Inside the life of the real Flashman who had a HAREM and was viciously killed by a mob
IF you're a fan of the Flashman Papers series of books, you will be griped by the story of this British spy.
The novels were written by George MacDonald Fraser and feature Harry Flashman, a soldier who also has an eye for the ladies. The character was so extraordinary a movie called Royal Flash, which was based on one of the books, was made in 1975.
In his new book Sikunder Burnes - Master of the Great Game, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray explores Alexander Burnes, whose life had more than a little Flashman to it and is among the most riveting in history.
Burnes was an adventurer, warrior, spy AND diplomat who was born in 1805.
He was also related to famous Scottish poet Robert Burn, who was his great uncle.
The tale begins when Burnes was 16 and signed up for the East India Company private army.
It soon became pretty clear that his forte was in speaking other languages, so the higher ups decided to use that to their advantage.
Burnes was sent on top secret missions all over the world, travelling to places including Persia and Afghanistan.
He also spent time in what is now modern Pakistan, and he became known for his fondness of harems of women in the countries he journeyed to.
As if all the travel wasn't exciting enough, Burnes was on such specialist mission he often wore disguises to make sure he stayed safe.
Not that safety seems to be something he was too preoccupied with though - he's said to have been a risk-taker.
To give an example, at one point the British government was certain Russia was planning to invade India.
Burnes was sent in to feed back on how accessible the country was via an area called the Khyber Pass, said to be where the Russians would come from.
He was also asked to get a feel of local tribes, in the hope the Brits could work out whether Russia would get any backing.
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The explorer wasn't shy about speaking up though, and gave his view that Britain should team up with Afghan ruler Dost Mohammad Khan. His feeling was that together they would be a real match for Russia.
Unfortunately for Burnes, no one agreed with him.
Instead the British government decided to boot out Khan altogether, replacing him with a ruler who would side with them and do their bidding.
In 1839, Burnes said he would help with this plan - even though he liked Khan.
It initially seemed a success, with a new ruler in place by 1840.
But sadly for Burnes, all wasn't as it seemed.
Who is Craig Murray?
* Murray is a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, who served between 2002 and 2004
* During his time in the role, he accused the Uzbekistan government of human rights abuses
* He claims this went against and British government and led him to lose his job
* He has been vocal about disagreeing with the War on Terror since then
* Murray now works as a writer and blogger
Khan ended up being a hugely clever enemy, who was also massively popular with the tribes in his country.
They came together to fight off the people they felt were invading their homeland, eventually leading to Burnes' grisly end.
He died when he was hacked to death in his home in Kabul at the age of 36 in 1841, with the group who attacked him made up of tribes people.
The mob surrounded his home and set fire to the gates, with Burnes running to the roof to look for a military escort he'd been told was on its way.
Sadly, they weren't. Burnes and his group fired into the mob, and eventually disguised himself as an Afghan in an attempt to make it out alive.
Someone had said they could help the explorer and his group make it through the mob, but they were quickly set upon when they stepped outside.
Despite his young age he'd achieved a stunning amount, including being knighted by Queen Victoria in 1838.
When he died he was viewed as a hero because he'd stayed in his post in Afghanistan even though it was highly dangerous in the country.