After the death of Queen Elizabeth II last week, online users are calling for the British government to surrender artifacts obtained by the British Empire, including the Kohinoor diamond — one of the most famous diamonds in the world.
Conversations about the diamond — also spelled Koh-i-noor — which is part of the British crown jewels, have been trending on social media amid coverage of the queen’s death, with users posting their opinions about the empire — and memes about stealing the diamond back.
The online jokes aside, many point to the serious colonial history behind Britain’s possession of the diamond.
The Kohinoor, which means “Mountain of Light,” was originally about 186 carats, and while its exact origins are unknown, it was most likely
discovered in South India in the 13th century.
Danielle Kinsey, an assistant professor of history with a focus on the history of 19th century Britain and empire at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, said its impressive size often shrouds its less appealing history.
"More importantly, it has a history of being part of war booty or trophies taken as the result of war in South Asia. So in a lot of ways, it is a symbol of plunder and represents the long history of plunder imperialism,” she said.
Kinsey said one of the ways the British government and scholars rationalized British imperialism in India and other places around the world was to say that their brand of imperialism wasn’t about plunder but about uplifting and civilizing colonized populations.
“The actual histories of British imperialism tell a much different story, one of horrific violence, dispossession, prejudice and significant economic exploitation,” she said. “I think people are outraged by how the Kohinoor continues to function as a trophy of empire as long as it remains in the crown’s possession.”
The diamond found its way through the hands of several dynasties, beginning with the Mughals in the 16th century, then the Persians and then the Afghans, before the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh obtained it in 1813.
Maharaja Duleep Singh, the son and successor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, held on to the diamond until
the British annexed Punjab in 1849. Duleep, only 11 years old, signed the Treaty of Lahore, which also stipulated that Duleep would give the diamond to the queen of England.
Lord Dalhousie, a Scottish statesman and governor-general of India, coerced Singh into “gifting” the diamond to Queen Victoria, Dalhousie wrote in a letter in August 1849 to his friend Sir George Couper.
“He had visions of it becoming the centerpiece of the British imperial crown and had visions of himself becoming famous for facilitating the crown’s appropriation of the stone,” she said.
The diamond was sent to England, and after an inspection, it was unveiled to the public at the Great Exhibition of 1851, where many were unimpressed with it, she said.
Source:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-...ohinoor-diamond-s-know-turbulent-hi-rcna47284
