Jean-Baptiste Ventura
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Ventura was a soldier, mercenary
and adventurer who ended up in the Sikh Empire in Punjab
.
Of Italian Jewish origin from Modena
, Ventura, at the age of seventeen enrolled as a volunteer in the militia of the Kingdom of Italy
, served with Napoleon's imperial army where he reached the rank of colonel of infantry. After the Waterloo
and the final downfall of Napoleon he returned to his home; but in 1817, yet known by the local authorities for his revolutionaries and Napoleonic sympathies owing to a dispute between him and a local member of the reactionary Ducal police, he was obliged to leave the country.
He went first to Triest, and then to Constantinople, where he was for a time a ship-broker.
Learning that Persia was seeking the services of European soldiers, he obtained an officer's commission, and helped to instruct the forces of the shah in European methods of warfare. He soon attained the rank of colonel. On the death of the shah in 1822, Ventura offered his services to his successor, 'Abbas Mirza. In the latter's service, however, were a number of English officers who were decidedly hostile to the French, with whom they classed Ventura on account of his having fought under Napoleon; and through their intrigues Ventura was dismissed.
He travelled east, ending in Lahore with Jean-François Allard
in 1822. They took service with the Maharaja Ranjit Singh
of Punjab, and soon got to prove their worth.
In March the following year, both Allard and Ventura held command in the Battle of Nowshera
where a combined Afghan
force was defeated, resulting in Punjab's capture of Peshawar
.
A rebellion having arisen in Afghanistan, Ventura conducted successfully several campaigns of a difficult nature, and greatly enlarged the boundaries of the kingdom of Lahore.
Together with Allard, Paolo Di Avitabile
and Claude August Court
, Ventura formed the group of European mercenary officers responsible for the modernizing of the Sikh army, and the training and command of the Fauj-i-Khas
, the European model brigade, with Ventura as its commander.
"...Jean Baptiste Ventura... reorganised the infantry into a formidable army including Gurkhas, Pathans, Biharis and Ooriyas."
He is also described as "the baron of the Fauj-i-Khas".
Ventura was highly thought of by the Maharajah, and in addition to the rank of General, he was also appointed kazi and Governor of Lahore. He rose rapidly in the Darbar and virtually became the Commander In Chief of the Darbar forces.
Ventura married an Indian (or a local Armenian according other sources) lady, by whom he had a daughter; but he was always desirous of returning to his native country. In 1837 he went on a diplomatic mission to Paris and London, but was recalled to Lahore before he had time to visit his family in Europe.
He spent his spare time in Peshawar exhuming Bactrian Greek and Kushan coins from Buddhist stupas in the Khyber Pass, making numerous excavations then sending the findings on to the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta.
On the death of Ranjit Singh, Ventura took part in the contest for the succession, and remained in the service of the new raja, Dhulip Singh. During the reign of the latter, Ventura continued his career of conquest.
He served faithfully under Ranjit Singh and his successors Kharak Singh, Nau Nihal Singh and Sher Singh until his retirement in 1843. Taking his fortune with him, he lived out his days in comfort in Paris.
In France he presented King Louis Philippe with a set of ancient Greek coins which he had unearthed, and which were evidences of the march through that country of Alexander the Great.
In his later years he lost a part of his large fortune in unsuccessful commercial enterprises. According to Flaminio Servi, Ventura received baptism toward the end of his life.
Mercenaries in India
In 16th and 17th centuries, the imperial Mughal power was crumbling and other powers, mainly Maratha chiefs, were emerging. At this time, a number of mercenaries, arriving from several countries found employment in India...
and adventurer who ended up in the Sikh Empire in Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
.
Of Italian Jewish origin from Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Ventura, at the age of seventeen enrolled as a volunteer in the militia of the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
, served with Napoleon's imperial army where he reached the rank of colonel of infantry. After the Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and the final downfall of Napoleon he returned to his home; but in 1817, yet known by the local authorities for his revolutionaries and Napoleonic sympathies owing to a dispute between him and a local member of the reactionary Ducal police, he was obliged to leave the country.
He went first to Triest, and then to Constantinople, where he was for a time a ship-broker.
Learning that Persia was seeking the services of European soldiers, he obtained an officer's commission, and helped to instruct the forces of the shah in European methods of warfare. He soon attained the rank of colonel. On the death of the shah in 1822, Ventura offered his services to his successor, 'Abbas Mirza. In the latter's service, however, were a number of English officers who were decidedly hostile to the French, with whom they classed Ventura on account of his having fought under Napoleon; and through their intrigues Ventura was dismissed.
He travelled east, ending in Lahore with Jean-François Allard
Jean-François Allard
Jean-François Allard was a French soldier and adventurer.Born in Saint Tropez, he became a soldier and was twice injured while serving in Napoleon's army. He was awarded the Légion d'honneur, and promoted to Captain of the 7th Hussars. After Waterloo, he drifted around and went to Persia where he...
in 1822. They took service with the Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
of Punjab, and soon got to prove their worth.
In March the following year, both Allard and Ventura held command in the Battle of Nowshera
Battle of Nowshera
The Battle of Nowshera was fought in March 1823 between the forces of Pashtun tribesmen with support from Muhammad Azem Khan Barakzai, Durrani governor against the Army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh...
where a combined Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
force was defeated, resulting in Punjab's capture of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
.
A rebellion having arisen in Afghanistan, Ventura conducted successfully several campaigns of a difficult nature, and greatly enlarged the boundaries of the kingdom of Lahore.
Together with Allard, Paolo Di Avitabile
Paolo Di Avitabile
General Paolo Crescenzo Martino Avitabile was an Italian soldier, mercenary and adventurer. A peasant's son born in Agerola, near Amalfi in Italy, he served in the Neapolitan militia during the Napoleonic wars. After Waterloo he drifted east like many other adventurous soldiers...
and Claude August Court
Claude August Court
Claude Auguste Court was a French soldier and mercenary.He was hired by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab in 1827 to organize and train the artillery. He was promoted to the rank of General, and served as one of the leading European officers in the Khalsa....
, Ventura formed the group of European mercenary officers responsible for the modernizing of the Sikh army, and the training and command of the Fauj-i-Khas
Fauj-i-Khas
The Fauj-i-Khas was a brigade of the Sikh Khalsa Army of Punjab in the time before the First Anglo-Sikh War.It was the Maharaja Ranjit Singh who started to hire European officers to train and command parts of his army...
, the European model brigade, with Ventura as its commander.
"...Jean Baptiste Ventura... reorganised the infantry into a formidable army including Gurkhas, Pathans, Biharis and Ooriyas."
He is also described as "the baron of the Fauj-i-Khas".
Ventura was highly thought of by the Maharajah, and in addition to the rank of General, he was also appointed kazi and Governor of Lahore. He rose rapidly in the Darbar and virtually became the Commander In Chief of the Darbar forces.
Ventura married an Indian (or a local Armenian according other sources) lady, by whom he had a daughter; but he was always desirous of returning to his native country. In 1837 he went on a diplomatic mission to Paris and London, but was recalled to Lahore before he had time to visit his family in Europe.
He spent his spare time in Peshawar exhuming Bactrian Greek and Kushan coins from Buddhist stupas in the Khyber Pass, making numerous excavations then sending the findings on to the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta.
On the death of Ranjit Singh, Ventura took part in the contest for the succession, and remained in the service of the new raja, Dhulip Singh. During the reign of the latter, Ventura continued his career of conquest.
He served faithfully under Ranjit Singh and his successors Kharak Singh, Nau Nihal Singh and Sher Singh until his retirement in 1843. Taking his fortune with him, he lived out his days in comfort in Paris.
In France he presented King Louis Philippe with a set of ancient Greek coins which he had unearthed, and which were evidences of the march through that country of Alexander the Great.
In his later years he lost a part of his large fortune in unsuccessful commercial enterprises. According to Flaminio Servi, Ventura received baptism toward the end of his life.
Sources
- Balboni, Maria Pia; “Ventura. Dal ghetto del Finale alla corte di Lahore”, Biblioteca Nuova serie, Pagine VIII-212, Aedes Muratoriana, Modena, 1993;
- Notizie Storiche e Biografiche del Generale Rubino Ventura, Finalese, Esposte da un Suo Concittadino, Finale (Emilia), 1882;
- F. Servi, in Corriere Israelitico, x. 47 et seq.;
- idem, in Vessillo Israelitico, xxxi. 308 et seq.;