Who Was When

You are looking at

Sikh Empire

South AsiaHeartland today: Pakistan and India

Compare with…

Meanwhile…

A Punjabi state built by Ranjit Singh, who took Lahore in 1799 and was crowned in 1801. It held the Punjab, Multan, Kashmir and Peshawar until two wars with the East India Company ended in annexation in 1849.

Also alive at the same time

Key events

  1. Ranjit Singh takes Lahore, which becomes his capital
  2. Ranjit Singh is crowned maharaja at Lahore on 12 April by Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak
  3. Sikh forces take Multan on 2 June 1818 after a siege of about four months
  4. Sikh forces defeat the Afghans at Shopian and annex Kashmir
  5. Sikh forces annex Peshawar, which had paid tribute to Ranjit Singh since 1823Disputed

    The year depends on what counts as taking Peshawar: Sikh control began with tribute from its Afghan rulers (Britannica dates this to 1823), and direct annexation is dated 1834.

  6. Ranjit Singh dies at Lahore on 27 June; a run of short-lived rulers follows
  7. After defeat at Sobraon the Lahore court signs the Treaty of Lahore on 9 March and gives up the Jullundur Doab and agrees to pay an indemnity
  8. The East India Company annexes the Punjab on 29 March 1849 after the Second Anglo-Sikh War and deposes the maharaja Duleep Singh