Niccolao Manucci (19 April 1638–1717) was an Venetian writer, doctor and traveller, who wrote a first hand account of the Mughal Empire. In 1653, he was recruited as a servant and guide by Henry Bard, 1st Viscount Bellomont, envoy from Charles II of England to Abbas II of Persia and Shah Jahan.
After Bard died at Hodal on 20 June 1656, Manucci remained in India for the rest of his life and is one of the few first hand European sources for Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dara Shikoh, Shah Alam, Raja Jai Singh and Kirat Singh.
Storia do Mogor
Manucci is famous for his work “Storia do Mogor”, an account of Mughal history and life. Manucci had first-hand knowledge of the Mughal court, and the book is considered to be the most detailed account of the Mughal court. It is an important account of the time of the later reign of Shah Jahan and of the reign of Aurangzeb.
He wrote about his work: “I must add, that I have not relied on the knowledge of others; and I have spoken nothing which I have not seen or undergone…” .
Manucci spent almost his entire life in India. He would then send home the manuscript for “Storia do Mogor” which was lent to the French historian François Catrou in 1707. Catrou wrote another version as Histoire générale de l’empire du Mogul in 1715. The original then emerged in Berlin in 1915 and was written in three different languages. This version was translated and then published.
Works
Some of Manucci’s works, reprints, and translations include:
- Manucci, Niccolao (1913). A Pepys of Mogul India 1653-1708. Translated by Irvine, William. New York: E.P. Dutton and Company.
- Manucci, Niccolao (1826). History of the Mogul dynasty in India, 1399 – 1657. Translated by François Catrou. London : J.M. Richardson.
- Manucci, Niccolao (1907). Storia do Mogor; or, Mogul India 1653-1708, Vol. 1. Translated by William Irvine. London, J. Murray.
- Manucci, Niccolao (1907). Storia do Mogor; or, Mogul India 1603-1708, Vol. 2. Translated by William Irvine. London, J. Murray.
- Manucci, Niccolao (1907). Storia do Mogor; or, Mogul India 1653-1708, Vol. 3. Translated by William Irvine. London, J. Murray.
- Manucci, Niccolao. Storia do Mogor; or, Mogul India 1653-1708, Vol. 4. Translated by William Irvine.