Lady Nugent's East India Journal : Oxford University Press : 9780198089728 : 0198089724 : 01 Dec 2014 : In 1811, Maria Nugent left her four young children behind in England to accompany her husband, General George Nugent, on his posting as commander-in-chief in India. After a dizzying six months at the head of Calcutta society, the couple embarked on a 14-month tour of the British military stations in northern India, a journey that took them to the very edge of the imperial frontier. On these travels, Lady Nugent met a series of extraordinary figures from Indian history including Mir Jafar's widow, Munni Begum; the Indian grandmother of a British prime minister, the Begum Johnson; and the infamous adventuress and ruthless military leader, the Begum Samru. In Delhi, she enjoyed an audience with the Mughal Emperor, and in the royal zenana she was entertained by his wives and daughters, who were themselves politically astute women. An account of Lady and General Nugent's remarkable journ