After the defeat of Bengal, Mysore, and Marathas, the only major Indian power that still retained its independence was Punjab under Ranjit Singh, who came to power in 1792 AD. He organized an alliance of Sikh misls in the West of the Sutlej in 1798 and was successful in repelling the invasion of the Afghan ruler Zaman Shah. This success made him a powerful ruler and in 1801, these misls accepted him as the Maharaja of Punjab. Ranjit Singh was soon able to extend his power to the vast territories including Peshawar, Multan, Kashmir, Kangra, and other hill states. He had built a strong army and secured the services of Europeans for organizing and equipping it on modern lines.
After the death of Ranjit Singh in 1838 AD, the situation changed. The death of Ranjit Singh was followed by political instability in Punjab. The line of weak successors followed- Kharak Singh; Nao Nihal Singh; Sher Singh and Dalip Singh, which led the Sikh empire to its downfall. The Sikh elements in the army (known as Khalsa) became supreme and began to interfere in the affairs of the state.
There were group rivalries and Khalsa took the role of the kingmakers. This provided the British a chance to interfere in the affairs of Punjab and establish their control over the region. This was necessary for extending the British empire, in India, to its natural frontiers towards the North-West.
THE FIRST ANGLO-SIKH WAR (1845-46 AD)
During the reign of Dalip Singh, the English invaded Punjab (the first Anglo-Sikh war, 1845-46), occupied Lahore, and dictated a peace treaty (known as the Treaty of Lahore) on 9th March 1846, which included the following
- The Sikhs were to renounce all their claims to the territories lying to the South of the river Sutlej.
- A war indemnity of 1.5 crores was imposed on Lahore Durbar.
- The Sikh army was limited to 20000 infantry and 12000 cavalry. A British resident was posted in Lahore.
- Since the Lahore Durbar was unable to pay the war indemnity, it agreed to transfer to the company, the hill countries situated between the river Beas and Indus, including the province of Kashmir. Gulab Singh, who was instrumental in these negotiations, was given Kashmir by the company.
- CONQUEST OF SINDH
The company had established a factory in 1775, but it was abandoned in 1792 AD. Lord Minto sent a commercial mission to Sind in order to gain their support against the French Company. The Treaty of Eternal Friendship was signed in 1809 with the following two points
- Amirs will not allow the French to settle in their territories.
- Mutual intercourse through envoys.
In 1832 AD, the English forced a commercial treaty on the Amirs by which Indus was thrown open to commerce. In 1839 AD, a subsidiary treaty was enforced on the Amirs which led to the stationing of the British troops at Sikharpur and Bukkhar. A British resident, Major Outram was also posted in Sindh. In 1842 AD, Sir Charles Napier was posted as a company resident in Sindh. This offensive attitude forced the Baluchis to attack British residency. Napier defeated the Amirs in successive Battles of Miami and Dobo. Sindh was finally annexed in August 1843 and the Amirs were exiled.
THE SECOND ANGLO-SIKH WAR (1848-49 AD)
The Sikhs felt humiliated by the settlement of Punjab after the First Sikh War. The Sikhs did not like the interference of the English resident in the internal affairs of Punjab. The British, on their part, were anxious to occupy Punjab. Dalhousie, the new Governor-General, was a strong imperialist. He was simply looking for a pretext for the annexation of Punjab, which was provided by the Rebellion of Mulraj (1848 AD), Governor Multan, against the company.
The English forces attacked Punjab (1848 AD) and in the battle that followed, the Sikhs were badly defeated. Punjab was annexed to the British dominion in March 1849 AD. Raja Dalip Singh, the minor son of Ranjit Singh and his mother, Rani Jindan, who acted as his regent, were sent away to London on fixed annual pensions.