During the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, between 1557 and 1559, a young European named Jean Philippe de Bourbon arrived at the imperial court in Delhi. A French nobleman, he claimed descent from one of the oldest and most distinguished families of France.

He recounted how, in 1541, at the age of just fifteen, he had been captured by Turkish pirates whilst travelling by sea and sold into slavery in Egypt. There, through his intelligence, courage and natural charm, he won the favour of the Sultan and entered military service. It was the beginning of an extraordinary journey that would ultimately lead him to India.

When Jean Philippe told his remarkable story to Emperor Akbar, the sovereign was deeply impressed by the young Frenchman’s refinement, intelligence and military ability. He offered him a commission in the imperial army, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become Master of Artillery.

Honoured with wealth, lands and high office, Prince Jean Philippe died in Agra, leaving two sons by the sister of the Emperor’s Christian consort. His eldest son, Alexander, became a favourite of Emperor Jahangir, who appointed him Hereditary Governor of the Palace of the Begums.

For generations, the Bourbon family occupied positions of great distinction at the Mughal court until the invasion of India by Nadir Shah in 1739, when they withdrew to their hereditary estate at Shergarh.

The Indian Kings of France is an historical novel inspired by the lives of the most remarkable members of this extraordinary dynasty. Written in the first person, it unfolds as though the collective consciousness of successive generations were recounting their own story.

Beginning with the astonishing adventures of Prince Jean Philippe de Bourbon, the narrative travels through the centuries to the present day. It concludes with a deeply personal account by the current head of the family, Prince Balthazar IV de Bourbon-Bhopal, together with an essay by his heir, Prince Frederick de Bourbon-Bhopal, who studied film-making in California.

More than a family saga, the novel is the remarkable story of what is believed to be the senior surviving branch of the House of Bourbon—a lineage that has endured for nearly five centuries far from its ancestral homeland.

Prince Balthazar has made it clear that his sole ambition is to preserve the extraordinary history of his family for future generations. With that purpose in mind, he founded the Bourbon-Bhopal Welfare Society in Bhopal, India, ensuring that this unique legacy continues to inspire and endure.