General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Michel Joachim Marie Raymond (25 September 1755 – 25 March 1798), popularly known as Monsieur Raymond, was a French General in

Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

- (

Nizam Ali Khan, Asaf Jah II Mir Nizam Ali Khan Siddiqi, Asaf Jah II (7 March 1734 – 6 August 1803) was the 2nd Nizam of Hyderabad State in South India between 1762 and 1803. He was born on 7 March 1734 as fourth son to Asaf Jah I and Umda Begum. His official name is ''A ...

)'s military and the founder of Gunfoundry,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

. He was born in Sérignac,

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the son of a merchant.

Early life

In 1775, aged 20, he and his younger brother, William Jean Raymond, left for

Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The idea as he told his father, was to set up a merchant shop. Instead, Michel turned to the more exciting career of being a soldier.

Life

In 1775, Raymond reached Pondicherry to start a merchant shop. In 1778, following the French support of American revolutionaries, forces from Madras captured Pondicherry. Raymond went to Mysore and enlisted in the Corps of Chevalier de Lasse as a Sub-Lieutenant. After the death of Hyder Ali, he met and served under French

Bussy as his ADC with the rank of a captain. After the death of De Bussy in 1786 Michel joined the service of the ruling

. He began as any other soldier, shortly after, he was given 300 soldiers to command. In 1796, Raymond was appointed Amin Jinsi or Comptroller of Ordnance. He established several cannon and cannonball factories. Under his guidance guns, ammunition and cannons were forged. Gunfoundry or Top ka Sancha near the Fathe Maidan is the best-known of the remaining foundries in

. When he died on 25 March 1798, only twelve years after enlisting, he had become a military commander of over 14,000 army men. It is also documented that there may have been a female battalion of soldiers. The cause of Michel Raymond's death is a mystery, the two suggested causes are poisoning or suicide. Raymond was succeeded by his second-in-command, Jean-Pierre Piron. However, due to English intrigues at Hyderabad court, his French Corps was disbanded on 21 Oct 1798.

Respect

His full title was Nawab Ashar-ud-Daula, Ashdar Jung, Monsieur M. Raymond Bahadur. Raymond became a close friend of the

. Raymond was not only held in high esteem by the

, but had also won the love and trust of the local people. He made himself popular through his kindness, bravery and contribution to Hyderabad. To the Muslims, he was Musa Rahim, and to the Hindus, he was Musa Ram.

George Bruce Malleson Colonel George Bruce Malleson (8 May 1825 – 1 March 1898) was an English officer in India and author. Biography Malleson was born in Wimbledon. Educated at Winchester, he obtained a cadetship in the Bengal infantry in 1842, and served ...

said that :"No European of mark who followed him in India, ever succeeded in gaining to such an extent the love, the esteem, the admiration of the natives of the country."

Raymond's Tomb

Michel Raymond's tomb is a black granite tombstone, conical in shape, about 7 metres high and it has the initials JR on it. The ill-maintained pavilion was built by the Nizam and collapsed in October 2001 in heavy rain. The 200-year-old tomb had a face lift, including a brand new pavilion. Opened 14 April 2003 this cost an estimated 500,000 INR. The tomb is located near Asmangadh fort on top of a hillock at Mussa Ram Bagh, Malakpet, about 3 km from the Oliphant Bridge (currently known as Chaderghat Bridge), in East

. Until about 1940, people would visit his tomb on the anniversary of his death, taking incense and other offerings to him. His grave had become like a shrine. He is also remembered in Hyderabad, with the area called Mussa Ram Bagh (Monsieur Raymond).

Citations

External links