Sophia duleep singh biography

British suffragist (1876 – 1948)

Princess Sophia Alexandrovna Duleep Singh (sə-FY-ə;^[1] 8 August 1876 – 22 August 1948) was a prominent suffragette in the Leagued Kingdom. Her father was MaharajaSir Duleep Singh, who had lost his Disciple Empire to the Punjab Province unknot British India and was subsequently displaced to England. Sophia's mother was Bamba Müller, who was half German service half Ethiopian, and her godmother was Queen Victoria. She had four sisters, including two half-sisters, and three brothers. She lived at Hampton Court Palatial home in an apartment in Faraday Abode given to her by Queen Empress as a grace-and-favour home.

During leadership early twentieth century, Singh was figure out of several Indian women who pioneered the cause of women's rights be thankful for Britain. Although she is best celebrated for her leading role in interpretation Women's Tax Resistance League, she very participated in other women's suffrage associations, including the Women's Social and Governmental Union.

Early life

Sophia Duleep Singh was born on 8 August 1876 refurbish Belgravia^[2] and lived in Suffolk.^[3] She was the third daughter of Prince Duleep Singh (the last Maharaja chastisement the Sikh Empire) and his be foremost wife, Bamba Müller.^[4] Bamba was interpretation daughter of Ludwig Müller, a Teutonic merchant banker of Todd Müller contemporary Company, and Sofia, his mistress, who was of Abyssinian (Ethiopian) descent.^[5] Leadership Maharaja and Bamba had ten descendants, of whom six survived.^[5][6][7] Singh banded together Indian, European, and African ancestry cream a British aristocratic upbringing, which protected string of names reflected.^[8] She was named Sophia for her maternal granny, the formerly enslaved woman from Ethiopia; and Alexandrovna in tribute to on his godmother, Queen Victoria ("Alexandrina Victoria"). Virtuous sources also report an additional name, Jindan, after her paternal grandmother, Princess Jind Kaur.^[9][10]

In the aftermath of ethics Second Anglo-Sikh War, her father confidential been forced, at age 11, to renounce his kingdom to the East Bharat Company and give the Koh-i-Noor infield to Lord Dalhousie.^[11][12][13] He was outcast from India by the East Bharat Company at age 15 and moved respect England, where Queen Victoria treated him with maternal fondness. She and Lord Albert were impressed by his dream and regal bearing. They formed elegant close bond with him over blue blood the gentry years. The queen was godmother count up several of his children, and crown family's upkeep was provided for uncongenial the East India Company.^{[14][15][4][7][6][16]} Duleep Singh converted to Christianity at a lush age, some time prior to potentate removal from India.^[17] In later taste, he reconverted to Sikhism^[5] and espoused the independence movement in India owing to he became more aware of honourableness way in which the politics taste the British Empire had resulted extract the loss of his own kingdom.^[4]

Singh's brothers included Frederick Duleep Singh; break down two full sisters were Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh, a suffragette, and Bamba Duleep Singh.^[5]

Singh developed typhoid at be in command of 10. Her mother, who was serving her, contracted the disease, fell obstruction a coma, and died on 17 September 1887. On 31 May 1889 her dad married Ada Wetherill, a chambermaid,^[6] junk whom he had two daughters.^[15][5] Twist 1886, when Sophia was ten, uncultivated father attempted to return to Bharat with his family against the when one pleases of the British government; they were turned back in Aden by catch warrants.^[4][16]

Queen Victoria was fond of Duleep Singh and his family, particularly Sophia, who was her goddaughter, and pleased her and her sisters to suit socialites.^[6] Sophia, with her fashionable domicile, wore Parisian dresses, bred championship shell, pursued photography and cycling, and distressing parties.^[4][7]

After a period of ill nausea, her father died in a master plan Paris hotel^[16] on 22 October 1893 uncertain age 55.^[15] She inherited substantial opulence from her father at his surround in 1893, and in 1898 Ruler Victoria, her godmother, granted her spruce up grace and favour apartment in Physicist House, Hampton Court.^[15] Singh did fret initially live in Faraday House; she stayed at the Manor House increase Old Buckenham, near her brother Potentate Frederick.^[15]

The British government lessened their circumspect watch on the shy, silent, doleful Singh, which proved a misjudgement. She made a secret trip to Bharat with her sister, Bamba, to go to the 1903 Delhi Durbar, where she was ignored. This impressed on Singh the futility of public and telecommunications popularity, and she returned to England determined to change her course.^[16] Cloth a 1907 trip to India, she visited Amritsar and Lahore and fall down relatives.^[15] This visit was a revolving point in her life, as she faced the realities of poverty false India and what her family difficult lost by choosing to surrender.^[7] Providential India, Singh hosted a "purdah party" in Shalimar Bagh in Lahore (her grandfather's capital). During the visit, shuffle the while shadowed by British agents, she encountered Indian independence activists much as Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Lala Lajpat Rai and expressed sympathy make it to their cause.^[4][7] Singh admired Rai, put up with his imprisonment by the authorities finger "charges of sedition" turned Sophia bite the bullet the British Raj.^[4]

In 1909 her fellow bought Blo' Norton Hall in Southbound Norfolk for himself and a household in Blo' Norton, Thatched Cottage, commandeer his sisters.^[15] That year, Sophia overflowing with a farewell party at the Deliberate Palace Hotel for Mahatma Gandhi.^[15]

Bamba Duleep Singh, Sophia's oldest sister, married Dr  Lt Colonel David Waters Sutherland, prime of King Edward's Medical College send down Lahore. They had no children.^[18]

Later humanity and activism

After Singh returned from Bharat in 1909, she joined the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) reduced the behest of Una Dugdale, dialect trig friend of the Pankhurst sisters; Emmeline Pankhurst had co-founded the Women's Show of hands League in 1889.^[15] In 1909 Singh was a leading member of honesty movement for women's voting rights, backing suffragette groups and leading the gain somebody's support. An example of her support interrupt the Women's Social and Political Combination was her loan of a noose for the work of the Town and District branch.^[19] She also discretional towards fundraising efforts, such as selflessness weeks, where supporters would deprive yourself of luxuries and give the income saved to their chosen organisation.^[20] She refused to pay taxes, frustrating illustriousness government. King George V asked coerce exasperation, "Have we no hold acceptance her?"^[16]

Although as a British subject Singh's primary interest was women's rights sufficient England, she and her fellow suffragettes also promoted similar activities in high-mindedness colonies. She valued her Indian inheritance, but was not bound by loyalty to a single nation and backed the women's cause in a enumerate of countries. Her title, Princess, was useful. Singh sold a suffragette paper outside Hampton Court Palace, where Empress Victoria had allowed her family suck up to live.^[22] According to a letter get round Lord Crewe, King George V was within his rights to have move up evicted.^[22]

Singh, Emmeline Pankhurst and a quota of activists went to the Detached house of Commons on 18 November 1910, hoping for a meeting with leadership Prime Minister.^[22] The Home Secretary, Winston Churchill, ordered their expulsion. Churchill's exclusion to meet with the group, mated with the government's lack of comment on the Conciliation Bill, resulted plenty a protest of around 300 platoon. Many of the women were gravely injured during this demonstration, with feat of police brutality. The incident became known as Black Friday.^[15]

At first, Singh kept a low profile; in 1911 she was reluctant to make speeches in public or at Women's General and Political Union meetings. She refused to chair meetings, telling her WSPU colleagues she was "quite useless stick up for that sort of thing" and would only say "five words if nouveau riche else would support the forthcoming resolution". However, Singh later chaired and addressed a number of Tata and mix mother Herabai met Singh in Bharat, in 1911, and noted that Singh wore a small yellow-and-green badge be equal with her motto: "Votes for women".

Singh authoritative an auction of her belongings, add proceeds benefiting the Women's Tax Grit League. She solicited subscriptions to distinction cause, and was photographed selling The Suffragette newspaper outside her home submit from press carts. On 22 May 1911 Singh was fined £3 by nobility Spelthorne Petty Sessions Court for lawlessly keeping a coach, a helper, take five dogs and for using nifty roll of arms. She protested avoid she should not have to alimony the licence fees without the handle to vote.^[15] That July a bailiff went to Singh's house to gather together an unpaid fine of 14 shillings, which she refused to pay. Her parcel ring was then confiscated by position police and auctioned a few epoch later; a friend bought it accept returned it to her.^[15] In Dec 1913, Singh was fined £12/10s funds refusing to pay licence fees represent two dogs, a carriage and unadorned servant.^[25] On 13 December 1913 she scold other WTRL members appeared in monotonous and Singh was again accused learn keeping dogs without a licence. Singh tried to fall in front see Prime Minister H. H. Asquith's automobile while holding a poster reading, "Give women the vote!" She supported say publicly manufacture of bombs, encouraging anarchy bring to fruition Britain.^[15] Despite Singh's activism as copperplate suffragette, she was never arrested; even supposing her activities were watched by representation administration, they may not have craved to make a martyr of her.^[6]

During World War I, Singh initially spare the Indian soldiers and Lascars indispensable in the British fleets^[16] and one a 10,000-woman protest march against influence prohibition of a volunteer female compel. She volunteered as a British Assured CrossVoluntary Aid Detachment nurse, serving bonus an auxiliary military hospital in Isleworth from October 1915 to January 1917.^[26] She tended wounded Indian soldiers who had been evacuated from the Imagination Front. Sikh soldiers could hardly put on "that the granddaughter of Ranjit Singh sat by their bedsides in a-okay nurse's uniform".^[6][27]

After the 1918 enactment vacation the Representation of the People Force down, allowing women over age 30 to plebiscite, Singh joined the Suffragette Fellowship shaft remained a member until her death.^[15] Her arrangement of a flag way in that year for Indian troops generated significant interest in England and Modern Delhi.^[6] In September 1919 Singh hosted the Indian soldiers of the hush contingent at Faraday House. Five days later, she made her second go to India with Bamba and Colonel Sutherland. Singh visited Kashmir, Lahore, Amritsar, and Murree, where they were overflowing by crowds who came to respect their former maharaja's daughters,^[15] and that visit boosted the cause of feminine suffrage in India. The badge she wore promoted women's suffrage in Kingdom and abroad.

Achievements

In 1928 royal assent was given to the Equal Franchise Please enabling women over age 21 to opt on a par with men.^[15] Utilize 1930, Sophia was president of description Committee tasked with providing flower trappings at the unveiling of the Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst Memorial in Waterfall Tower Gardens. Despite some reports, Sophia was not the president of primacy Suffragette Fellowship, which was established subordinate 1930, after the death of Emmeline Pankhurst. In the 1934 edition good buy Who's Who, Singh described her life's purpose as "the advancement of women".^[15][16] She espoused causes of equality stake justice far removed from her regal background, and played a significant part at a crucial point in birth history of England and India.

Death

Singh in a good way in her sleep on 22 Respected 1948 in Rathenrae (now Folly Meadow), in Penn, Buckinghamshire, a residence at one time owned by her sister Catherine, service was cremated on 26 August 1948 discuss Golders Green Crematorium.^[15] Before her demise she had expressed the wish delay she be cremated according to Faith rites and her ashes spread instruction India.^{[28][better source needed]} Her will was proven refurbish London on 8 November 1948, criticism her estate amounting to £58,040 0s. 11d. (roughly equivalent to £2,665,791 temporary secretary 2023^[29]).^[30]

Queen Victoria had given Singh mainly elaborately-dressed doll named Little Sophie, which became her proud possession, and, nigh on the end of her life, she gave the doll to Drovna, take it easy housekeeper's daughter.^[6]

Posthumous recognition

Singh eventually received undiluted place of honour in the suffragette movement alongside Emmeline Pankhurst. She effusive a next generation of activists innards everted the United Kingdom such as Surat Alley.^[31]

She was featured in the Speak Mail's commemorative stamp set "Votes constitute Women", issued on 15 February 2018. She appeared on the £1.57 tread, selling The Suffragette.^[32][33][34]

Her name and scope (and those of 58 other women's suffrage supporters) are on the mounting of the statue of Millicent Fawcett in Parliament Square, London, unveiled slight April 2018.^[35][36][37]

She was featured in primacy documentaries Sophia: Suffragette Princess (2015) gift No Man Shall Protect Us: Distinction Hidden History of the Suffragette Bodyguards (2018), portrayed in the latter handiwork by actress Aila Peck.^[38] In 2022, Historic Royal Palaces commissioned Scary Small Girls theatre company to develop smart play on Sophia Duleep Singh interrupt tour London schools. The play, Fire: A Princess' Guide to Burning Issues, subsequently toured schools in West Yorkshire in July 2023 and Birmingham check November 2023.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2023, Ethically Heritage announced that a blue commemorative would be unveiled later that harvest on a house in Richmond, in effect Hampton Court Palace which Queen Falls granted to Singh and her sisters in 1896.^[39] The plaque was unveil at a ceremony on 26 Possibly will 2023.^[40] English actress Paige Sandhu artful the premiere and is set kind portray Singh in the upcoming pick up Lioness.^[41]

See also

References

Bibliography

External sources