Maharaja Jung Bahadur Rana (Nepali: जंग बहादुर राणा) (or Jung Bahadur Kunwar (Nepali: जंग बहादुर कुँवर), GCB, GCSI, June 18, 1816, Kathmandu, Nepal - February 25, 1877, Kathmandu) was a ruler of Nepal and founder of the Rana dynasty of Nepal. His real name was Bir Narsingh Kunwar but he became famous by the name Jung Bahadur, given to him by Mathebar Thapa, his maternal uncle.

During his lifetime, he eliminated the factional fighting at the court, introduced innovations into the bureaucracy and the judiciary, and made efforts to "modernize" Nepal. He remains one of the most important figures in Nepalese history, though modern historians have also blamed Jung Bahadur for setting up the dictatorship that repressed the nation for more than 100 years and left it in a primitive economic condition. Others exclusively blame his nephews, the Shumsher Ranas, for Nepal's dark period of history.

His father, Bal Narsingh Kunwar (aka Bala Narsingh Kunwar), was in court the day Rana Bahadur Shah was murdered by his own half - brother Sher Bahadur Shah; as a retaliation Bal Narsingh killed him on the spot. For this action, he was rewarded with the position of Kaji, which was made hereditary in his family, also he was the only person allowed to carry weapons inside the court.

Jung Bahadur Kunwar joined the military service (1832 - 33) at the age of sixteen. As maternal grandson of Bhimsen Thapa, he lost his job and his property when the latter fell. After wandering in north India for several years, he returned to Nepal as a captain in the artillery in 1840. In November 1841, he was asked by the king to join his bodyguards, and in January 1842 he began work as Kaji in the palace. When his maternal uncle Mathbar Singh Thapa returned to power, Jung Bahadur rose with him. However Mathbar Singh disliked Jung Bahadur's ambition and had him removed to a lesser position on the staff of the heir apparent. When Fateh Jung Chautaria came to power, Jung Bahadur became fourth in the hierarchy of the coalition government and took pains to flatter the queen while showing no signs of ambition to Gagan Singh. A career opportunist, he was ready and waiting when the time came to act at the Kot Massacre.

Queen Lakshmidevi, the favorite wife of King Rajendra Bikram was not pleased by the new prime minister. She conspired to eliminate Jung Bahadur Kunwar and elevate her son to the throne. The Basnyat Conspiracy -- so called because many of its participants belonged to one of the last leading noble families, the Basnyat -- was betrayed and its ringleaders were rounded up and executed in 1846 at Bhandarkhal Parva. A meeting of leading notables packed with Rana supporters found the queen guilty of complicity in the plot, stripped her of her powers, and sent her into exile in Banaras along with King Rajendra. The king still had delusions of grandeur and began plotting his return from India. In 1847 Jung Bahadur informed the troops of the exiled king's treasonous activities, announced his dethronement, and elevated Rajendra's son to the throne as Surendra Bikram Shah (1847 - 81). King Rajendra Bikram was captured later that year in the Tarai and brought back as a prisoner to Bhadgaon, where he spent the rest of his life under house arrest.

By 1850 Jung Bahadur had eliminated all of his major rivals, installed his own candidate on the throne, appointed his brothers and cronies to all the important posts, and ensured that major administrative decisions were made by himself as prime minister. At this point, he took the unprecedented step of traveling to Britain and France, leaving from Calcutta in April 1850 and returning to Kathmandu in February 1851. Although he unsuccessfully tried to deal directly with the British government while he was there, the main result of the tour was a great increase in goodwill between the British and Nepal. Recognizing the power of industrialized Europe, he became convinced that close cooperation with the British was the best way to guarantee Nepal's independence. From then on, European architecture, fashion, and furnishings became more prevalent in Kathmandu and among the Nepalese aristocracy in general.

As part of his modernization plans, Jung Bahadur commissioned leading administrators and interpreters of texts on dharma to revise and codify the legal system of the nation into a single body of laws, a process that had not been carried out since the seventeenth century under Ram Shah of Gorkha. The result was the 1,400 page Muluki Ain of 1854, a collection of administrative procedures and legal frameworks for interpreting civil and criminal matters, revenue collection, landlord and peasant relations, intercaste disputes, and marriage and family law. In contrast to the older system, which had allowed execution or bodily mutilation for a wide range of offenses, the Muluki Ain severely limited -- without abolishing - -corporal punishment. For example, the old system gave wide scope for blood vengeance by aggrieved parties, such as cuckolded husbands, but the Muluki Ain restricted such opportunities. Substitutions included confiscation of property or prison terms. Torture to obtain confessions was abolished. Strict penalties were set down for the abusers of judicial positions and also for persons maliciously accusing judges of corruption. There were statutes of limitations for judicial actions. Caste based differences in the degree of punishments remained throughout, with higher castes (for example, Brahmans) exempt from the corporal punishments and heavy fines that lower caste members incurred for the same crimes. This distinction was in keeping with the traditional approach of the dharma shastras, or ancient legal treatises.

After Jung Bahadur's visit to Europe, he took steps to increase his hold over the country. He reduced the king to a prisoner in his own palace, surrounded by agents of the prime minister and restricted and supervised at all times. No one outside the king's immediate family could see the king without permission from the prime minister. All communications in the name of the king were censored, and he was allowed to read only approved literature. In 1856 the king issued a royal decree (sanad) that formalized the dominance of the Kunwar family. There were three main provisions in this crucial document. First, the prime minister had complete authority over all internal administration, including civil, military, and judicial affairs, and all foreign relations, including the powers to make war and peace. Second, Jung Bahadur was made great king (maharajah) of Kaski and Lamjung districts, in effect serving as their independent ruler. The Shah king retained the title of maharaja dhiraja (supreme king) and the right to use the honorific term shri five times with his name. The prime minister could use shri three times with his name. In this way, Jung Bahadur stopped short of taking the throne outright but elevated his family to a level second only to the royal house, which remained as a symbol of the nation. Finally, provisions were established for hereditary succession to the post of prime minister. Brothers and then sons would inherit the position in order of seniority. These provisions meant that the dictatorship of the Kunwar family, a virtual monarchy within the monarchy, would be passed down in the family for generations, with no legal mechanism for changing the government. Later, Jung Bahadur established official Rolls of Succession that ranked all his descendants in relation to their hereditary rights to the office of prime minister.

Jung Bahadur sealed the arrangement with the Shah Dynasty by arranging marriages between his heirs and the royal house. In 1854, his eldest son Jagat Jung (aged eight) married the eldest daughter (aged six) of king Surendra. In 1855 his second son married the second daughter of the king. The ultimate test was passed in 1857, when heir apparent Trilokya Bir Bikram married two daughters of Jung Bahadur. A son of this union, Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, ascended to the throne in 1881.

Nepal began to experience some successes in international affairs during the tenure of Jung Bahadur. To the north, relations with Tibet had been mediated through China since Nepal's defeat in 1792, and during the early nineteenth century embassies had to make the arduous journey to Beijing every five years with local products as tribute to the Qing emperor. By 1854, however, China was in decline and had fallen into a protracted period of disturbances, including the Taiping Rebellion (1851 - 64), revolts by Muslim ethnic groups north of Tibet, and war with European powers. The Nepalese mission to Beijing in 1852, just after the death of the sixth Panchen Lama, was allegedly mistreated in Tibet. Because of this slight, the Nepalese government sent a protest letter to Beijing and Lhasa outlining several grievances, including excessive customs duties on Nepalese trade. In 1855 Nepalese troops overran the Kuti and Kairang areas. The Nepalese - Tibetan War lasted for about a year, with successes and failures on both sides, until a treaty negotiated by the Chinese resident and ratified in March 1856 gave Nepalese merchants duty - free trade privileges, forced Tibet to pay an annual tribute of 10,000 rupees to Nepal, and allowed a Nepalese resident in Lhasa. In return, Nepal gave up territorial gains and agreed that it, as well as Tibet, would remain a tributary state subject to China. As the Qing Empire disintegrated later in the century, this tributary status was allowed to lapse, and even Tibet began to shake off its subordination.

Prime Minister of Nepal and Maharaja of Kaski & Lamjung, Jung Bahadur Rana was the first Rajah and Prime Minister to get state honors in the court of Queen Victoria in 1850 AD. Nepal and Britain became strong allies after Jung Bahadur's return from his England visit.

The outbreak of disorder to the south also allowed the Nepalese army to take a more active role in international affairs. The Indian Rebellion of 1857, beginning in May 1857, was a series of related uprisings throughout north India that threatened to topple the power of the British East India Company. The uprisings began with widespread mutinies in the company's army and spread to include peasant revolts and alliances of the old Mughal aristocracy against the foreigner. Most of the major cities west of Bengal fell into rebel hands, and the aged Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was proclaimed the leader of a national revolution. Initially there was some fear in British circles that Nepal would side with the rebels and turn the tide irrevocably against the British East India Company, but Jung Bahadur proved to be a loyal and reliable ally. At that point, immediately following hostilities in Tibet, the army of Nepal had grown to around 25,000 troops. Jung Bahadur sent several columns ahead and then marched with 9,000 troops into northern India in December 1857. Heading an army of 15,000 troops, he fought several hard battles and aided the British in their campaigns around Gorakhpur and Lucknow. The prime minister returned to Nepal triumphantly in March 1858 and continued to aid the British in rooting out "rebels" who had been dislocated during the chaos and sought refuge in the Tarai.

After the Sepoy Rebellion had been crushed and Britain had abolished the British East India Company and taken direct control of India in 1858, Nepal received a reward for its loyalty. Western sections of the Tarai that had been ceded through the Sugauli Treaty in 1816 were returned. Henceforth, the British were firm supporters of Jung Bahadur's government, and Nepal later became an important source of military recruits for the British army.

In 1858 King Surendra bestowed upon Jung Bahadur Kunwar the honorific title of Rana, an old title denoting martial glory used by Rajput princes in northern India. He then became Jung Bahadur Rana, and the later prime ministers descended from his family added his name to their own in honor of his accomplishments. Their line became known as the house of the Ranas. Jung Bahadur remained prime minister until 1877, suppressing conspiracies and local revolts and enjoying the fruits of his early successes. He exercised almost unlimited power over internal affairs, taking for his own use whatever funds were available in the treasury. He lived in the high style of an Anglicized native prince in the British Raj, although unlike the Indian princes he was the ruler of a truly independent nation, an ally rather than a subordinate of the British.

Rose was the third son of Sir George Henry Rose of Sandhills, Christchurch, Hampshire (minister plenipotentiary at the Prussian court) and was born at Berlin. He was educated in Berlin, and received military instruction at the cadet school. He entered the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders as an ensign on June 8, 1820, but was transferred to the 19th Foot and quartered in Ireland where he took part in preserving order during the "Ribbon" outrages. He was promoted rapidly - to a lieutenancy in 1821, a captaincy in 1824, and an unattached majority at the end of 1826. He was brought into the 92nd Highlanders as a regimental major in 1829, and the following year was appointed equerry to HRH the Duke of Cambridge.

While in Ireland with the 92nd Highlanders, Rose again found himself employed in maintaining law and order. He rendered important services in suppressing disaffected meetings, but his conduct was so courteous to the ringleaders that he incurred no personal hostility. In 1833 he accompanied his regiment to Gibraltar, and three years later to Malta, where he exerted himself with so much zeal during a serious outbreak of cholera in attending to the sick soldiers that his conduct elicited an official approval from the governor and commander - in - chief.

In 1839 Rose was promoted, by purchase, to an unattached lieutenant - colonelcy. In the following year Rose was selected, with other officers and detachments of Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers, for special service in Syria under the orders of the foreign office. Under Brigadier - General Michell, RA and in conjunction with the Turkish troops and the British fleet on the coast they fought for the expulsion of Mehemet Ali's Egyptian army from Syria. Sir Stratford Canning sent Rose from Constantinople on a diplomatic mission to Ibrahim Pasha, commanding the Egyptian army in Syria, and after its execution he was attached, as deputy adjutant - general, to the staff of Omar Pasha, who landed at Jaffa with a large Turkish force from the British fleet.

Rose distinguished himself in several engagements, and was twice wounded at El Mesden in January 1841. He was mentioned in dispatches, and received from the sultan the order of Nishan Iftihar in diamonds, the war medal and a sabre of honor. The king of Prussia sent him the order of St John, and expressed his pleasure that "an early acquaintance" had so gallantly distinguished himself. Shortly after he succeeded to the command of the British detachment in Syria with the local rank of colonel and in April 1841 he was appointed British consul - general for Syria.

For seven years, amidst political complications and intrigues, Rose did much to arrest the horrors of civil war, prevent the feuds between the Maronites and Druzes coming to a head, and administer justice impartially. On one occasion in 1841, when he found the Maronites and Druzes drawn up in two lines and firing at each other, he rode between them at imminent risk to his life and by the sheer force of a stronger will stopped the conflict. In the first year of his appointment his actions saved the lives of several hundred Christians at Deir el Kbama in the Lebanon. His services were warmly recognized by Lord Aberdeen in the House of Lords and he was made Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).

In 1845 he rescued 600 Christians belonging to the American mission at Abaye, in the Lebanon, from the hands of the Druzes, and brought them to Beirut. In 1848, during the outbreak of cholera at Beirut, he was most devoted in his attention to the sick and dying. At the end of this year he left Syria on leave of absence and did not return as Lord Palmerston appointed him secretary of embassy at Constantinople in January 1851. In the following year he was chargé d'affaires in the absence of Sir Stratford Canning during the crisis of the question of the "holy places" and he so strengthened the hands of the Porte that the Russian attempt to force a secret treaty upon Turkey was foiled.

During the war with Russia in 1854 – 56 Rose was the British commissioner at the headquarters of the French army, with the local rank of brigadier - general. At Varna he succeeded in quenching a fire which threatened the French small arm ammunition stores, and received the thanks of Marshal St Arnaud, who recommended him for the Legion of Honour. He was present at the battle of the Alma, and was wounded on the following day. At Inkerman he reconnoitred the ground between the British and French armies under withering fire from the Russian pickets and his horse was shot under him.

He distinguished himself on several other occasions in maintaining verbal communication between the allied forces and by his tact and judgment contributed to the good feeling that existed between the two armies. His services were acknowledged by the commanders - in - chief of both armies and he received the medal with three clasps and the thanks of Parliament, was promoted to major - general, and was made KCB and commander of the Legion of Honour.

On the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny in 1857 Rose was given command of the Poona division. He arrived in September, and shortly after took command of the newly created Central Indian Field Force made up mostly of loyal sepoys and elements of the army maintained by the Nizam of Hyderabad.

In January 1858 he marched from Mhow, captured Rathgarh after a short siege and defeated the raja of Banpur near Barodia in the same month. He then relieved Saugor, captured Garhakota and the fort of Barodia, and early in March his army defeated the rebels in the Madanpur Pass and captured Madanpur and Chanderi.

He arrived at Jhansi on March 10 and during the siege defeated a relieving force under Tantia Topi at the Betwa on April 1. Most of Rose's force was locked up in the siege and so he could only field 1,540 men against Tantia Topi's army of 20,000 troops and 28 guns. With the advantage of Punjabi - Afghan sepoys he was able to rout the enemy, inflicting a total loss of 1500 men and all of their stores. Jhansi was stormed and the greater part of the city taken on the 3rd with the rest on the following day and the fort on the 5th. However the Queen Rani Lakshmibai, known as "Rani Of Jhansi", defended the fort bravely with her troops for 11 days. Hugh Rose could not catch her as she made an unprecedented escape. She was India's "Joan Of Arc". Kunch was captured after severe fighting in a temperature of 110°F in the shade on May 7. Rose himself was only able to hold out by medical treatment and there were many casualties due to the heat.

Under the same conditions Rose's force marched on Kalpi. The rebels came out in number on May 22 to attack his small force, exhausted by hard marching and weakened by sickness, but after a severe fight under a burning sun, and in a suffocating hot wind, were routed and Kalpi occupied the following day. Having completed his program, Rose obtained sick leave, and Sir Robert Napier was appointed to succeed him, when news came of the defection of Sindhia's troops and the occupation of Gwalior by Tantya Tope. Rose at once resumed command and moved on Gwalior by forced marches, winning the battle of Morar on June 16. Leaving Napier there he attacked and captured the city of Gwalior on the 19th. The fortress was stormed and won the following day and Napier gained a signal victory over the retreating enemy at Jaora - Alipur on the 24th.

Rose then handed over command of the Punjabi - Afghan sepoys to Napier and returned to Poona. Despite his considerable contribution to the suppression of the Indian Mutiny his merit was not fully recognized at the time owing to official jealousy that he had superior Punjabi - Afghan sepoys. For his services he received the medal with clasp, the thanks of both Houses of Parliament, the regimental colonelcy of the 45th Foot, and was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB). A legal quibble meant that after protracted litigation the Central India force was not allowed its share of prize money, a personal loss to Rose of £30,000. Rose was promoted lieutenant - general for his "eminent services" in February 1860, and the next month was appointed commander - in - chief of the Bombay army, and on the departure of Lord Clyde from India in the following June he succeeded him as Commander - in - Chief, India.

During his tenure as commander - in - chief Rose improved the discipline of the army and enabled the amalgamation of the East India Company's army into the Queen's army to be carried out without friction. He was created KSI in 1861 and GCSI in 1866.

On his return home he was made an honorary DCL of Oxford University. Rose held the Irish command from 1865 until 1870, was raised to the peerage in 1866 as Baron Strathnairn, of Strathnairn in the County of Nairn and of Jhansi in the East Indies, transferred to the colonelcy of the 92nd Foot, and appointed president of the army transport committee. In 1866 and 1867 his leadership enabled the Irish government to deal successfully with the Fenian conspiracy. He was promoted to general in 1867.

On relinquishing the Irish command he was made an honorary LL.D. of Trinity College, Dublin. For the rest of his life he mainly lived in London. He was gazetted to the colonelcy of the Royal Horse Guards in 1869, and promoted to Field Marshal in June 1877. He died in Paris on the 16th of October 1885, aged 84, when the barony became extinct. He was buried with military honors in the graveyard of the Priory Church, Christchurch, Hampshire. An equestrian bronze statue, by E Onslow Ford, RA, was erected to his memory at Knightsbridge, London. (This statue was removed in 1931.) He was never married.