Sikh Empire
The Sikh Empire was an empire mainly based in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It lasted from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, until 1849, when the British East India Company defeated them in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. The empire stretched from Gilgit and Tibet in the north to the deserts of Sindh in the south and from the Khyber Pass in the west to the Sutlej in the east.
The empire had a diverse population of around 4.5 million in 1831, with Muslims being the majority at 70% and Sikhs at 6%. The British Empire annexed it, marking the end of independent Sikh rule in the Indian subcontinent.
The empire's origins trace back to the capture of Lahore from Zaman Shah Durrani, and Ranjit Singh became Maharaja in 1801. Ranjit successfully unified the Sikh misls and expelled much of the Durrani Empire remnants in Punjab. He modernized the Sikh army with European-style tactics and weaponry, and incorporated European officers. However, after his death, internal divisions and political mismanagement weakened the empire. The British East India Company took advantage, and in 1849, the Sikh Empire fell after losing the Second Anglo-Sikh War.
History
The Sikh Empire officially started in 1801, when Ranjit Singh of the Sukerchakia Misl coronated himself as a Maharaja in his new capital city of Lahore. He would gradually annex all the other rival Misls of the Sikh Confederacy by 1813. The leaders of these Misls (including Ranjit Singh) were usually from established Jat families with a long history in Sikh traditions.
Ranjit also subdued most of the local Punjabi Muslim polities. In some cases, Ranjit incorporated Muslims into his court. However, some discriminatory policies against Muslims were also enforced in parts of the empire.
Hari Singh Nalwa served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army from 1825 to 1837. He played a key role in conquering various regions and securing the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Nalwa expanded the empire's frontier to the Indus River, and at the time of his death, the western boundary was the Khyber Pass.
Ranjit Singh had modernized the Sikh army according to European standards. The British had recognized this earlier, and thus had chosen to sign the Treaty of Amritsar rather than risk direct confrontation. With the death of Ranjit, the empire significantly weakened due to the Brahmin-Dogra and Sandhawalia factions. Ranjit's successors (Kharak, Nau Nihal, Sher, and Duleep Singh) were all quickly deposed or killed. This division encouraged the British to invade.
Some of the battles of the Anglo-Sikh wars, most famously the Battle of Chillianwala, are seen as pyrrhic victories for the British, enabled primarily by betrayals from Sikh generals rather than incompetence from the soldiers. Ultimately, the empire was annexed into the British Raj.
Timeline
- 1790–1801: Ranjit Singh becomes Misldar of the Sukerchakia misl.
- 1799, formation of the Sikh Khalsa Army
- 12 April 1801 (coronation) – 27 June 1839: reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
- March 1809 – August 1809: Nepal–Sikh War.
- 20 February 1810: Siege of Multan (1810).
- 1 June 1813: Ranjit Singh is given the Kohinoor Diamond.
- 13 July 1813: Battle of Attock, the Sikh Empire's first significant victory over the Durrani Empire.
- March – 2 June 1818: Battle of Multan, the 2nd battle in the Afghan–Sikh wars.
- 3 July 1819: Battle of Shopian.
- 14 March 1823: Battle of Nowshera.
- 30 April 1837: Battle of Jamrud.
- 27 June 1839 – 5 November 1840: Reign of Maharaja Kharak Singh.
- 5 November 1840 – 18 January 1841: Chand Kaur is briefly Regent.
- 18 January 1841 – 15 September 1843: Reign of Maharaja Sher Singh.
- May 1841 – August 1842: Sino-Sikh war.
- 15 September 1843 – 31 March 1849: Reign of Maharaja Duleep Singh.
- 1845–1846: First Anglo-Sikh War.
- 1848–1849: Second Anglo-Sikh War.
Administration
The empire was divided into various provinces (known as Subas), them namely being:
| No. | Name | Estimated population (1838) | Major population centre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lahore Suba | 1,900,000 | Lahore |
| 2. | Multan Suba | 750,000 | Multan |
| 3. | Peshawar Suba | 550,000 | Peshawar |
| 4. | Derajat Suba | 600,000 | Dera Ghazi Khan, Dera Ismail Khan |
| 5. | Jammu and Hill States Suba | 1,100,000 | Srinagar |
List of rulers
| S. No. | Name | Portrait | Birth and death | Reign | Note | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maharaja Ranjit Singh |  |
13 November 1780 (Gujranwala) | 27 June 1839 (Lahore) | 12 April 1801 | 27 June 1839 | 38 years, 76 days | The first Sikh ruler | Stroke |
| 2 | Maharaja Kharak Singh |  |
22 February 1801 (Lahore) | 5 November 1840 (Lahore) | 27 June 1839 | 8 October 1839 | 103 days | Son of Ranjit Singh | Poisoning |
| 3 | Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh |  |
11 February 1820 (Lahore) | 6 November 1840 (Lahore) | 8 October 1839 | 6 November 1840 | 1 year, 29 days | Son of Kharak Singh | Assassinated |
| 4 | Maharani Chand Kaur |
 |
1802 (Fatehgarh Churian) | 11 June 1842 (Lahore) | 6 November 1840 | 18 January 1841 | 73 days | Wife of Kharak Singh and the only female ruler of Sikh Empire | Abdicated |
| 5 | Maharaja Sher Singh |  |
4 December 1807 (Batala) | 15 September 1843 (Lahore) | 18 January 1841 | 15 September 1843 | 2 years, 240 days | Son of Ranjit Singh | Assassinated |
| 6 | Maharaja Duleep Singh |  |
6 September 1838 (Lahore) | 22 October 1893 (Paris) | 15 September 1843 | 29 March 1849 | 5 years, 195 days | Son of Ranjit Singh | Exiled |
| 7 | Maharani Jind Kaur (regent; nominal) |
 |
1817 (Gujranwala) | 1 August 1863 (Kensington) | 15 September 1843 | 29 March 1849 | 5 years, 195 days | Wife of Ranjit Singh | Exiled |
References
- ↑ Lafont, Jean Marie (2002). Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Lord of the Five Rivers. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-566111-8.
- ↑ William, Wilson Hunter; Singh, Ranjit; Wilson, Hunter W. (2020). Rulers of India. Hansebooks GmbH. ISBN 978-3-348-00789-4.
- ↑ "Ranjit Singh: A Secular Sikh Sovereign | Exotic India Art". www.exoticindiaart.com. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
- ↑ Gupta, Hari Ram (1991). History of the Sikhs. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 978-81-215-0540-6.
- ↑ Singh, Khushwant (2004). History of the Sikhs. Oxford University Press. pp. viii. ISBN 978-0195673081.
- ↑ Dalziel, Nigel; MacKenzie, John M, eds. (2016-01-11). The Encyclopedia of Empire (1 ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe314. ISBN 978-1-118-44064-3.
- ↑ Melton, J. Gordon (2014-01-15). Faiths Across Time [4 Volumes]: 5,000 Years of Religious History [4 Volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-61069-026-3.
- 1 2 Kaushik Roy (2011). War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740–1849. Routledge. pp. 143–144. ISBN 978-1-136-79087-4.
- ↑ Fenech, Louis E. (2013-01-31). The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-993145-3.
- ↑ Khilnani, N. M. (1972). British Power in the Punjab, 1839-1858. Asia Publishing House. ISBN 978-0-210-27187-2.
- ↑ Gupta, Hari Ram (1991). The Sikh Lion of Lahore (Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799–1839). History Of The Sikhs. Vol. V. Munshiram Manoharlal. pp. 37–55. ISBN 978-8-121-50515-4.
- ↑ McLeod, W. H. (2004). Sikhs and Sikhism. Oxford University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-19-566892-6.
It is obvious that their leadership was largely in Jaț hands and eventually it was a Jaț misldār, Raňjīt Siṅgh, who secured total ascendancy. Individual chieftains such as Jassā Siṅgh Kalāl (later known as Jassā Siṅgh Ahlūwālīā) and his namesake Jassā Siṅgh Rāmgaṛhiā represent leadership derived from lower-status groups, but do not disturb the dominant pattern.
- ↑ Aijāzūddīn, F. S. "AZĪZ UD-DĪN, FAQĪR (1780–1845)". The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism. Vol. I. Patiala: Punjabi University.
- ↑ Ziad, Waleed (2021-11-16). Hidden Caliphate: Sufi Saints Beyond the Oxus and Indus. Harvard University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-674-24881-6.
- ↑ Chida-Razvi, Mehreen (2020-09-20). The Friday Mosque in the City: Liminality, Ritual, and Politics. Intellect Books. pp. 91–94. ISBN 978-1-78938-304-1.
In addition to the masjid's use as a site for military storage, stables for the cavalry horses, and barracks for soldiers, parts of it were also used as storage for powder magazines.
- ↑ Fenech, Louis E. (2013-01-31). The Sikh Zafar-namah of Guru Gobind Singh: A Discursive Blade in the Heart of the Mughal Empire. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-993145-3.
- ↑ "Ranjit Singh", 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 22, retrieved 2024-01-04
- ↑ Archbold, W. A. J. (1929). "29 (XXIX): The Conquest of Sind and the Panjab". In Dodwell, Henry Herbert (ed.). The Cambridge History of India. Vol. V: British India, 1497–1858. Cambridge University Press.
- 1 2 Singha, H.S. (2000). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Over 1000 Entries). Hemkunt Press. p. 196. ISBN 9788170103011.
TEJ SINGH: After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839 AD, the Sikh empire quickly disintegrated largely because of the palace conspiracies and the role played by Dogra-Brahmins occupying high positions in the court. One of these Dogra-Brahmins was Tej Singh son of Nidhe Misr who had risen to the post of the Commander-in-Chief of the Sikh forces. The first Anglo-Sikh War in 1845-46 AD was lost among other things because Tej Singh deliberately directed the Sikh forces to advance towards those targets where they could easily fall into the enemy's trap. According to J.D Cunningham, he was in league with the British. Tej Singh died in 1862 AD.
- ↑ "The Raja of Rajas". The Express Tribune. 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ↑ Singh, Patwant (1999). "Grievous Betrayals". The Sikhs. New Delhi: Rupa Publications. p. 170–171. ISBN 8171676243.
- ↑ Herrli, Hans (1993). The Coins of the Sikhs. p. 10.