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Sikh Empire

The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent.[9] It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the British East India Company in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was forged on the foundations of the Khalsa from a collection of autonomous misls.[1][10] At its peak in the 19th century, the empire extended 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 as far as Oudh.[11][12] It was divided into four provinces: Lahore, which became the Sikh capital; Multan; Peshawar; and Kashmir from 1799 to 1849. Religiously diverse, with an estimated population of 4.5 million in 1831 (making it the 19th most populous country at the time),[13] it was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to be annexed by the British Empire.

Not to be confused with Kingdom of Sikkim.

Sikh Empire
Sarkār-i-Khālsa
Khālasā Rāj

Empire

Persian[1][2][3]

Federal monarchy

 

Ranjit Singh

Kharak Singh

Nau Nihal Singh

Sher Singh

Duleep Singh

 

Chand Kaur

Jind Kaur

 

Khushal Singh Jamadar[5]

Dhian Singh Dogra

Hira Singh Dogra

Jawahar Singh Aulakh

Lal Singh

Gulab Singh[6]

Early modern period

7 July 1799

29 March 1849

520,000 km2 (200,000 sq mi)

12,000,000[8]

Nanak Shahi Sikke

The formation of the empire began with the capture of Lahore from its Durrani ruler, Zaman Shah Durrani. Ranjit Singh was proclaimed as Maharaja of the Punjab on 12 April 1801 (to coincide with Vaisakhi), creating a unified political state. Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak, conducted the coronation.[14] The formation of the empire was followed by the progressive expulsion of Afghans from Punjab by capitalizing off Afghan decline in the Afghan-Sikh Wars, and the unification of the separate Sikh misls. Ranjit Singh rose to power in a very short period, from a leader of a single misl to finally becoming the Maharaja of Punjab. He began to modernise his army, using the latest training as well as weapons and artillery. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the empire was weakened by the British East India Company stoking internal divisions and political mismanagement. Finally, in 1849, the state was dissolved after the defeat in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.

Punjab region

Punjab, Pakistan

Kashmir

[51]

[55]

1699: Formation of the by Guru Gobind Singh.

Khalsa

1710–1716: Banda Singh defeats the and declares Khalsa rule.

Mughals

1716–1738: Turbulence, no real ruler; Mughals take back the control for two decades but Sikhs engage in

guerrilla warfare

1733–1735: The Khalsa accepts, only to reject, the confederal status given by the Mughals.

1748–1757: Afghan invasion of

Ahmad Shah Durrani

1761–1767: Recapture of Punjab region by Afghan in

Third Battle of Panipat

1763–1774: Charat Singh Sukerchakia, Misldar of misl, establishes himself in Gujranwala.

Sukerchakia

1764–1783: Baba , Misldar of Singh Krora Misl, imposes taxes on the Mughals.

Baghel Singh

1783: from the Mughals

Sikh capture of Delhi and the Red Fort

1773: Ahmad Shah Durrani dies and his son launches several invasions into Punjab.

Timur Shah

1774–1790: becomes Misldar of the Sukerchakia misl.

Contemporary painting of the Battle of Sobraon in 1846.

Maha Singh

1790–1801: becomes Misldar of the Sukerchakia misl.

Ranjit Singh

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: , the Sikh Empire's first significant victory over the Durrani Empire.

Battle of Attock

March – 2 June 1818: , the 2nd battle in the Afghan–Sikh wars.

Battle of Multan

3 July 1819:

The charge of the British 16th Lancers at Aliwal on 28 January 1846, during the First Anglo-Sikh War

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: is briefly Regent

Chand Kaur

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

Ranjit Singh, c. 1830.[104]

Ranjit Singh, c. 1830.[104]

Ranjit Singh listening to Guru Granth Sahib being recited near the Akal Takht and Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India.

Ranjit Singh listening to Guru Granth Sahib being recited near the Akal Takht and Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India.

Sikh warrior helmet with butted mail neckguard, 1820–1840, iron overlaid with gold with mail neckguard of iron and brass

Sikh warrior helmet with butted mail neckguard, 1820–1840, iron overlaid with gold with mail neckguard of iron and brass

A letter sent from the King of France, Louis-Philippe to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Ranjit Singh is addressed as “Rendjit Sing Bahador – Padichah du Pendjab”. 27 October 1835

A letter sent from the King of France, Louis-Philippe to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Ranjit Singh is addressed as “Rendjit Sing Bahador – Padichah du Pendjab”. 27 October 1835

History of Punjab

History of Pakistan

History of India

Kapurthala State

Mughal Empire

Sikh Khalsa Army

Chaurasia, R. S. (2004). . Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-8126903948. Retrieved 26 May 2012.

History of the Marathas

Heath, Ian (2005), The Sikh Army 1799–1849, Osprey Publishing (UK),  1-84176-777-8

ISBN

Kalsi, Sewa Singh (2005), , Religions of the World, Chelsea House Publications, ISBN 978-0-7910-8098-6

Sikhism

Markovits, Claude (2004), A history of modern India, 1480–1950, London: Anthem Press,  978-1-84331-152-2

ISBN

Jestice, Phyllis G. (2004), , ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-57607-355-1

Holy people of the world: a cross-cultural encyclopedia, Volume 3

Johar, Surinder Singh (1975), , University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for South Asian Studies, ISBN 81-7017-030-3

Guru Tegh Bahadur

Singh, Pritam (2008), , Routledge, pp. 25–26, ISBN 978-0-415-45666-1

Federalism, Nationalism and Development: India and the Punjab Economy

Nesbitt, Eleanor (2005), Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, US, p. 61,  978-0-19-280601-7

ISBN

Waheeduddin, Fakir Syed (1981). . Patiala, Punjab, India: Punjabi University. ISBN 978-8173807787. Retrieved 14 May 2019.

The Real Ranjit Singh

(1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab. The New Cambridge History of India. Vol. II.3 (Revised ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 82–127. ISBN 978-1316025338. Retrieved 16 April 2020.

Grewal, J. S.

Volume 2: Evolution of Sikh Confederacies (1708–1769), By Hari Ram Gupta. (Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers. 1999,  81-215-0540-2, 383 pages, illustrated)

ISBN

The Sikh Army (1799–1849) (Men-at-arms), By Ian Heath. (2005,  1-84176-777-8)

ISBN

The Heritage of the Sikhs By Harbans Singh. (1994,  81-7304-064-8).

ISBN

Sikh Domination of the Mughal Empire. (2000, 2nd ed.  81-215-0213-6)

ISBN

The Sikh Commonwealth or Rise and Fall of Sikh Misls. (2001, revised ed.  81-215-0165-2)

ISBN

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Lord of the Five Rivers, By Jean-Marie Lafont. (Oxford University Press. 2002,  0-19-566111-7)

ISBN

History of Panjab, By L. M. Joshi and Fauja Singh

Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his Times, By Bhagat Singh. (Sehgal Publishers Service. 1990,  81-85477-01-9)

ISBN

Ranjit Singh – monarch mystique, By V. Nalwa. (Hari Singh Nalwa Foundation Trust. 2022,  978-81-910526-1-9)

ISBN

Article on Coins of the Sikh Empire

Archived 1 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine

Sikh Confederacy

Confederacy of Punjab

Sikh Kingdom of Ranjit Singh

Battle of Jamrud