Includes bibliographical references (pages 367-416) and index

Maps -- Conventions -- Prologue -- 1. Nova Felix Arabia -- 2. Trades increase -- 3. India Englished -- 4. Knight's move -- 5. Odcombian legstretcher -- 6. Descendants of Tamburlaine -- 7. The first meeting -- 8. The prince -- 9. The matter with Mr. Jones -- 10. Hidden figures -- 11. The wager -- 12. Little commonwealth -- 13. Lashkar -- 14. A patient king -- 15. The chaplain -- 16. Factors -- 17. Queen Normal -- 18. Triumph of honour and industry -- 19. Full resolution -- 20. London -- Epilogue

"When Thomas Roe arrived in India in 1616 as James I's first ambassador to the Mughal Empire, the English barely had a toehold in the subcontinent. Their understanding of South Asian trade and India was sketchy at best, and, to the Mughals, they were minor players on a very large stage. Roe represented a kingdom that was beset by financial woes and deeply conflicted about its identity as a unified 'Great Britain' under the Stuart monarchy. Meanwhile, the court he entered in India was wealthy and cultured, its dominion widely considered to be one of the greatest and richest empires of the world. In this fascinating history of Roe's four years in India, Nandini Das offers an insider's view of Britain in the making, a country whose imperial seeds were just being sown. It is a story of palace intrigue, scandal, lotteries, and wagers that unfold as global trade begins to stretch from Russia to Virginia, from West Africa to the Spice Islands of Indonesia."-- Provided by publisher