John Nicholson (East India Company officer)

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Brigadier-General John Nicholson, (11 December 1822 – 23 September 1857) was an Ulster-Scot officer who rose to prominence during his career in British India. Born in Ireland, Nicholson moved to the Indian subcontinent at a young age and obtained a commission in the Bengal Army where he spent the majority of his career helping to expand the East India Company's territories in numerous conflicts, including the First Anglo-Afghan War, the First Anglo-Sikh War, and the Second Anglo-Sikh War. Nicholson created a legend for himself as a political officer under Henry Lawrence in the frontier provinces of British India, especially in the Punjab, and he was instrumental in the establishment of the North-West Frontier. Nicholson's most defining moment in his military career was his crucial role in suppressing the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a conflict in which he died. A charismatic and authoritarian figure, Nicholson led a life whose controversial exploits have created a polarized legacy; contemporary...

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