Editing Princely state (section)

==Precedence and prestige==
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2024}}
The actual importance of a princely state could not be read from the title of its ruler, which was usually ''granted'' (or at least recognized) as a favor, often in recognition for loyalty and services rendered to the [[British Raj]]. Although some titles were raised once or even repeatedly, there was no automatic updating when a state gained or lost real power. In fact, princely titles were even awarded to holders of domains (mainly [[jagir|''jagirs'']]) and even [[taluqdar|''taluqdars'']] and [[zamindar|''zamindars'']], which were not states at all. Most of the ''zamindars'' who held princely titles were in fact erstwhile princely and royal states reduced to becoming ''zamindars'' by the British East India Company. Various sources give significantly different numbers of states and domains of the various types. Even in general, the definition of titles and domains are clearly not well-established.

[[File:Group portrait of the Maharaja of Mysore and his brothers and sisters.jpg|right|thumb|An 1895 group photograph of the eleven-year-old [[Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV]], ruler of the [[Kingdom of Mysore|princely state of Mysore]] in [[South India]], with his brothers and sisters. In 1799, his grandfather, then aged five, had been granted dominion of Mysore by the British and forced into a [[subsidiary alliance]]. The British later directly governed the state between 1831 and 1881]]
[[Image:Maharaja rewapalace govindgarh1870.jpg|right|thumb|The Govindgarh Palace of the Maharaja of [[Rewa (princely state)|Rewa]]. The palace which was built as a hunting lodge later became famous for the first [[white tiger]]s that were found in the adjacent jungle and raised in the palace zoo]]
[[Image:Nawab junagadh1885.jpg|thumb|The [[Nawab of Junagarh]] Bahadur Khan III (seated centre in an ornate chair) shown in an 1885 photograph with state officials and family]]
[[Image:Maharani sikkim1900.jpg|thumb|Photograph (1900) of the Maharani of [[Sikkim]]. Sikkim was under the [[suzerainty]] of the Provincial government of Bengal; its ruler received a 15-gun salute]]

In addition to their titles, all princely rulers were eligible to be appointed to certain British orders of chivalry associated with India, the [[Order of the Star of India|Most Exalted Order of the Star of India]] and the [[Order of the Indian Empire|Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire]]. Women could be appointed as "Knights" (instead of Dames) of these orders. Rulers entitled to 21-gun and 19-gun salutes were normally appointed to the highest rank, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India.

Many Indian princes served in the [[British Army]], the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]], or in local guard or police forces, often rising to high ranks; some even served while on the throne. Many of these were appointed as an [[aide-de-camp]], either to the ruling prince of their own house (in the case of relatives of such rulers) or to British monarchs. Many saw [[active service]], both on the subcontinent and on other fronts, during both World Wars.

Apart from those members of the princely houses who entered military service and who distinguished themselves, a good number of princes received honorary ranks as officers in the British and Indian Armed Forces. Those ranks were conferred based on several factors, including their heritage, lineage, gun-salute (or lack of one) as well as personal character or martial traditions. After the First and Second World Wars, the princely rulers of several of the major states, including [[Gwalior State|Gwalior]], [[Patiala State|Patiala]], [[Nabha State|Nabha]], [[Faridkot State|Faridkort]], [[Bikaner State|Bikaner]], [[Jaipur State|Jaipur]], [[Jodhpur State|Jodhpur]], [[Kashmir and Jammu (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and Hyderabad, were given honorary general officer ranks as a result of their states' contributions to the war effort.
* Lieutenant/Captain/Flight Lieutenant or Lieutenant-Commander/Major/Squadron Leader (for junior members of princely houses or for minor princes)
* Commander/Lieutenant-Colonel/Wing Commander or Captain/Colonel/Group Captain (granted to princes of salute states, often to those entitled to 15-guns or more)
* Commodore/Brigadier/Air Commodore (conferred upon princes of salute states entitled to gun salutes of 15-guns or more)
* Major-General/Air Vice-Marshal (conferred upon princes of salute states entitled to 15-guns or more; conferred upon rulers of the major princely states, including Baroda, [[Kapurthala State|Kapurthala]], Travancore, [[Bhopal State|Bhopal]] and [[Mysore Kingdom|Mysore]])
* Lieutenant-General (conferred upon the rulers of the largest and most prominent princely houses after the First and Second World Wars for their states' contributions to the war effort.)
* General (very rarely awarded; the Maharajas of Gwalior and Jammu & Kashmir were created honorary Generals in the British Army in 1877, the Maharaja of Bikaner was made one in 1937, and the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1941){{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

It was also not unusual for members of princely houses to be appointed to various colonial offices, often far from their native state, or to enter the diplomatic corps.

===Salute states===
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2024}}
{{main|Salute state}}

[[File:HH The Maharaja Sir Jayaji Rao Scindia of Gwalior, General Sir Henry Daly (Founder of The Daly College, Indore), with British officers and Maratha nobility in Indore, Holkar State, Central India. Circa 1879..jpg|thumb|left| [[Jayajirao Scindia|HH Maharaja Sir Jayaji Rao Scindia]] of [[Gwalior State]], General Sir [[Henry Daly]] (Founder of The [[Daly College]]), with British officers and [[Maratha Empire|Maratha]] [[nobility]] ([[Sardar]]s, [[Jagirdar]]s & [[Mankari]]s) in [[Indore]], [[Holkar State]], {{circa|1879}}]]
The [[gun salute]] system was used to set unambiguously the precedence of the major rulers in the area in which the British East India Company was active, or generally of the states and their dynasties. As heads of a state, certain princely rulers were entitled to be saluted by the firing of an odd number of guns between three and 21, with a greater number of guns indicating greater prestige. Generally, the number of guns remained the same for all successive rulers of a particular state, but individual princes were sometimes granted additional guns on a personal basis. Furthermore, rulers were sometimes granted additional gun salutes within their own territories only, constituting a semi-promotion. The states of all these rulers (about 120) were known as [[salute states]].

After [[Partition of India|Indian Independence]], the Maharana of [[Udaipur State|Udaipur]] displaced the [[Nizam]] of Hyderabad as the most senior prince in India, because [[Hyderabad State]] had not acceded to the new [[Dominion of India]], and the style ''Highness'' was extended to all rulers entitled to 9-gun salutes. When the princely states had been integrated into the Indian Union their rulers were promised continued privileges and an income (known as the [[Privy Purse in India|Privy Purse]]) for their upkeep. Subsequently, when the Indian government abolished the Privy Purse in 1971, the whole princely order ceased to be recognised under Indian law, although many families continue to retain their social prestige informally; some descendants of the rulers are still prominent in regional or national politics, diplomacy, business and high society.

At the time of Indian independence, only five rulers – the [[Nizam]] of [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]], the Maharaja of [[Kingdom of Mysore|Mysore]], the Maharaja of [[Kashmir and Jammu (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir state]], the Maharaja [[Scindia]] of [[Gwalior State|Gwalior]] and the Maharaja [[Gaekwad]] of [[Baroda State|Baroda]] – were entitled to a 21-gun salute. Six more{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} – the Nawab of [[Bhopal State|Bhopal]], the [[House of Holkar|Maharaja Holkar]] of [[Indore State|Indore]], the Maharaja of [[Bharatpur State|Bharatpur]]{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}, the Maharana of [[Udaipur State|Udaipur]], the Maharaja of [[Kolhapur State|Kolhapur]], the [[Maharaja]] of [[Patiala State|Patiala]]{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} and the Maharaja of [[Travancore]] – were entitled to 19-gun salutes. The most senior princely ruler was the [[Nizam of Hyderabad]], who was entitled to the unique style ''[[Exalted Highness]]'' and [[21-gun salute]].<ref>{{cite web |title=King of all rewinds |website=[[The Week (Indian magazine)|The Week]] |url=https://www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/king-of-all-rewinds.html}}</ref> Other princely rulers entitled to salutes of 11 guns (soon 9 guns too) or more were entitled to the style ''Highness''. No special style was used by rulers entitled to lesser gun salutes.

As ''paramount ruler'', and successor to the Mughals, the British ''[[King-Emperor]]'' of India, for whom the style of [[Majesty]] was reserved, was entitled to an 'imperial' 101-gun salute—in the European tradition also the number of guns fired to announce the birth of an heir (male) to the throne.

===Non-salute states===
[[File:Princely States. Karauli. Manak Pal (1772-1804) Karauli mint. Struck in the name of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. Dated 1784-5 CE.jpg|thumb|Coinage of king Manak Pal (1772-1804), [[Karauli State|Princely State of Karauli]]. Karauli mint. Struck in the name of the Mughal emperor [[Shah Alam II]]. Dated 1784-5 CE]]
There was no strict correlation between the levels of the titles and the classes of gun salutes, the real measure of precedence, but merely a growing percentage of higher titles in classes with more guns.
As a rule the majority of gun-salute princes had at least nine, with numbers below that usually the prerogative of Arab Sheikhs of the [[Aden protectorate]], also under British protection.

There were many so-called non-salute states of lower prestige. Since the total of salute states was 117 and there were more than 500 princely states, most rulers were not entitled to any gun salute. Not all of these were minor rulers – [[Surguja State]], for example, was both larger and more populous than [[Karauli State]], but the Maharaja of Karauli was entitled to a 17-gun salute and the Maharaja of Surguja was not entitled to any gun salute at all.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lethbridge |first=Sir Roper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zykYAAAAYAAJ&q=karauli+gun+salute |title=The Golden Book of India. A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled Or Decorated, of the Indian Empire. With an Appendix for Ceylon |date=1900 |publisher=S. Low, Marston & Company |pages=132 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Office |first=Great Britain India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HGJPAAAAMAAJ&q=karauli+gun+salute |title=The India List and India Office List for ... |date=1902 |publisher=Harrison and Sons |pages=172 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hooja |first=Rima |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tosMAQAAMAAJ |title=A History of Rajasthan |date=2006 |publisher=Rupa & Company |isbn=978-81-291-0890-6 |pages=856 |language=en}}</ref>

A number of princes, in the broadest sense of the term, were not even acknowledged as such.{{example needed|?|date=December 2018}} On the other hand, the dynasties of certain defunct states were allowed to keep their princely status – they were known as [[political pensioner]]s, such as the Nawab of [[Oudh]]. There were also certain estates of British India which were rendered as [[Saranjamdar|political saranjams]], having equal princely status.<ref name="Patel1957">{{cite book|author=Govindlal Dalsukhbhai Patel|title=The land problem of reorganized Bombay state|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvQCAAAAMAAJ|access-date=9 June 2012|year=1957|publisher=N. M. Tripathi}}</ref> Though none of these princes were awarded gun salutes, princely titles in this category were recognised as a form of [[vassal state|vassals]] of salute states, and were not even in direct relation with the paramount power.

===Largest princely states by area===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Eleven largest princely states in terms of area
|-
! Name of princely state !! Area in square miles !! colspan="2"|Population in 1941 !! Present State !! Title, ethnicity, and religion of ruler !! Gun-salute for ruler
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of Jammu and Kashmir (1936-1953).svg}} [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu and Kashmir]]
| style="text-align:right"| 84,471
| 4,021,616 ||including Gilgit, Baltistan (Skardu), Ladakh, and Punch (mostly Muslim, with a sizeable Hindu and Buddhist minority)
| [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu & Kashmir]] and [[Ladakh]] in India
| ''Maharaja'', ''[[Dogras|Dogra]], Hindu''
| style="text-align:center"| 21 
|-
| {{flag|Hyderabad State}}
| style="text-align:right"| 82,698
| style="text-align:right"| 16,338,534 ||(mostly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim minority)
| [[Telangana]], [[Maharashtra]], [[Karnataka]] in [[India]]
| ''[[Nizam]]'', ''[[Turkic peoples|Turkic]], Muslim''
| style="text-align:center"| 21 
|-
| align="left" |{{Flag|Khanate of Kalat}}|| align="right" | 73,278 || align="right" | 250,211 || align="left" | (chiefly Muslim with a small Hindu minority) || align="left" | [[Balochistan, Pakistan]] || align="left" | ''Khan'' or ''Wali'', [[Baloch people|Baloch]], Muslim || align="center" | 19 
|-
| {{flagicon image|Jodhpur.svg}} [[Jodhpur State]]
| style="text-align:right"| 36,071
| style="text-align:right"| 2,125,000 ||(mostly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim minority)
| [[Rajasthan]], India
| ''Maharaja'', [[Rathore (Rajput clan)|Rathore]], Hindu
| style="text-align:center"| 17
|-
| {{flag|Kingdom of Mysore}}
| style="text-align:right"| 29,458
| style="text-align:right"| 7,328,896 ||(Chiefly Hindu, with pockets of Muslim minority)
| [[Karnataka]], India
| ''[[Wodeyar]]'' dynasty; ''Maharaja''; [[Kannadiga]]; [[Hindu]] [[Kshattriya]] (Urs/Arasu in Kannada)
| style="text-align:center"| 21 
|-
| {{flag|Gwalior State}}
| style="text-align:right"| 26,397
| style="text-align:right"| 4,006,159 ||(chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim minority)
| [[Madhya Pradesh]], India
| ''[[Maharaja]]'', ''[[Maratha]], [[Hindu]]''
| style="text-align:center"| 21 
|-
| {{flagicon image|Flag of Bikaner.svg}} [[Bikaner State]]
| style="text-align:right"|23,317
| style="text-align:right"|936,218 ||(chiefly Hindu, with a low Muslim minority)
| [[Rajasthan]], India
| ''Maharaja, Rathore, Hindu''
| style="text-align:center"|17
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of State of Bahawalpur.svg}} [[Bahawalpur (princely state)|Bahawalpur State]]
| style="text-align:right"|17,726
| style="text-align:right"|1,341,209 ||(Chiefly Muslim, with a sizeable Hindu and Sikh minority)
|[[Punjab, Pakistan]]
|''Nawab Amir, Abbasid, Muslim''
| style="text-align:center"|17
|-
|{{flagicon image|Jaisalmer Flag.svg}} [[Jaisalmer State]]
| style="text-align:right"|16,100
| style="text-align:right"|76,255 ||(Chiefly Hindu with a sizeable Muslim minority)
| [[Rajasthan]], India
| ''Maharaja, [[Bhati]], Hindu''
| style="text-align:center"|15
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of Jaipur.svg}} [[Jaipur State]]
| style="text-align:right"|15,601
| style="text-align:right"|2,631,775 ||(Chiefly Hindu, with a sizeable Muslim population)
| [[Rajasthan]], India
| ''Maharaja, [[Kachhwaha]], Hindu''
| style="text-align:center"|17
|-
|{{flagicon image|Drapeau Bastar.png}} [[Bastar State]]
| style="text-align:right"|13,062
| style="text-align:right"|306,501 ||(Chiefly Hindu, with a low Muslim population)
| [[Chhattisgarh]], India
|''Maharaja, [[Kakatiya dynasty|Kakatiya]] - [[Bhanj dynasty|Bhanj]], Hindu''
| style="text-align:center"| -
|}