None

This study begins with a history of the Avadh dynasty, and the relations of its rulers - who ranged between extremes of political wisdom and dissolute instability - with the Mughal Emperors in Delhi and with the British at a time of rising British power in India. It then describes the development of Lucknow's culture and social institutions to a degree of richness that may be compared with the levels attained by the most admired of the great civilizations of history.