The death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, led to decade of political turmoil in the Lahore durbar. The political aspirations of the khalsa army and the British added to the sensitive situation in Punjab culminating in the first Anglo Sikh War

1. First Anglo Sikh War
Dr.Monica Sharma

2. INSTABILITY AFTER RANJIT SINGH
 After Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839, the
empire went through a period of political instability.
 Soldiers emerged as the real power of the Lahore
Durbar
 The Khalsa Army was no longer under the command
of the crown or its appointed commanders
 In quick succession, various claimants to the throne
had bribed segments of the army to back their claim
 The army expanded not only in numbers ,their
salaries also increased manifold since the time of
Ranjit Singh

3. POLITICIAN SOLDIERS
 With their growing involvement in politics, the
soldiers had developed a bureaucratic
mechanism of their own.
 Instead of exhibiting loyalty to their commanding
officers, they reported to Panches selected by
themselves.
 These were soldiers appointed from within their
ranks to represent the grievances and concerns
of the soldiers.
 The system was modeled on the panchayat
system from where the word Panches is derived.

4. BRITISH INTEREST
 On the eastern bank of the Sutlej river, The British were
closely watching the developments in the Lahore Durbar
carefully. They had saw the assassination of one maharaja
after another.
 They observed as powerful wazirs found themselves at the
mercy of the Khalsa soldiers.
 But despite their size and the fact that they possessed the
latest technology, the British did not think much of the
Khalsa Army, it was referred as a mob by various British
officers,
 The British believed that the increasing political role of the
soldiers had rendered them ineffective on the battlefield.
 Thus, in the years following Ranjit Singh’s death, the
British started the process of militarizing Punjab.

5. SUCCESSORS OF MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH
 “After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh,
there was no one strong and competent
enough to succeed him. As a result , there
came a period of turbulence and anarchy
inseparable from a series of disputed
successions.
 One weak ruler after another was deposed in
quick succession till 1843, when Duleep
Singh, the youngest son of the late
Maharaja, was crowned

6. SUCCESSORS OF MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH FROM 1839 TO 1849
A.D.
 Maharaja Kharak Singh (Elder son of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh, Accession June 27, 1839 Deposed October 8, 1839
Poisoned to death November 5, 1840
 Maharaja Naunihal Singh (son of Maharaja Kharak Singh,
accession October 8, 1839 (De-facto ruler) Death
November 6, 1840, (Suspected to have been killed).
 Maharaia Sher Singh. (Second son of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh) Occupied the throne November 9, 1840 (for 23 days)
Dethroned December 2, 1840

7.  Maharani Chand Kaur (Widow of Maharaja
Kharak Singh) Proclaimed Malika Mukaddas
December 2, 1840 (Queen Empress) Deposed
January 18, 1841 Killed June 9, 1842
 Maharaia Sher Singh (Again returned to power) on
January 18, 1841 Killed September 15, 1843
 . Maharaja Duleep Singh (Youngest son of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh. September 15, 1843 *Deposed March
29, 1849 * Exiled December 21, 1849 Death (in
Paris-France) October 22, 1893

8. TURMOIL IN DURBAR
 The ruling elite also knew they needed the support of the
soldiers to secure the throne .
 After the freak death of Ranjit Singh’s talented grandson
Nau Nihal Singh in 1840,
 Sher Singh, one of Ranjit Singh’s sons, started vying
for the throne.
 However, in Lahore, Nau Nihal Singh’s mother Chand
Kaur had taken over the throne as regent, as she
claimed her daughter-in-law was pregnant with Nau
Nihal Singh’s son.


9. SHER SINGH TAKES CHARGE
 To weaken the Lahore Durbar, Sher Singh
started bribing sections of the army.
 And in 1841, he besieged the Lahore Fort,
capturing the regent and her supporters.
 The Khalsa Army had already been bought.
But even with the rise of Sher Singh, the
Panches remained an important,
independent power house.

10. SUMMARY OF THE CAUSES
 The anarchy in the Lahore
kingdom followed Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death,
led to a power struggle for dominance between the
court at Lahore and the ever-powerful and
increasingly local army.
 Suspicions among the Sikh army arising from
English military campaigns to achieve the annexation
of Gwalior and Sindh in 1841 and the campaign
in Afghanistan in 1842.
 An increase in the number of English
troops stationed near the border with the Lahore
kingdom.

11.  The growing tension eventually led the
Khalsa to cross the Sutlej River into British
territory on 11 December 1845, hoping to
catch the latter unprepared. Members of the
Sikh court who wanted to curtail the Khalsa’s
growing power may have encouraged this
risky act of aggression

12. OUT BREAK
 The growing tension eventually led the Khalsa
to cross the Sutlej River into British territory on
11 December 1845, hoping to catch the latter
unprepared.
 Members of the Sikh court who wanted to curtail
the Khalsa’s growing power may have
encouraged this risky act of aggression
 Some of the Khalsa’s own commanders, such
as Generals Lal Singh and Teg Singh, were later
accused of helping the British and betraying
their troops during the campaign.

13. BATTLE OF MUDKI
 One Sikh army, under Tej Singh, advanced on Ferozepore
cantonment, but made no effort to attack the exposed British
force there.
 At the same time, Lal Singh led another army - consisting of
10,000 cavalry, 4,000 infantry and 22 guns - towards Mudki,
some 18 miles (29km) from Ferozepore.
 On 18 December 1845, Lal Singh's army met a British-
Indian force of 12,000 troops and 42 guns that had been
despatched under the command of General Sir Hugh
Gough, the Commander-in-Chief in India, and Viscount
Henry Hardinge, Governor-General of India, to reinforce
Ferozepore.
 The Sikhs suffered severe setback battle

14. FEROZESHAH
 The following day, the British advanced on nearby
Ferozeshah, where they encountered a Sikh army of around
40,000 troops, again led by Lal Singh, positioned behind
strong entrenchments.
 Gough's 18,000-strong force attacked the Sikh defences. By
evening, these had only been partially taken. A renewed
assault the following morning forced the Sikhs out, but at
heavy cost to the British.
 When a new Sikh army arrived, under the command of Tej
Singh, Gough withdrew his weakened force - now low on
supplies - to the captured entrenchments to await its attack.
But the Sikhs withdrew.
 Perhaps the Sikhs overestimated British strength and
supplies, and believed they would not be able to eject them.
 Alternatively, their retreat may have been motivated by the
treachery of their generals.

15. BOTH SIDES REINFORCE
 Gough's army was exhausted and in need of rest and
reinforcement. Likewise, the Sikhs were temporarily put
on the back foot by the two defeats and suspicions
around their commanders' motives.
 However, the Sikhs soon mobilised new units and moved
to renew the war. They re-crossed the Sutlej and
established a bridgehead at Sobraon.
 To support this operation, Ranjodh Singh Majithia led
another Sikh force to attack the British fort at Ludhiana
and threaten their supply lines.

16. ALIWAL
 General Sir Harry Smith led the British forces
to counter Ranjodh Singh.
 The Ludhiana garrison reinforced his troops
and at nearby Aliwal, on 28 January 1846, he
won a model victory, rolling up the Sikh line,
inflicting around 3,000 casualties for the cost
of only 475 British and Indian troops, and
eliminating the threat to the British rear.

17. SOBRAON
 Smith now moved to re-join Gough. The reinforced
British then successfully attacked the main Sikh force at
Sobraon on 10 February 1846.
 A big fight followed.
 The Sikhs fought with their backs to the River Sutlej,
refusing to surrender. As a result, casualties on both
sides were high. British losses were more than 2,000;
the Sikhs sustained perhaps as many as 10,000.
 Many Sikhs were unable to escape as their pontoon
bridges across the river had been destroyed.
 It is still debated whether this was the result of too much
traffic trying to cross,
 or whether Tej Singh - who had fled the battlefield early -
deliberately cast the boats loose. His defenders claim he
destroyed the bridges to delay Gough’s advance on the
Sikh capital, Lahore. But the British soon reached it
anyway.

18. TREATY OF LAHORE, 1846
 Maharaja Duleep Singh, who was the ruler of Punjab
was to remain its ruler with his mother Jindan Kaur as
regent.
 The Sikhs had to cede the Jalandhar Doab to the
British.
 The Sikhs were asked to pay a very huge war
indemnity .
 But since they could not pay all of it, part of it was paid
and to make up for the remaining, Kashmir, Hazarah
and all territories between the Beas and the Indus
Rivers were given to the English.
 The Sikhs were to limit their army.
 British Resident, Sir Henry Lawrence was appointed
to the Sikh court

19. RESULTS
 Lahore Treaty (March 8, 1846) On March 8, 1846,
the Sikhs were compelled to accept a humiliating
peace at the conclusion of the first Anglo-Sikh
War.
 The following were the key provisions of the Treaty
of Lahore:
 The English were to get a war indemnity of more than one
crore rupees.
 The Company annexed the Jalandhar Doab (between the
Beas and the Sutlej).
 Henry Lawrence was to create a British residency in
Lahore.
 The Sikh army's strength was diminished.

20.  Daleep Singh was proclaimed ruler, with Rani Jindan as
regent and Lal Singh as wazir.
 Since the Sikhs were unable to pay the full war indemnity,
Kashmir, including Jammu, was sold to Gulab Singh.
 On March 16, 1846, a second treaty formally
transferred Kashmir to Gulab Singh.
 The Bhairowal Treaty - The Sikhs revolted because they were
dissatisfied with the Treaty of Lahore on the question of
Kashmir.
 The Treaty of Bhairowal was signed in December of 1846.
Rani Jindan was deposed as regent and a council of regency
for Punjab was established as a result of the treaty's terms.
 The council was made up of eight Sikh sardars and was
presided over by Henry Lawrence, the English Resident.