author
George Arbuthnot
1836–1912
Best remembered today for a vivid travel-and-history account of the Balkans, this Victorian soldier and politician wrote from direct observation as well as public life. His work offers a window into 19th-century conflict, empire, and debate.
1 Audiobook
Herzegovina; Or, Omer Pacha and the Christian Rebels
by George Arbuthnot
About the author
George Arbuthnot (1836–1912) was a British army officer and Conservative politician who also published Herzegovina; Or, Omer Pacha and the Christian Rebels. Born in Madras, he later served in the Royal Horse Artillery and sat in Parliament for Hereford.
His best-known book grew out of his interest in events in the Balkans and presents a strongly 19th-century eyewitness-style account of unrest in Herzegovina and the campaigns of Omer Pasha. For modern listeners, it is most valuable as a period document: part travel writing, part political commentary, and part military history.
Arbuthnot’s background in the army and in public life helps explain the confident, report-like tone of his writing. Even when readers disagree with his viewpoint, his work remains a revealing example of how Victorian Britain looked at war, diplomacy, and rebellion abroad.