I am the Crown Prince of France

Chapter 338: The Dowry and Bride Price

Mysore City, Amba Vilasa Palace.

This palace was originally the residence of the Maharaja, the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. However, most of it had now been "requisitioned" by Tipu Sultan.

In a spacious and cool hall on the west side of the palace, Tipu Sultan, barely able to contain his excitement, grabbed Sheikh Khan's arm. "You mean to say that France wants to marry a princess into Mysore?"

According to the arrangement by Salah, the second consul of France in Mysore, he didn't directly approach Tipu to discuss this matter. Instead, he had Sheikh Khan bring the news. This allowed Sheikh Khan to become the de facto facilitator of the Franco-Mysore marriage alliance, significantly boosting his political standing and providing leverage to eventually overthrow the pro-British Jahan Zeb.

"Indeed, great Sultan," Sheikh Khan said, sitting up straight and placing a hand over his heart. "And it's a princess who practices Islam!"

Tipu Sultan was momentarily stunned. He was quite familiar with European countries and knew that France was a pillar of Catholicism in Europe. How could a Muslim princess come from their royal family?

Noticing Tipu's confusion, Sheikh Khan quickly repeated Salah's explanation. "Your Majesty, the French consul said this princess is from Tunisia. Her name is Amira Slaisi, she's 15 years old, beautiful and intelligent..."

"Tunisia?" Tipu Sultan blinked, suddenly recalling some recent news—Tunisia had been incorporated into France. "But how can a Tunisian be a princess?"

Sheikh Khan elaborated using Salah's words, "Your Majesty, although Tunisia has merged with France, it still remains a kingdom. Amira's brother is the 'Bey' of Tunisia, or as they now call him, the Duke of Tunisia."

Tipu Sultan nodded slightly. He knew this was common in Europe. For example, in the Holy Roman Empire, the member states had a shared emperor, but each state also had its own grand duke, whose children and sisters were referred to as princesses.

Even though the princess was from Tunisia, Tipu Sultan was still very pleased, because she was a princess from a French vassal state. In all of the kingdoms on the subcontinent, none could claim to have formed a marital alliance with a European power.

This would greatly elevate Mysore's prestige, making it one of the foremost kingdoms on the subcontinent!

"Is the princess 15 years old?" Tipu Sultan mused. "That's perfect. Prince Pratibha is 17. Let's have them..."

But Sheikh Khan, wearing a smug smile, interrupted him bluntly, "Your Majesty, the French consul's intention is for Princess Amira to marry Prince Nawaz."

Tipu Sultan's eyes widened in surprise because Nawaz was his own son!

Although Tipu Sultan was the de facto ruler of Mysore, there was still a "Maharaja" above him—the titular ruler of Mysore. Tipu's father, Hyder Ali, had originally been an officer in the Mysore army. About 30 years ago, after gaining full control of the military, he sidelined the Wadiyar family, who were the original royal family, and seized control of Mysore.

Interestingly, the Wadiyar family later became a major player in India's food industry in the 21st century. They even manipulated legal loopholes in their partnership with France's Danone Group, eventually suing Danone and winning a settlement of $2.4 billion.

But back in this time, the Wadiyar family were still the nominal rulers of Mysore. Tipu had always assumed that the French would want to form a marriage alliance with the Wadiyars, not realizing that they had chosen him instead!

This meant that the French government recognized him as the true ruler of Mysore—or at least saw him as such in the future.

With French support, Tipu Sultan realized he might finally be able to dispose of the Wadiyar family once and for all.

He looked at Sheikh Khan, eager to express his agreement, but then hesitated as he remembered that the French wanted him to fight the British. His enthusiasm quickly waned.

Though he detested the British, their power was formidable, and they had the support of the Marathas and Hyderabad. He wasn't eager to provoke them.

Seeing his hesitation, Sheikh Khan quickly dangled another carrot that Salah had offered. "The French consul also said that Princess Amira's dowry includes a cannon foundry, complete with at least 30 skilled technicians and all the necessary equipment."

Tipu Sultan's breath quickened.

This wasn't just about cannons—it was a cannon foundry!

For years, Tipu had tried to learn the art of cannon-making from Europe, even spending large sums to bring in European craftsmen. While they had managed to produce some cannons, their quality and power were far inferior to those bought directly from Europe.

There were two main reasons for this.

First, Mysore had learned from the Ottomans, who themselves were not at the forefront of cannon technology. Their outdated methods were further diluted when passed on to Mysore.

Second, cannon-making is a complex, systematic process. It wasn't enough to have a blueprint and a few craftsmen. From the most basic tools, like rulers and pliers, to advanced equipment such as lathes and drills, Mysore was severely lacking. Even something as seemingly simple as a pair of pliers could be difficult to manufacture without a solid industrial base.

So far, Mysore's most reliable cannons were the dozen or so imported from Europe. They had managed to produce about 100 of their own, bringing their total to no more than 120 cannons.

These cannons were sufficient to dominate the Indian subcontinent, but they were far from enough to challenge the British.

Now, the French were offering a complete set of production equipment along with dozens of skilled technicians. This meant that, with sufficient investment, Tipu Sultan could produce a steady supply of cannons!

He already had over ten times the number of soldiers compared to the British. With enough cannons, he might just be able to defeat them!

Of course, Joseph had kept some leverage. While Mysore would gain the cannon foundry, it would still depend on France for raw materials and spare parts. Even the most basic ingredient, gunpowder, wasn't something the Indians could easily produce on their own—without a sophisticated chemical industry, their gunpowder would be at least 10-20% less effective.

Additionally, arming Mysore posed no real threat to France, as the region was firmly within the British sphere of influence. Given the complex political landscape of the subcontinent—marked by numerous small states, sharp religious and ethnic divisions, and the caste system—there was little risk that Mysore would unify the region and create a powerful empire.

Tipu Sultan made up his mind and stood up, addressing Sheikh Khan. "Invite the French consul to Amba Vilasa Palace tomorrow. I wish to discuss the marriage."

He then added, "You may also inform the consul that I am willing to offer £50,000 as a bride price."

Of course, his idea of a bride price wasn't exactly the same as in East Asia, but it was still a significant sum given in exchange for marriage.

Little did Joseph know that in his attempt to persuade Mysore to oppose the British, he had inadvertently gained a windfall of over 1.2 million livres.

But this also highlighted just how prosperous the Indian subcontinent was at this time.

And how much profit the British were reaping by controlling trade between India and Europe.

(End of Chapter)

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