Ranjit Singh established an Empire that the Sikhs
as well as Muslims and Hindus called their home. He emerged as another defining
leader of Sikhs after the 10th Guru Gobind Singh. He excelled beyond his age
and appearance to become the founder of the Sikh Empire.
Early Life
Born on November 13, 1780 in Budrukhan or
Gujranwala in modern day Pakistan, he came to the world as the heir of Mahan
Singh and the Shukerchakias Misl, just 1 of the 12 misls that formed the
so-called Sikh Confederation locked in a contest for survival or supremacy. At
a young age, he contracted smallpox that scarred his face and blinded his 1
eye. His father and ruler of the Shukerchakias Mahan Singh passed away in 1792,
thus the young 12-year old Ranjit Singh suddenly became the ruler of the Misl. And
as a result of this, he became a heavy drinker of alcohol at a young age to
prove his strength. His drinking earned him notoriety just as his level of
education.
The education of Sikh ruler became well known for
the lack of it. He had been known as illiterate, but he was not by any means
stupid. Ranjit Singh developed a talent for warfare and military strategy.
Moreover, he showed great skill in seeing an individual’s talent and gave them
role that suit them well.
While Ranjit Singh passed his teenage years, his
mother Mai Malwain and the Diwan or Chief Minister Lakhpat Rai took charge of
the country acting as regents until the former’s passing in 1796. Nonetheless,
women continued to play a role in government as Ranjit’s mother-in-law Sada
Kaur took an active role in government and politics. Sada Kaur, the ruler of
the Kanhaiya Misl became a political force through the marriage of her daughter
to Ranjit Singh. The marriage resulted to a union between the Shukerchakias
Misl and Kanhaiya Misl.
Ranjit Singh ended up married to more than 18
women. Many of these marriages formed an alliance that contributed to the rise
of the young ruler. He had a total of 8 sons, but only ended up recognizing 2 –
Kharak Singh and Duleep Singh.
War Leader
Ranjit Singh’s road to military success began in
1796. The Durrani Empire invaded a declining Mughal Empire. Pashtuns from
Afghanistan under the King of the Durrani Empire ravaged northern India until
it takes on the capital of the Mughal Empire stripping it bare of its already
dwindling wealth.
In 1796, despite his young age of 16, he led a Sikh
army of 10,000 soldiers and 12,000 cavalry to drive the Durrani King Zaman Shah
out of Punjab. His forces campaigned from 1797 and 1798 scoring victories in
the Battle of Amritsar and Gujarat forcing the Afghans to retreat.
In July 6, 1799, Ranjit Singh took the city of
Lahore and managed Zaman Shah to recognize him as governor. According to
legend, Ranjit Singh acquired the city after returning to the Afghans more than
a dozen of cannons stuck in the river. In gratitude, the Durrani leader made
the Sikh leader governor of Lahore. However, the story seemed too good to be
true and many disputed it. Some stated that the people of Lahore invited Ranjit
Singh to expel their tyrannical leader. Whatever the case, this did not stop
Ranjit Singh making Lahore his new capital.
Ranjit Singh, in 1801, declared himself as Maharaja,
elevating his position above other Misl and declaring to the Mughal and Durrani
Empires his independence. To prove this, he struck coins with the name of the
Gurus to cement his rule. Those who opposed him faced him in battle.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh then went into a campaign to
unite the misls under his rule. He declared war on Gulab Singh of Banghi Misl,
Sahib Singh Bhangi of Gujarat, Jassa Singh of Ahluwalia Misl as well as the
Muslim state of Kasur led by Nizamuddin.
Amritsar fell to Ranjit Singh in 1802. Gulab Singh
passed away leaving his widow Mai Sukhan to take power. Ranjit Singh then
proposed and alliance with other misls to destroy the widow. He succeed and
marched into the city triumphantly. Afterwards, he continued his war of Sikh
unification until 1810 when the whole of Punjab came into his fold except for
Phulkian misls that the Sutlej River protected.
Further expansion military conquest beyond the
misls became the next project for the Majaraja. In 1809, he came to the
assistance of Kangra before turning against the kingdom and bringing it into
his fold. In 1809, he chose to ally with the Barakzais of Afghanistan to
attack Kashmir for its support of their rival deposed Afghan ruler Shah Shuja.
However, in course of the campaign, the Barakzais made an agreement with
leaders of Kashmir for peace in exchange for tribute payments. Ranjit Singh
knew nothing of the agreement and once he did, he left the campaign in disgust.
He never forgave the Barakzais.
Ranjit Singh plotted his revenge. He made Shah
Shuja his guest promising protection in exchange for a well-known diamond known
as the Koh-i-noor - a diamond later found itself part of the crown jewels of
the British monarchy. In 1813, he captured the Attock Fort along the Indus
River with the aim of invading Peshawar – a land deemed by Afghans as part of
their homeland. After the fall of the river fort, he defeated an Afghan host in
the Battle of Haidaru before proceeding to capture Rawalpindi. He then took
Multan in 1818. By July 1819, he had also pushed the Afghans out of Kashmir
before capturing Peshawar itself.
The Lion Punjab, as he became known, proved himself
a master of war. Before his death, he had stretched his empire from the Khyber
Pass to the Sutlej River from Kashmir to the Thar Desert. After centuries, the
Sikhs who underwent persecution finally established an Empire they called their
own.
British
Relations
Only the British East India Company stood in the
way of the Sikh Empire in conquering Northern India. By this time the British
had already supplanted the Mughals as the dominant power in the Subcontinent
and Ranjit Singh must learn to deal with them. His dealing with the British
decided the fate of the Empire under his rule.
The Seven Years’ War made Britain the great
European power in India. Little by little through conquest or bribery, British
interests represented by the British East India Company expanded their control.
They filled the vacuum left by the Mughals and the Marathas becoming a neighbor
close to Ranjit Singh’s Empire. Despite their gains, the British feared the French
plans towards India especially as the Napoleonic Wars progressed in Europe while
the Lion of Punjab forging his Empire in the initial decades of the 19th
century.
Ranjit Singh wisely knew the might of the British agreed
for cordial relations. In 1806 he expelled the Maratha leader Jaswant Rao Holkar.
Then in 1809, he welcomed the missions of Charles Metcalfe for an agreement
with the British regarding the border. This meant to avoid conflict between the
2 states, but it also meant a limitation to the expansion of the Sikh Empire.
 |
| Charles Metcalfe |
The Treaty of Amritsar of 1809 settled the borders
between the 2 powers. It set the Sutlej River as the border between the 2
Empires. The deal also prevented Ranjit Singh from capturing the last misl of
Phuulkian which laid in the British side of the Sutlej. From 1809 until 1831,
Sikh-British relations remained uneventful.
By 1831, Ranjit Singh feared the British annexation
of Sindh in his south. He then welcomed another British mission asking for his
recognition of the changes in the border. He gave his acquiescent with mistrust
towards the British. He feared the encirclement of his Empire and ultimately
its fall to the British. Nevertheless, amicable relations remained.
The First Anglo-Afghan War also became a play to
which Ranjit Singh had a major role. His conquest of Peshwar had been a major
contention with the Emirates of Afghanistan. He, however, gained the support of
the British in exchange for his support for an invasion of Afghanistan amidst
the growing rivalry between Britain and Russia known as the Great Game. In
1838, he signed a treaty of alliance with the deposed Shah Shuja and Lord
Auckland of the British East India Company for the planned attack. Despite the
failure of the invasion, Ranjit Singh remained an ally of the British until his
passing.
 |
| Shah Shuja |
Military
Modernization
Ranjit Singh recognized the deficiency of his army
in contrast to the British. He knew despite the cordial relations he enjoys, he
understood the inevitability of conflict with the Europeans. For this reason,
he invested in the modernization of the Sikh Khalsa Army.
In 1820, the Sikh leader hired Europeans to train
his soldiers. He hired veterans of the Napoleonic War such as Jean-Francois
Allard and Jean-Baptiste Ventura. He avoided hiring British military advisers
in fear of their influence as well as espionage. He also purchased the latest
weaponry especially artillery that came to be respected even by the British.
His army then found no shortage of conflict from
which to gain experience. The modernizing army found itself quelling revolts
such as the case in 1831 near the Khyber Pass. They also fought against Afghan
incursions in Peshawar in 1837. Before his passing, the Sikh army stood as a
formidable force.
Administration
Ranjit devoted much of his time in war and relied
on his relatives and Diwans or ministers for managing government affairs. He
understood he needed the talents of others to govern the country, especially
for his lack of formal education. He placed men in position without prejudice
on religion. He instilled the tolerance preached by Sikhism in government and
the military. Sikhs, Muslims, and Hindus fought in the Sikh imperial army.
Various religious denominations filled the government ranks.
Ranjit Singh’s conquests brought huge war booties
for his government. His golden small stool testified to his wealth. He also
renovated the Harmandir Sahib and embellished it with gold, thus becoming the
well-known Golden Temple of Amritsar.
Passing of
the Lion
For his military achievements, Ranjit Singh came to
be known as the Lion of Punjab. He passed away on June 1839. His demise sadly
also signal the decline and fall of his empire. He failed to appoint a proper successor
and failed to consolidate the country’s finances that contributed to the
Empire’s fall. Internal conflict followed which eventually the British
exploited to their advantage. By 1849, just a decade after his death, the Sikh
Empire followed suit.
See also:
Bibliography:
Websites:
“18 facts on Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikhs Empire founder who put the ‘Gold’ in Golden Temple.” India Today. Accessed on May 6, 2020. URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/lion-of-punjab-maharaja-ranjit-singh-sikh-empire-golden-temple-1387463-2018-11-13
"Ranjit Singh." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Encyclopedia.com. 28 Apr. 2020 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
Singh, Khushwant. “Ranjit Singh.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on
May 5, 2020. URL: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ranjit-Singh-Sikh-maharaja
McLeod, William Hewat. “Sikhism.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on
May 5, 2020. URL: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sikhism/The-18th-and-19th-centuries
Book:
Wynbrandt, James. A Brief History of Pakistan. New York, New York:
Facts on File, Inc., 2009.
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