told you so. Because 205 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:13,320 Speaker 1: this is simultaneously so deft and so putting him down, 206 00:12:14,880 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 1: but so incredibly polite. Uh, in retaliation for what he 207 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,079 Speaker 1: perceived as having been taken advantage of. After all, as 208 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,679 Speaker 1: you recall, the seek Empire was worth far more than 209 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: the British government had ever given him. De Leepe teamed 210 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,839 Speaker 1: up with Army Major Evans Bell to write a tell 211 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: all book about the British annexation of his empire, and 212 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 1: there really was quite a bit to tell. However, the 213 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 1: book was really a rush job. It was sloppy, and 214 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: it was full of errors, so frankly, it just did 215 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:48,320 Speaker 1: not meet its audience being taken seriously at all, it 216 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,559 Speaker 1: definitely was not what do Leep had hoped it would be. 217 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 1: He wanted it to be an injury to the crown 218 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:56,439 Speaker 1: and a rallying cry for fairer treatment of India and 219 00:12:56,559 --> 00:13:00,760 Speaker 1: of himself and his family when he was increasingly publicly 220 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:04,320 Speaker 1: speaking out against Britain. But given his reputation by this 221 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 1: point and his demeanor in doing so, people once again 222 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 1: did not take him very seriously. Eventually it came to 223 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 1: the point where he started auctioning off his belongings. He 224 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: was shopping for hot weather clothes for his family and 225 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:19,719 Speaker 1: planning to take them back to India. He wrote to 226 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: the Queen and informed her that he would be converting 227 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,400 Speaker 1: back to Seekism once they arrived there. This was really 228 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:28,040 Speaker 1: the last thing he felt like he could genuinely threaten 229 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,240 Speaker 1: Queen Victoria with. She was very devout and one of 230 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: the reasons his presence at court had been so acceptable 231 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,040 Speaker 1: to her was that he was a Christian. The dou 232 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: Leep Singh family made it to the Gulf of Odden, 233 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:42,559 Speaker 1: but couldn't get cleared to go through the Suez Canal, 234 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:44,320 Speaker 1: which would they were going to need to do to 235 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 1: continue the rest of the way to India. Finally, after 236 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,360 Speaker 1: something of a stalemate, do they put his family on 237 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:54,440 Speaker 1: a ship and sent them back to England without him. 238 00:13:54,559 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 1: Do Leep Singh stayed behind, and on May six he 239 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:02,319 Speaker 1: was rebapped tised as a Sikh. When the weather in 240 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: Odden didn't agree with him, he got permission from the 241 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: British to go anywhere he wished, except India. The government 242 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 1: was afraid that his presence there would rile up anti 243 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,760 Speaker 1: colonial sentiment, and so instead he went to France and 244 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:18,720 Speaker 1: he tried to rile up that sentiment there. Meanwhile, Obamba 245 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: and the children returned to England, where they had no 246 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:24,840 Speaker 1: home and no income, and wound up being entirely dependent 247 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,640 Speaker 1: on Queen Victoria, who had them housed at first in 248 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: a hotel. Not long after, de Leipsing posted a public 249 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: notice that he relinquished all responsibility for his family and 250 00:14:36,080 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: their well being and their debts, instead started focusing on 251 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: raising money and manpower to try to retake his kingdom 252 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 1: from Britain. Queen Victoria was godmother to two of de 253 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 1: Leep's children, both Safia and her brother Victor, and she 254 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: felt a moral responsibility to look after the whole family, 255 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: So the India Office granted Maherini bamba and income, although 256 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: it was of course much smaller than do Leaps had 257 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:03,600 Speaker 1: been the two oldest children, both sons, were both put 258 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 1: into school, and the eldest, Victor, was put into a 259 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 1: military academy. They were hoping to curtail the habits of 260 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: gambling and excess that he had picked up from his father. 261 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: Victor was expected to enter the British Army as an officer, 262 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:20,680 Speaker 1: which normally was not allowed for foreign princes, but the 263 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: fact that he was the Queen's god son allowed for 264 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:27,960 Speaker 1: the exception. At this point, Sofia was eleven, Her mother 265 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: had fallen into a deep depression and their nanny, who 266 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 1: had looked after them for much of their earliest years, 267 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: had taken another post in the face of the Maharini's behavior, 268 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:41,400 Speaker 1: and this left Sofia and her younger brother mostly unsupervised. 269 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: To try to give the household and the younger children 270 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 1: some semblance of stability and order, A man named Arthur 271 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: Oliphant was put in charge of them. He wasn't just 272 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: appointed their head of household, though he was also supposed 273 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: to keep tabs on them and report back to the queen. 274 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:00,480 Speaker 1: He moved them to his home in Kent and started 275 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 1: trying to encourage them into a more refined upbringing. Once 276 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: she had instructors in both academics and deportment, Sophia did 277 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: indeed progress very rapidly. She was really smart, and she 278 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 1: had a gift for music, and she began to behave 279 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 1: in a way that was closer to what was expected 280 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: of a young lady of her station. But unfortunately, than 281 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: a series of tragedies plagued her adolescence, and we're going 282 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 1: to talk about those after we have a brief word 283 00:16:28,280 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: from one of our fabulous sponsors. In September, Sophie I 284 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: got typhoid, and while she was sick. Her mother lapsed 285 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 1: into a coma and died. She was thirty nine. She 286 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 1: had basically been sitting vigil and then sort of inexplicably 287 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: fell ill and died. The Queen gave Sophia's father permission 288 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: to come back to Britain for her mother's funeral, but 289 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 1: he chose not to do it, and of course the 290 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:59,359 Speaker 1: children were completely heartbroken at having lost their mother, and afterward, 291 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,400 Speaker 1: Oliphant and his wife continued to look after all the 292 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,919 Speaker 1: girls and little Eddie, who remember was the youngest. With 293 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:09,199 Speaker 1: a more stable home and dedicated tutors, all of the 294 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,439 Speaker 1: children started to learn very quickly. This basically kept them 295 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:15,160 Speaker 1: under the very careful eye of Elephant, who was still 296 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 1: giving reports back to the Queen on their behavior, and 297 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:22,400 Speaker 1: this also enabled their caretakers to try to teach them 298 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,919 Speaker 1: to be proper British children, with proper British attitudes and 299 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:30,199 Speaker 1: proper British deference to the Queen. Oliphant and the and 300 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 1: the Queen thought this was especially necessary because both Sophia 301 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 1: and Eddie were old enough to remember their father's increasingly 302 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: outspoken anger at Britain. They also could remember their aborted 303 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: trip to India. Which had been thwarted by the British 304 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:49,360 Speaker 1: authorities that wouldn't allow them through the Suettes Canal. They were, not, however, 305 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: quite old enough to grasp that talking about it, especially 306 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: in a way that reflected well on their father and 307 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 1: badly on Britain, would probably not go over well with 308 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: the people in show arge of their care. Eventually, it 309 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 1: was decided that the children needed a clean break or 310 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 1: they would never grow up in a way that suited 311 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:11,199 Speaker 1: their station. Sofia and Eddie were sent to Brighton and 312 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:15,399 Speaker 1: the two older sisters, Catherine and Bomba, were sent to university. 313 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 1: With all her older siblings no longer at home, so 314 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: Fi became sort of the lynch pen of the family. 315 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,200 Speaker 1: She was the one that all of her siblings wrote 316 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 1: to and trusted her to pass on news of the others. 317 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 1: She also looked after her one younger brother. She learned 318 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 1: to play the piano, and she did quite well with it, 319 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 1: and she did gradually take on more of the department 320 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:39,840 Speaker 1: that was expected of her. However, their progress in their 321 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:44,040 Speaker 1: studies was short lived. In eighteen ninety, their father, who 322 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: had developed a very serious drinking problem, had a series 323 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 1: of major strokes. He wrote to the Queen to ask 324 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: for forgiveness, and he was given permission to come back 325 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: to Britain under the condition that he beat unfailingly, unquestioningly 326 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: obedient to the monarch. By this point he had remarried, 327 00:19:01,920 --> 00:19:04,800 Speaker 1: and the Queen was not willing to extend much hospitality 328 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 1: to Deleep's new wife. In her mind, that was the 329 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,120 Speaker 1: woman responsible for turning de Leip away from his family 330 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: and away from his Christian faith. In spite of having 331 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,160 Speaker 1: gotten permission to return to Britain, there was not much 332 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 1: of a happy reunion for the deleep Singh family. So 333 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 1: Faia's father had a serious heart attack while still in France, 334 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: and about the same time, little Eddie got pneumonia that 335 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: was complicated by other infections. While de Leip was able 336 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:34,040 Speaker 1: to come to England to see his son, he didn't 337 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: stay long because he was afraid his own failing health 338 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: would distract the doctors from looking after Eddie. Eddie de 339 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 1: leep Sing died at the age of thirteen in April 340 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: of eighteen ninety three. De Leip Sing died just months 341 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:51,199 Speaker 1: later alone in a hotel room on the night of 342 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: October twenty two. The staff found him on the floor 343 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:57,200 Speaker 1: the next morning. He was only fifty five at the time. 344 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:00,760 Speaker 1: Against his final wishes, which were to be buried wherever 345 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: he died, do Leep Sing's children had his body brought 346 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 1: back to England. He was buried at Eldon Hall alongside 347 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: his first wife and his deceased son, the now orphans. 348 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:17,320 Speaker 1: Sofia was understandably distraught. She had just turned seventeen and 349 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:19,360 Speaker 1: in just a few years she had lost her mother, 350 00:20:19,520 --> 00:20:23,200 Speaker 1: her father, and her much adored little brother. The nanny, 351 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:26,360 Speaker 1: who had taken another post during her mother's depression, had 352 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:29,680 Speaker 1: also died, literally as the Oliphants were trying to bring 353 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,720 Speaker 1: her back to look after them again. The douleep Singh 354 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:35,760 Speaker 1: children had also lost their home, their status, and nearly 355 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,439 Speaker 1: all of their wealth. While her surviving brothers had the 356 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:44,120 Speaker 1: means and freedom to support themselves, Bomba, Caroline and Sophia 357 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:48,439 Speaker 1: do leep Singh were completely dependent upon the Queen. And 358 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,679 Speaker 1: that is where we are going to end the sad 359 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:56,199 Speaker 1: royal childhood portion of Sufiat Sophia do leep Sing's life. 360 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: We are going to continue in the next episode about 361 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 1: how Princess Sofia, who at the point where we're leaving her, 362 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:06,280 Speaker 1: is considered to be kind of unassuming and playing and 363 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,919 Speaker 1: quiet wind up becoming very politically defiant. And if you 364 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,520 Speaker 1: were interested in this story, you can read it with 365 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:15,159 Speaker 1: so so much more detail and so many things we 366 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: have not gotten into in the book. Sofia Princess Suffragette, 367 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,919 Speaker 1: Revolutionary by Anita and Non. I highly recommend it, and 368 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:24,679 Speaker 1: we're going to be talking about it talking about it 369 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: at the end of part two. Also, do you have 370 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,920 Speaker 1: a little bit of listener mail for us? I knew 371 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,399 Speaker 1: this is from Alison, and Alison says hello. Firstly, I 372 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 1: want to say how much I love your podcast, both 373 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: due to the lively and wonderful way you discuss history 374 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:41,840 Speaker 1: and the wonderful research and ethics you put into it. 375 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:44,000 Speaker 1: It is so great to hear people laughing and having 376 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:46,600 Speaker 1: fun on the air. I so enjoyed the podcast on 377 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 1: the Alcott Family. I was super excited to see an 378 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:52,359 Speaker 1: episode on moonshine because I'm a big whiskey buff and 379 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: make my own fruit and herbal infusions at home. In general, 380 00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:58,399 Speaker 1: I love the episode, but I wanted to note that 381 00:21:58,440 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 1: you did not mention the limited medicinal production of whiskey 382 00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: during prohibition. Instead, you commented that no one could distill 383 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:08,080 Speaker 1: at that time. While this was generally accurate, I found 384 00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: the history of whiskey fascinating when I myself found out 385 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:15,359 Speaker 1: about the contributions that that prohibition era medicinal distilleries made 386 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:18,919 Speaker 1: to the survival of American whiskey production and American interest 387 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:21,440 Speaker 1: in whiskey. I feel that this little side note could 388 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:23,920 Speaker 1: have benefited the episode because I see it as similar 389 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:28,200 Speaker 1: to current medical marijuana. I don't know if I totally 390 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: like the connection is there, and that both marijuana is 391 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:36,440 Speaker 1: illegal in most places but medically legal in some places, 392 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:39,360 Speaker 1: but overall, yeah, we did not get into that at 393 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: all that um. I had actually not until I looked 394 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: at the link that Allison sent to us. Uh did 395 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:48,680 Speaker 1: not realize that there were things that were basically marketed 396 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 1: as medicinal whiskey. I did know that there were lots 397 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:57,000 Speaker 1: and lots of patent medicines that were basically quack cures 398 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,719 Speaker 1: that contained lots of alcohol. So mostly what they were 399 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: doing for you is getting you kind of drunk, not 400 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:09,400 Speaker 1: actually treating any medical thing. You just wouldn't be any better, right, 401 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,439 Speaker 1: So I didn't realize that they're they're also like there 402 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:14,320 Speaker 1: are pictures in this link that I will put in 403 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 1: the show notes of things that were actually bottled and 404 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 1: sold as medicinal whiskey, which I didn't totally realize. Um so, yeah, that, 405 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: but it has that in common with marijuana, and that 406 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: they are both generally illegal but legal in some limited context. 407 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,640 Speaker 1: But there's a whole other federal law part about marijuana 408 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 1: that takes it to a whole different level. Yeah. Uh So, anyway, 409 00:23:39,119 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: thank you Allison so much for writing in about that. 410 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: Uh if you would like to write to us about 411 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,720 Speaker 1: this or any other podcast for history podcasts but how 412 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com. We're also on Facebook at facebook 413 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 1: dot com slash miss in history and on Twitter at 414 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,640 Speaker 1: miss in history. 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You want to see a whole archive of 420 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,160 Speaker 1: every episode we have ever done and show notes where 421 00:24:10,160 --> 00:24:12,320 Speaker 1: I will put, for example, the link to the article 422 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,479 Speaker 1: that Allison sent over about medicinal whiskey, you can come 423 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: to our website which is missed in history dot com, 424 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,479 Speaker 1: So we do all that a whole lot more at 425 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:23,919 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com or miss in history dot 426 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 1: com for more on this and thousands of other topics 427 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:44,840 Speaker 1: because it how stuff works dot com