Jeanne Dupleix
Jeanne Dupleix, mid. 18th cent., French diplomat. She was originally a widow of a colleague of Dupleix, the French governor of Pondicherry. In 1714, she married Dupleix at Chandernagore, Bengal. She was his constant companion in all his triumphs and failures. Her knowledge of statecraft and of many Indian languages, enabled her to carry on extensive correspondence with the courts of a number of Indian rulers. Her letters to the Indian interpreter of the British governor of Madras were intercepted, for which the interpreter was hanged. She signed her name as Jan Begum.
