The Founder
Claude Martin was born on 4 January 1735 in Lyon, France. He came to India when he was 17 and served in the French East India Company. After French influence declined in India and, following a spell in British custody after a military defeat, he accepted a commission in the British East India Company's army and rose to the rank of Major-General. After taking up residence in Lucknow, India, he again switched allegiances and occupied an important position in the court of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula and later his son, Asaf-ud-Daula.
During this period he is estimated to have accumulated a fortune of about 400,000 rupees. He built the palace of 'Constantia' and his house named Farhat Baksh, both of which he equipped with luxuries that included a library of some 4,000 volumes written in many languages and a picture gallery.
He died in Lucknow on September 13, 1800. According to his will, he was buried in the vault prepared for his remains in the basement of the college in Lucknow. The major portion of his monies and estate were left for founding three institutions, one each in Lucknow and Calcutta and his birthplace Lyon.
It took 30 years to dispose of the litigation arising out of Claude Martin's will. Finally, as the result of a supreme court decision, La Martinière Schools opened in Calcutta, on 1 March 1836.
Read more about this topic: La Martiniere Calcutta
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