Ranjit Singh (1792-1839) | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Ranjit Singh

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Early Life and Background

• Ranjit Singh was born on November 13, 1780, in Gujranwala. His father, Mohan Singh, was a leader of the Sukerchakia Misl, known for his bravery.
• Mohan Singh's father, Charat Singh, was a valiant warrior who fought against Ahmed Shah Abdali multiple times.
• After Mohan Singh died in 1792 , Ranjit Singh displayed remarkable courage and determination at a young age.
• He had a keen interest in martial activities, riding, hunting, and sports. Although he was of short height, a severe bout of smallpox left him blind in one eye.
• Despite efforts to educate him, Ranjit Singh remained illiterate because he preferred outdoor activities to formal studies.
• At the age of sixteen , he married the daughter of the chief of the Kanchiya Misl in Batala.
• Ranjit Singh was fortunate to have Rani Sada Kaur as his mother-in-law. She was a woman of great courage, intelligence, and influence, which helped enhance Ranjit Singh's political standing.

Rise to Power

1. Conquest of Lahore (1799)

• The Bhangi chiefs ruled Lahore, but the people were unhappy with their leadership. They invited Ranjit Singh to take control.
• Saman Shah had permitted Ranjit Singh's entry into Lahore.
• Ranjit Singh and Rani Sada Kaur attacked Lahore together and conquered it with little resistance.
• After the conquest, Ranjit Singh made Lahore his capital.

2. Battle of Bhasin (1800)

• The Bhangi chiefs of Lahore were jealous of Ranjit Singh's rising power and formed a coalition against him.
• They planned to invite Ranjit Singh to Bhasin with the intention of killing him.
• Ranjit Singh learned of their plot and brought his forces to Bhasin.
• Instead of a formal battle, he defeated his enemies in skirmishes.

3. Conquest of Gujarat (1804)

• Sahib Singh of Gujarat was attacked and defeated for joining the coalition against Ranjit Singh at Bhasin.

4. Conquest of Amritsar (1805)

• Gulab Singh, the Bhangi chief, refused to surrender the famous zamzama gun to Ranjit Singh.
• Ranjit Singh captured the fort and city of Amritsar, making it his religious capital.

5. Cis-Sutlej Expeditions (1806-1809)

• Ranjit Singh crossed the Sutlej River after being invited by Sikh chiefs to help settle their disputes.
• He captured several locations and forced the chiefs of Patiala and others to recognize him as their overlord and pay tributes.
• Alarmed by his growing power, the Sikh rulers sought protection from the British Government.
• This led to the Treaty of Amritsar in 1806 , establishing the Sutlej as the boundary of Ranjit Singh's territory.

Further Conquests

1. Battle of Rahon (1807)

• Ranjit Singh attacked the lands of Dallewala Misl after the death of its ruler, Tara Singh Gheba.
• The widow of Tara Singh resisted Ranjit Singh at Rahon but was ultimately defeated.

2. Conquest of Kasur (1807)

• Qutabud-Din, the ruler of Kasur, refused to accept Ranjit Singh as his overlord.
• Ranjit Singh attacked and subdued Qutabud-Din, leading to the annexation of Kasur.

3. Conquest of Jhang (1807)

• Ahmad Khan, the chief of Jhang and Chiniot, was demanded by Ranjit Singh to recognize him as overlord.
• When Ahmad Khan refused, Ranjit Singh conquered and annexed his territory.

4. Conquest of Kangra (1809-1811)

• Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra sought Ranjit Singh's assistance when the Gurkhas attacked him.
• The Sikh forces drove the Gurkhas away and took control of the fort of Kangra.

5. Conquest of Attock and Battle of Hazro (1813)

• Fateh Khan, an ally of Ranjit Singh, betrayed him during the invasion of Kashmir.
• Ranjit Singh aimed to recover this loss by capturing Attock, which he successfully did.
• Fateh Khan, upon hearing of Attock's fall, sent his forces from Kashmir, leading to a fierce battle at Hazro where the Afghan army was defeated.

6. Conquest of Multan (1818)

• Ranjit Singh launched five expeditions against Multan between 1802 and 1817 , where the Maharaja was initially content with tribute payments.
• However, when Nawab Muzaffar Khan failed to pay regularly, Ranjit Singh decided to conquer Multan.
• Misl Diwan Chand led an army of 25,000 men to defeat the Nawab's forces after a tough battle, leading to Multan's annexation, which increased the Maharaja's influence, territory, and revenue.

7. Conquest of Kashmir (1819)

• The first Sikh expedition in 1810 failed due to Fateh Khan's betrayal.
• The second expedition in 1814 was defeated by Azim Khan, the Kashmir Governor.
• The conquest of Multan in 1818 boosted the Sikh army's confidence, leading Ranjit Singh to resolve to conquer Kashmir in 1819 .
• Ranjit Singh sent his invading army in three parts to conquer Kashmir successfully.

Important Treaties

• Treaty of Purander (1665) : This treaty was signed by Shivaji with Jai Singh after Jai Singh had besieged Shivaji's fort at Purandar.
• Treaty of Warna (1731) : In this treaty, Shambhaji accepted the status of a vassal under Shahu.
• Treaty of 1719 : This treaty was signed by Hussain Ali as Mir Bakshi of the Mughal emperor with Shahu.
• Convention of Duraha Sarai (1738) : This convention was signed when the Nizam sought peace after his defeat at the Battle of Bhopal in 1737.
• Sangola Agreement (1750) : In this agreement, the Maratha king became the Mayor of the Palace, and the Peshwa emerged as the real head of the Maratha Confederacy.
• Treaty of Alinagar (February 1757) : This treaty was made when the Nawab of Bengal made peace with Clive, restoring previous English privileges after Calcutta was renamed Alinagar following its capture by Siraj-ud-daula.
• Treaty of Allahabad (1765) : This treaty was concluded between Clive and Shuja-ud-daula, the Nawab Wazir of Avadh.
• Treaty of Banaras (1773) : This treaty was between Hastings and the Nawab of Avadh, wherein Allahabad was handed over to the Nawab.
• Treaty of Surat (1775) : This treaty was signed by Raghunath Rao with the Bombay Government, seeking assistance from English subsidiary troops in his quest for the Peshwaship.
• Treaty of Bassein (1802) : This treaty was signed by Baji Rao II with the English subsidiary troops in his quest for the Peshwaship.
• Treaty of Deogaon (1803) : In this treaty, Bhonsle ceded some territory and accepted a British Resident.
• Treaty of Surji-Arjangaon (1803) : This treaty involved Sindhi ceding part of his kingdom and accepting a British Resident.
• Treaty of Rajpurghat (1805) : In this treaty, Holkar relinquished claims on areas held by the company’s allies.
• Treaty of Amritsar (1809) : This treaty was between Ranjit Singh and the English Company, establishing the river Sutlej as the boundary of Ranjit Singh’s authority.

Conquests by the Sikh Army

• Battle of Supin (1819) : The Sikh army defeated the Afghans, leading to the incorporation of Kashmir into the Maharaja’s territory.
• Conquest of Hazara (1819) : Hazara, a region within Kashmir that did not acknowledge Ranjit Singh's authority, was occupied with minimal resistance.
• Conquest of Derajat and Bannu (1820-21) : Dera Ghazi Khan, a dependency of Kabul, was conquered in 1820 and leased to the Nawab of Bahawalpur. Mankera was besieged in 1821, resulting in the defeat of the Nawab of Mankera, who surrendered Mankera and surrounding estates including Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Tonk, and Bhakkar.
• Conquest of Peshawar (1834) : This conquest was a significant achievement for Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
• First Expedition to Peshawar (1818) : Following the assassination of Wazir Fateh Khan in Kabul, Ranjit Singh seized the opportunity to send forces to Peshawar, conquering the city and appointing Dost Mohammad as Governor.
• Battle of Nowshera (1823) : After Peshawar was recaptured by Mohammad Azim, the wazir of Kabul, the Sikh forces defeated Pathan Ghazis at the Battle of Nowshera of Tibba Tehri in 1833, regaining control of Peshawar.
• Battle of Saidu (1827) : After being driven from the North-West Frontier by Sayid Ahmad, a Muslim fanatic, the Sikhs, under Hari Singh Nalwa, defeated Afghan forces at Saidu, leading to the reoccupation of Peshawar.
• Peshawar Annexed (1834) : Amidst a dispute between Shah Shuja and Dost Mohammad over the Kabul throne, Ranjit Singh annexed Peshawar, ousting Sultan Mohammed, the Governor of Peshawar.
• Conquest of Ladakh (1836) : To secure the Kashmir valley, Ladakh was deemed necessary. Zorawar Singh led the defeat of Ladakhi forces at Iskardu.
• Battle of Jamrud (1837) : Following the annexation of Peshawar, Sikh forces captured the strategically important fort of Jamrud. In response to Dost Mohammad's attempts to reclaim Peshawar and Jamrud, a fierce battle ensued, resulting in the repulsion of Afghan forces and the retention of Jamrud by the Sikhs.

Period of Unfriendly Anglo-Sikh Relations

Historical Events in the Sikh Territory

• In 1834, a Sind tribe launched an attack on Sikh territory, successfully capturing one of their outposts.
• In response, Ranjit Singh swiftly invaded Sind and seized Shikarpur .
• Shikarpur was not only a wealthy and beautiful city but also held significant strategic value as it was the closest point for launching attacks on Kandhar and Ghazni .
• During this period, Captain Wade arrived in Shikarpur with an army and ordered the Sikh chiefs to withdraw their forces from the city.
• The Maharaja decided it was prudent to comply with Captain Wade's request.
• The British Government's demand for the Sikhs to vacate Shikarpur infuriated them.
• The situation worsened when the British occupied Ferozepur in 1835, a crucial part of Sikh territory, without justification and taking advantage of the Maharaja's peaceful disposition.
• The Maharaja's intention was to uphold the treaties of friendship with the British Government.
• In 1838, the British Government designated Ferozepur as a military cantonment.

The Tripartite Treaty or the Triple Alliance

• The British Government sought the support of Ranjit Singh in their war against Afghanistan .
• Initially, Ranjit Singh declined to join the Triple Alliance , seeing no advantage in restoring Shah Shuja .
• He was concerned that Shah Shuja's reinstatement would only benefit the British, whom he distrusted.
• Ultimately, Ranjit Singh felt pressured to join the alliance, despite his reservations, to aid Shah Shuja in regaining control of Kabul .
• Ranjit Singh passed away on 27th June 1839 .