Jean-François Allard (; 1785–1839), born in

Saint Tropez Saint-Tropez ( , ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It is west of Nice and east of Marseille, on the French Riviera, of which it is one of the best-known towns. In 2018 ...

, was a French soldier and adventurer.

Biography

France

Allard served in

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, where he was twice injured. He was promoted to the rank of Captain of the French 7th Hussar Regiment.

Persia

After the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

Allard drifted, going to

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

where he visited

Abbas Mirza Abbas Mirza (; 26 August 1789 – 25 October 1833) was the Qajar dynasty, Qajar crown prince of Qajar Iran, Iran during the reign of his father Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (). As governor of the vulnerable Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan province, he played ...

to propose his services. He was promised the rank of Colonel, but never actually received the troops corresponding to his function.

India

In 1820, Allard left for the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, where in 1822 he entered the service of the Maharaja

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...

. He was commissioned to raise a corps of dragoons and lancers. On completion of this task, Allard was awarded the rank of General, and became the leader of the European officer corps in the Maharaja's service. While serving under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, he fell in love with Princess Bannu Pan Dei, daughter of Raja Menga Ram of Chamba, from the area that is now

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

. They married and eventually had seven children. In 1835, Allard returned to his hometown Saint-Tropez along with his wife and built "Pan Dei Palais" to commemorate their love. When he returned to India, to serve in Maharaja's army once again he left Pan Dei at Saint-Tropez, fearing that she might commit Sati, if he died on the battlefield in India. Another European who took service in the Punjab with Allard in 1822 was the Italian Jean-Baptiste Ventura. They were joined four years later by the Neapolitan Paolo Di Avitabile, and the Frenchman Claude August Court. A Spaniard, by the name of Oms, also served with them for a period. Allard was a charming and gentle man, very different from some of the other European mercenaries in the Punjab. He made the effort to learn

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, and is said to have composed poetry in his new language. He was an amateur

numismatist A numismatist is a specialist, researcher, and/or well-informed collector of numismatics, numismatics/coins ("of coins"; from Late Latin , genitive of ). Numismatists can include collectors, specialist dealers, and scholar-researchers who use coi ...

, and contributed greatly to the early study of

ancient Indian The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ancient India: Ancient India is the Indian subcontinent from prehistoric times to the start of Medieval India, which is typically dated (when the term is ...

coins.''Proceedings of the Numismatic Society, 1836/1837-1838/1839.''

Royal Numismatic Society The Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) is a learned society and charity based in London, United Kingdom which promotes research into all branches of numismatics. Its patron was Queen Elizabeth II. Membership Foremost collectors and researchers, bo ...

(Great Britain) p.7

/ref> In June 1834, Allard returned to France on leave, going back to the Punjab 18 months later. He continued to serve the Maharaja until his death in 1839.

Awards

On 27 February 1814, Allard was awarded a '' Knight#France, Knight'' in France's

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

by Napoleon Bonaparte. On 5 November 1832, his rank was promoted to ''Officer''. On 20 October 1835, his rank for this award was promoted to ''

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

''. Allard was awarded the Kaukab-i-Iqbal-i-Punjab ''(

for Bright Star of Punjab)'' by Ranjit Singh.

Notes

External links

The residence built by Allard in Saint Tropez in 1834: the Pan Dei Palais
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allard, Jean-Francois 1785 births 1839 deaths People from Saint-Tropez French mercenaries Mercenaries in India French expatriates in Iran French expatriates in India 19th-century French people French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars