Scribal Terror: Balthazar Napoleon de Bourbon de Bhopal

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Is a middle class Indian lawyer the next in line to the French throne? According to an article in the LA Times, the Bourbons of Bhopal trace their lineage back to "Jean Philippe, a nephew of King Henri IV who survived assassination attempts and a kidnapping at sea, eventually washed up in India, where he served at the court of the Mogul Emperor Akbar in the 16th century."

Through the 18th and 19th centuries, [Balthazar's] forefathers were among Bhopal's elite, trusted retainers of the ruling Muslim clan. But after many decades of loyal service, the Roman Catholic De Bourbons were ousted from their privileged position by a new, intolerant Muslim ruler in the early part of the 20th century.

Much of the De Bourbons' property was confiscated. Over the years they were forced to sell off jewelry, chandeliers and homes, including an imposing gated mansion, now demolished, that Balthazar remembers seeing as a child. The house he lives in has been in the family's hands for 200 years, he says, and was where his ancestors would stop to refresh themselves after riding on elephant-back to attend Mass in the church that still stands nearby.

And Balthazar may very well be the last Dauphin.

You can read more of the (rather romantic) details here.