ABSTRACT

In India, from the time of emergence of empires in circa 300 BCE till the rise of British power in eighteenth century, military mercenaries and private military companies dominated the politico-military landscape. Premodern India had both secular (military guilds) and religious (based on temples and akharas) military corporations. The mercenaries were mostly marginal peasants and demobilised soldiers. They were hired through the agency of their clan leaders, tribal chieftains or the zamindars (large landlords) in whose villages they resided. Historians argue that the presence of the mercenaries and extra state military corporations prevented the rise of strong states in premodern India. In this paper, based mostly on indigenous sources, I argue that the military mercenaries and the private military corporations of pre-British India were at the forefront of technological development. The mercenaries were the channel through which tools, techniques, and ideas of warfare were transferred. The rulers relied on the mercenaries because of their military skills and in the long run they also proved to be cheaper compared to the cost of maintaining permanently a large regular army.

摘要

在印度，从大约公元前 300 年出现帝国到 18 世纪英国崛起，军事雇佣军和私营军事公司主导着政治军事格局。前现代印度既有世俗的（军事行会）也有宗教的（基于寺庙和阿卡拉) 军事公司。雇佣军大多是边缘农民和复员士兵。他们是通过部落首领、部落首领或他们居住的村庄的 zamindars（大地主）的代理而被雇用的。历史学家认为，雇佣军和额外的国家军事公司的存在阻止了前现代印度强大国家的崛起。在本文中，我主要基于本土资料，认为前英属印度的军事雇佣军和私营军事公司处于技术发展的最前沿。雇佣军是传递战争工具、技术和思想的渠道。