Sikh Empire

Sikh Empire Sarkār-i-Khālsa Khālasā Rāj
1799–1849
Flag Seal of Ranjit Singh
Motto: ਅਕਾਲ ਸਹਾਇ Akāl Sahāi "With God's Grace"
Anthem: ਦੇਗ ਤੇਗ ਫ਼ਤਿਹ Dēg Tēg Fateh "Victory to Charity and Arms"
The Sikh Empire at its greatest extent c. 1839, under Ranjit Singh
Status	Empire
Capital	Gujranwala (1799–1802) Lahore (1802–1849)
Common languages	Punjabi Persian (court, administration)[1][2][3] Kangri Dogri Pashto Kashmiri Gojri Kundal Shahi Balti Shina Wakhi Burushaski Khowar Domari Ladakhi Purgi Bhadarwahi Shina Bateri Kohistani Kalasha
Religion	9-10% Sikhism (official) 80% Islam 10% Hinduism 1% Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, others[note 1][4]
Government	Federal monarchy
Maharaja
• 1801–1839	Ranjit Singh (first)
• 1843–1849	Duleep Singh (last)
Regent
• 1840–1841	Chand Kaur
• 1843–1846	Jind Kaur
Vizier
• 1799–1818	Khushal Singh (first)
• 1846	Gulab Singh (last)
Historical era	Early modern period
• Capture of Lahore by Ranjit Singh	7 July 1799
• End of Second Anglo-Sikh War	29 March 1849
Area
1839[5]	520,000 km2 (200,000 sq mi)
Population
• 1800s	12,000,000[6]
Currency	Nanak Shahi Sikke
Preceded by Succeeded by Sikh Confederacy Durrani Empire Kangra State Sial dynasty Maqpon dynasty Namgyal dynasty Punjab Province (British India) Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)
Today part of	India Pakistan

Part of a series on the
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Timeline
Prehistoric Madrasian culture Soanian, c. 500,000 BCE Neolithic, c. 7600 – c. 1000 BCE Bhirrana 7570 – 6200 BCE Jhusi 7106 BCE Lahuradewa 7000 BCE Mehrgarh 7000 – 2600 BCE South Indian Neolithic 3000 – 1000 BCE
Ancient Indus Valley Civilization, c. 3300 – c. 1700 BCE Post Indus Valley Period (Cemetery H Culture), c. 1700 – c. 1500 BCE Vedic civilization, c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE Kuru kingdom, c. 1200 – c. 500 BCE Early Vedic period Rise of Śramaṇa movement Later Vedic Period Spread of Jainism – Parshvanatha Spread of Jainism – Mahavira Rise of Buddhism Kingdom of Magadha Brihadratha Dynasty 1700 – 682 BCE Haryanka Dynasty 544 – 413 BCE Shaishunaga Dynasty 413 – 345 BCE Nanda Dynasty, 345 – 322 BCE Mahajanapadas, c. 600 – 345 BCE
Classical Kingdom of Magadha Maurya Dynasty, 322 – 185 BCE Pandya Dynasty, 320 BCE - 280 CE Shunga Dynasty, 185 – 73 BCE Kanva Dynasty, 73 – 28 BCE Sangam period 300 BCE – 400 CE Kushan Dynasty, c. 30 – c. 375 CE Satavahana Dynasty, c. 228 BCE – c. 224 CE Gupta Dynasty, c. 240 – c. 550 CE
Early medieval Pallava dynasty, 275 CE - 897 CE Chalukya Dynasty, 543 – 753 CE Pandya Dynasty, 590 CE - 920 CE Harsha's Dynasty, c. 606 CE – c. 647 CE Karakota Dynasty, c. 724 – c. 760 CE Arab Invasion, c. 738 CE Tripartite Struggle, c. 760 – c. 973 CE Pratihara dynasty Rastrakuta Dynasty Pala Dynasty Chola Dynasty, c. 848 – c. 1251 CE 2nd Chalukya Dynasty, c. 973 – c. 1187 CE
Late medieval Delhi Sultanate, 1206 – 1526 CE Mamluk Dynasty Khalji Dynasty Tugluq Dynasty Sayyid Dynasty Lodhi Dynasty Pandyan Empire, 1251 – 1618 CE Vijayanagara, 1336 – 1646 CE Bengal Sultanate, 1342 – 1576 CE
Early modern Mughal Dynasty, 1526 – 1540 CE Suri Dynasty, 1538/40 – 1556 CE Mughal Dynasty, 1556 – 1857 CE Bengal Subah, c. 1576 – c. 1757 CE Maratha Empire, c. 1674 – c. 1818 CE Company Raj, c. 1757 – c. 1858 CE Kingdom of Mysore, c. 1760 – c. 1799 CE Sikh Empire, c. 1799 – c. 1849 CE
Modern The Great Rebellion, 1857 – 1858 CE British Raj, 1858 – 1947 CE Independence Movement Independent India, 1947 CE – present Dominion of India, 1947 – 1950 CE Republic of India, 1950 CE – present
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The Sikh Empire, officially known as Sarkār-i-Khālsa and Khālasa Rāj,^{[citation needed]} was a regional power based in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent.^[7] It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the British East India Company in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was forged on the foundations of the Khalsa from a collection of autonomous misls.^[1][8] At its peak in the 19th century, the empire extended from Gilgit and Tibet in the north to the deserts of Sindh in the south and from the Khyber Pass in the west to the Sutlej in the east.^[9][10] It was divided into four provinces: Lahore, which became the Sikh capital; Multan; Peshawar; and Kashmir from 1799 to 1849.^{[citation needed]} Religiously diverse, with an estimated population of 4.5 million in 1831 (making it the 19th most populous country at the time),^[11] it was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to be annexed by the British Empire.

The formation of the empire began with the capture of Lahore from its Durrani ruler, Zaman Shah Durrani. Ranjit Singh was proclaimed as Maharaja of the Punjab on 12 April 1801 (to coincide with Vaisakhi), creating a unified political state. Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak, conducted the coronation.^[12] The formation of the empire was followed by the progressive expulsion of Afghans from Punjab by capitalizing off Afghan decline in the Afghan-Sikh Wars, and the unification of the separate Sikh misls. Ranjit Singh rose to power in a very short period, from a leader of a single misl to finally becoming the Maharaja of Punjab. He began to modernise his army, using the latest training as well as weapons and artillery. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the empire was weakened by the British East India Company stoking internal divisions and political mismanagement. Finally, in 1849, the state was dissolved after the defeat in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.

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