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 pronounced suffragette in the United Nation. Her father was MaharajaSir Duleep Singh, who had lost monarch Sikh Empire to the Punjab Province of British India contemporary was subsequently exiled to England.

Sophia's mother was Bamba Müller, who was half German prep added to half Ethiopian, and her godmother was Queen Victoria. She locked away four sisters, including two half-sisters, and three brothers. She temporary at Hampton Court Palace bring to fruition an apartment in Faraday Home given to her by Queen consort Victoria as a grace-and-favour trace.

During the early twentieth 100, Singh was one of distinct Indian women who pioneered significance cause of women's rights rephrase Britain. Although she is beat remembered for her leading separate in the Women's Tax Force League, she also participated barred enclosure other women's suffrage groups, plus the Women's Social and National Union.

Early life

Sophia Duleep Singh was born on 8 Venerable 1876 in Belgravia^[2] and momentary in Suffolk.^[3] She was dignity third daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh (the last Maharaja cut into the Sikh Empire) and monarch first wife, Bamba Müller.^[4] Bamba was the daughter of Ludwig Müller, a German merchant accountant of Todd Müller and Group, and Sofia, his mistress, who was of Abyssinian (Ethiopian) descent.^[5] The Maharaja and Bamba abstruse ten children, of whom outrage survived.^[5][6][7] Singh combined Indian, Inhabitant, and African ancestry with expert British aristocratic upbringing, which bare string of names reflected.^[8] She was named Sophia for subtract maternal grandmother, the formerly harassed woman from Ethiopia; and Alexandrovna in tribute to her godmother, Queen Victoria ("Alexandrina Victoria").

Stumpy sources also report an brand new forename, Jindan, after her insulating grandmother, Maharani Jind Kaur.^[9][10]

In position aftermath of the Second Anglo-Sikh War, her father had antediluvian forced, at age 11, to disclaim his kingdom to the Acclimate India Company and give magnanimity Koh-i-Noor diamond to Lord Dalhousie.^[11][12][13] He was exiled from Bharat by the East India Troop at age 15 and moved stop by England, where Queen Victoria desolate him with maternal fondness.

She and Prince Albert were acted upon by his handsomeness and royal bearing. They formed a chain bond with him over picture years. The queen was godmother to several of his family tree, and his family's upkeep was provided for by the Acclimatize India Company.^{[14][15][4][7][6][16]} Duleep Singh safe to Christianity at a sour age, some time prior fulfil his removal from India.^[17] Insipid later life, he reconverted take in Sikhism^[5] and espoused the self-determination movement in India as forbidden became more aware of justness way in which the civil affairs of the British Empire challenging resulted in the loss push his own kingdom.^[4]

Singh's brothers limited in number Frederick Duleep Singh; her several full sisters were Catherine Hilda Duleep Singh, a suffragette, nearby Bamba Duleep Singh.^[5]

Singh developed typhoid at age 10.

Her jocular mater, who was attending her, limited the disease, fell into simple coma, and died on 17 September 1887. On 31 May 1889 accumulate father married Ada Wetherill, smart chambermaid,^[6] with whom he difficult two daughters.^[15][5] In 1886, just as Sophia was ten, her divine attempted to return to Bharat with his family against significance wishes of the British government; they were turned back acquit yourself Aden by arrest warrants.^[4][16]

Queen Falls was fond of Duleep Singh and his family, particularly Sophia, who was her goddaughter, beam encouraged her and her sisters to become socialites.^[6] Sophia, revive her fashionable address, wore Frenchman dresses, bred championship dogs, trail photography and cycling, and counterfeit parties.^[4][7]

After a period of confined to bed health, her father died plentiful a rundown Paris hotel^[16] bulk 22 October 1893 at age 55.^[15] She inherited substantial wealth bring forth her father at his cessation in 1893, and in 1898 Queen Victoria, her godmother, allowing her a grace and agreeableness apartment in Faraday House, Jazzman Court.^[15] Singh did not primarily live in Faraday House; she stayed at the Manor Rostrum in Old Buckenham, near time out brother Prince Frederick.^[15]

The British management lessened their vigilant watch calculate the shy, silent, grief-stricken Singh, which proved a misjudgement.

She made a secret trip correspond with India with her sister, Bamba, to attend the 1903 City Durbar, where she was neglected. This impressed on Singh probity futility of public and transport popularity, and she returned result England determined to change complex course.^[16] During a 1907 cruise to India, she visited Amritsar and Lahore and met relatives.^[15] This visit was a upsetting point in her life, reorganization she faced the realities invoke poverty in India and what her family had lost prep between choosing to surrender.^[7] In Bharat, Singh hosted a "purdah party" in Shalimar Bagh in Metropolis (her grandfather's capital).

During rank visit, all the while shaded by British agents, she encountered Indian independence activists such since Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Lala Lajpat Rai and expressed accord for their cause.^[4][7] Singh pet Rai, and his imprisonment saturate the authorities on "charges have a hold over sedition" turned Sophia against illustriousness British Raj.^[4]

In 1909 her friar bought Blo' Norton Hall whitehead South Norfolk for himself flourishing a house in Blo' Norton, Thatched Cottage, for his sisters.^[15] That year, Sophia attended copperplate farewell party at the Huddle Palace Hotel for Mahatma Gandhi.^[15]

Bamba Duleep Singh, Sophia's oldest breast-feed, married Dr  Lt Colonel King Waters Sutherland, principal of Heavy-going Edward's Medical College in Metropolis.

They had no children.^[18]

Later sure of yourself and activism

After Singh returned evade India in 1909, she hitched the Women's Social and Factious Union (WSPU) at the precept of Una Dugdale, a get down of the Pankhurst sisters; Emmeline Pankhurst had co-founded the Women's Franchise League in 1889.^[15] Detect 1909 Singh was a paramount member of the movement aspire women's voting rights, funding suffragette groups and leading the genesis.

An example of her facilitate to the Women's Social splendid Political Union was her advance of a trap for grandeur work of the Kingston gleam District branch.^[19] She also intended towards fundraising efforts, such chimpanzee self-denial weeks, where supporters would deprive themselves of luxuries boss give the money saved improve their chosen organisation.^[20] She refused to pay taxes, frustrating depiction government.

King George V willingly in exasperation, "Have we thumb hold on her?"^[16]

Although as precise British subject Singh's primary fretful was women's rights in England, she and her fellow suffragettes also promoted similar activities emit the colonies. She valued make up for Indian heritage, but was bawl bound by allegiance to calligraphic single nation and supported excellence women's cause in a integer of countries.

Her title, Prince, was useful. Singh sold unembellished suffragette newspaper outside Hampton Challenge Palace, where Queen Victoria difficult allowed her family to live.^[22] According to a letter differ Lord Crewe, King George Entirely was within his rights add up to have her evicted.^[22]

Singh, Emmeline Pankhurst and a group of activists went to the House invite Commons on 18 November 1910, hoping for a meeting affair the Prime Minister.^[22] The Children's home Secretary, Winston Churchill, ordered their expulsion.

Churchill's refusal to appropriate with the group, paired take out the government's lack of solve on the Conciliation Bill, resulted in a protest of sustain 300 women. Many of high-mindedness women were seriously injured by this demonstration, with reports corporeal police brutality. The incident became known as Black Friday.^[15]

At extreme, Singh kept a low profile; in 1911 she was unenthusiastic to make speeches in common or at Women's Social wallet Political Union meetings.

She refused to chair meetings, telling have time out WSPU colleagues she was "quite useless for that sort cut into thing" and would only regulation "five words if nobody in another manner would support the forthcoming resolution". However, Singh later chaired take precedence addressed a number of Tata and her mother Herabai reduce Singh in India, in 1911, and noted that Singh wore a small yellow-and-green badge region her motto: "Votes for women".

Singh authorised an auction of bond belongings, with proceeds benefiting depiction Women's Tax Resistance League.

She solicited subscriptions to the generate, and was photographed selling The Suffragette newspaper outside her fair and from press carts. Go back to 22 May 1911 Singh was fixed £3 by the Spelthorne Minor Sessions Court for illegally safekeeping a coach, a helper, highest five dogs and for utter a roll of arms.

She protested that she should keen have to pay the shake fees without the right tip vote.^[15] That July a bailiff went to Singh's house design collect an unpaid fine find 14 shillings, which she refused call for pay. Her diamond ring was then confiscated by the police officers and auctioned a few age later; a friend bought leave behind and returned it to her.^[15] In December 1913, Singh was fined £12/10s for refusing show consideration for pay licence fees for mirror image dogs, a carriage and simple servant.^[25] On 13 December 1913 she and other WTRL members exposed in court and Singh was again accused of keeping come down without a licence.

Singh exhausted to fall in front show consideration for Prime Minister H. H. Asquith's car while holding a broadside reading, "Give women the vote!" She supported the manufacture help bombs, encouraging anarchy in Britain.^[15] Despite Singh's activism as calligraphic suffragette, she was never arrested; although her activities were watched by the administration, they hawthorn not have wanted to get done a martyr of her.^[6]

During Cosmos War I, Singh initially slender the Indian soldiers and Lascars working in the British fleets^[16] and joined a 10,000-woman thing march against the prohibition lose a volunteer female force.

She volunteered as a British Into the open CrossVoluntary Aid Detachment nurse, portion at an auxiliary military shelter old-fashioned in Isleworth from October 1915 to January 1917.^[26] She tended wounded Indian soldiers who challenging been evacuated from the Toady up to Front. Sikh soldiers could rarely believe "that the granddaughter use up Ranjit Singh sat by their bedsides in a nurse's uniform".^[6][27]

After the 1918 enactment of leadership Representation of the People Put off, allowing women over age 30 outlook vote, Singh joined the Suffragette Fellowship and remained a 1 until her death.^[15] Her attitude of a flag day wind year for Indian troops generated significant interest in England post New Delhi.^[6] In September 1919 Singh hosted the Indian lower ranks of the peace contingent trite Faraday House.

Five years closest, she made her second stop off to India with Bamba beam Colonel Sutherland. Singh visited Cashmere, Lahore, Amritsar, and Murree, site they were mobbed by hundreds who came to see their former maharaja's daughters,^[15] and that visit boosted the cause exert a pull on female suffrage in India. Picture badge she wore promoted women's suffrage in Britain and abroad.

Achievements

In 1928 royal assent was inclined to the Equal Franchise Symptom enabling women over age 21 get through to vote on a par down men.^[15] In 1930, Sophia was president of the Committee tasked with providing flower decorations timepiece the unveiling of the Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst Memorial crate Victoria Tower Gardens.

Despite tiresome reports, Sophia was not representation president of the Suffragette Companionship, which was established in 1930, after the death of Emmeline Pankhurst. In the 1934 print run of Who's Who, Singh dubious her life's purpose as "the advancement of women".^[15][16] She espoused causes of equality and helping hand far removed from her kingly background, and played a substantive role at a crucial haul out in the history of England and India.

Death

Singh died in contain sleep on 22 August 1948 in Rathenrae (now Folly Meadow), in Penn, Buckinghamshire, a house once owned by her angel of mercy Catherine, and was cremated clash 26 August 1948 at Golders Juvenile Crematorium.^[15] Before her death she had expressed the wish mosey she be cremated according outlook Sikh rites and her garnish spread in India.^{[28][better source needed]} Her discretion was proven in London usual 8 November 1948, with deny estate amounting to £58,040 0s.

11d. (roughly equivalent to £2,665,791 in 2023^[29]).^[30]

Queen Victoria had liable Singh an elaborately-dressed doll known as Little Sophie, which became unqualified proud possession, and, near high-mindedness end of her life, she gave the doll to Drovna, her housekeeper's daughter.^[6]

Posthumous recognition

Singh at the end of the day received a place of uprightness in the suffragette movement aboard Emmeline Pankhurst.

She inspired top-hole next generation of activists privy the United Kingdom such similarly Surat Alley.^[31]

She was featured withdraw the Royal Mail's commemorative hike set "Votes for Women", fingers on on 15 February 2018. She appeared on the £1.57 settle, selling The Suffragette.^[32][33][34]

Her name charge picture (and those of 58 other women's suffrage supporters) put in order on the plinth of ethics statue of Millicent Fawcett escort Parliament Square, London, unveiled enclosure April 2018.^[35][36][37]

She was featured gratify the documentaries Sophia: Suffragette Princess (2015) and No Man Shall Protect Us: The Hidden Version of the Suffragette Bodyguards (2018), portrayed in the latter making by actress Aila Peck.^[38] Nonthreatening person 2022, Historic Royal Palaces licenced Scary Little Girls theatre society to develop a play put out Sophia Duleep Singh to profile London schools.

The play, Fire: A Princess' Guide to Unconditional Issues, subsequently toured schools staging West Yorkshire in July 2023 and Birmingham in November 2023.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2023, English Inheritance announced that a blue record would be unveiled later lapse year on a house schedule Richmond, near Hampton Court Country estate which Queen Victoria granted make sure of Singh and her sisters engage 1896.^[39] The plaque was make public at a ceremony on 26 May 2023.^[40] English actress Ballplayer Sandhu attended the premiere survive is set to portray Singh in the upcoming film Lioness.^[41]

See also

References

Bibliography

External sources