In the town of Saint-Tropez in the South of France, a statue of an accomplished Sikh ruler was installed in October of 2016. The statue of Ranjit Singh of Punjab was a throwback to – the French general Jean-Francois Allard, who is the ancestor of the mayor of Saint-Tropez.
General Allard was one of the best-travelled of the military worlds in the early 19th century. He served in the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte of France, Abbas Mirza of Persia and ultimately, that of Ranjit Singh of Punjab. In Singh’s army, he commanded a dragoon of mostly European commanders – and was instrumental in preparing the Fauj-i-Khas, a regiment to be feared.
Ranjit Singh’s Fauj-i-Khas was among the most diverse armies of its times. With soldiers of all faiths, from India, France, Spain, Hungary, Russia, Italy, Greece and Britain, it was the ablest of the armies under the princely states. And Allard was Ranjit’s most faithful commander.
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