ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>THOMAS GEORGE (1756-1802)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="THOMAS,GEORGE,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279THOMAS, GEORGE (1756-1802), Irish soldier of fortune, deserted the British navy in India in 1781 in which he had served as a gunner. He first joined a band of mountain robbers in south India and then took up service in the army of the Niz&#257m of Hyder&#257b&#257d as a gunner, but soon afterwards came to Delhi where he secured employment under Begam Samr&#363, who had married a European adventurer and succeeded to his <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> at Sardhan&#257, in Uttar Pradesh. Serving under her for six years, Thomas left her to join the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257 army under App&#257 Kha&#7751&#7693e R&#257o. He raised troops for the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257s and instructed them in the European system of drill. He was rewarded with the grant of a <i>j&#257g&#299r</i> comprising the district of Jhajjar. Here he built a fort which he named Georgega&#7771h. After some time, he broke away from the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257s and sought in 1797 the help of the Sikh chiefs against them. In 1798, he established himself at Hansi and carved out an independent Kingdom in the wastelands of Hary&#257&#7751&#257. From H&#257&#7749s&#299, he ruled over Hiss&#257r, H&#257&#7749s&#299, Sirs&#257 and Rohtak. In 1799, he attacked J&#299nd and defeated the combined forces of the chiefs of Pa&#7789i&#257l&#257, Kaithal, J&#299nd, L&#257&#7693v&#257 and Th&#257nesar and imposed upon them his own terms for friendship. But soon after he broke the truce and took possession of Fateh&#257b&#257d and pillaged the Sikh territories of Bhav&#257n&#299ga&#7771h, Sun&#257m, and N&#257ra&#7749gv&#257l. He invaded Kaithal and Saf&#299do&#7749, but was halted at the latter place and defeated.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1801, a force, 12,000 strong, under Louis Bourquien, a French officer in the service of the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257s, joined by the Sikh contingents of J&#299nd and Kaithal, drove George Thomas to H&#257&#7749s&#299 which was laid under siege. Bourquien asked Thomas to surrender, offering him a position in Daulat R&#257o Scindia's army. Thomas refused, vacated H&#257&#7749s&#299 and marched off to Georgega&#7771h. The whole of Bourquien's army, now reinforced to 20,000 men, came in pursuit of him. Outnumbered by the Mar&#257&#7789h&#257 forces, Thomas surrendered to Louis Bourquien on 1 January 1802, but was allowed to retire to British territory. <i>En route</i> to Calcutta, he died of a fever on board his pinnace at Berh&#257mpore, West Bengal, on 22 August 1802.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Franklin, W., <i>Military Memoirs of George Thomas</i>. Calcutta, 1803<BR> <li class="C1"> Griffin, Lepel, <i>The Rajas of the Punjab</i> [Reprint]. Delhi, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> Grey, C., <i>European Adventurers of Northern India</i>. Lahore, 1929<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">B. J. Hasrat<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>