The First Anglo-Sikh War

Introduction

The First Anglo-Sikh War took place between the Britishers and Sikh Army. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a valour ruler at that point of time, was running the Sikh Kingdom from the front. On the other side, the British India was also doing better under the umbrella of the East India Company.

Practically, both were enhancing their army and adding strength to their respective kingdoms. Woefully, Ranjit Singh aid his last goodbye in 1839, resulting to the collapse of Punjab, making them much weaker than before. The British India army used this situation to their advantage and marched to put up a war against the Sikh, as they are the only one coming their way to conquer India.

The extension of the British monarchy which is also known as the English East India Company was responsible for the war. In this event, the Sikh empire faced a defeat at the hands of these British invaders. The war was fought for a year that started in 1845 and finally came to an end in 1846.

Image 1: Sketch Map to Illustrate the First Anglo-Sikh War from 'A Short History of the Sikhs' (1915), by Charles Herbert Payne.

The First Anglo-Sikh War: Background

The major cause of the war was the imperialist goals of the British East India Company. The Company laid out an announcement that was ordering the ruler of the Sikh empire to never cross the Satluj River.

The ruler was Maharaja Ranjit Singh who maintained a state of uneasy peace between the Sikhs and the British forces. After the death of this noble king, the situation started to get a little wobbly for the Sikh empire. One of the most important reasons for the downfall of this empire was the incapability of his son Kharak Singh. Thus the war became a very notable concern as a large number of the rulers were not capable of this leadership.

This is the reason why many of these rulers were murdered for their incapabilities to rule the kingdom of Punjab. In that given period, it was only the rulers of Punjab who had the strength and supremacy to drive out the forces of the invading company.

Thus, the British gave the warning to the Sikhs to never cross the river of Sutlej to the south. This was eventually done by the Sikh forces as an act of defiance that eventually started as the First Anglo-Sikh war on 28th January 1845.

The First Anglo-Sikh War: Causes

The few round skirmishes were the reasons that triggered the disruption of all the ties on the ground of diplomacy. The army that was supposed to stay on the south side of the Satluj River started to move with the intent of occupying Ferozpore.

This garrison regiment was commanded by Sir Hugh Gogh who was the chieftain of the Bengal Army. The regiment that was under the command of the Sikhs was led to war under the leadership of a general.

The name of this general was Raja Lal Singh who eventually defected to the side of the English East India Company with his companion Tej Singh. They catered to the invading company with intelligence that was necessary for the British forces to win this war.

Thus, in order to show an act of defiance to the orders given by the British, these forces were marching over to the other side. The company saw this as an act of aggression on their territories and eventually led to the declaration of the first war between the Englishmen and the forces of Sikh.

Course of the War

The courses of the war are divided into three major battles. The first one is known as the Battle of Ladwa. On the other hand, the two more battles that were fought over the course of the war are respectively known as the Battle of Wadani and Phillauri fort.

The battle of Ladwa was lost by the garrison regiments of the Sikh army after they failed to get some necessary reinforcements from Ferozeshah. There was a fort where the battle was fought between these two forces. In spite of having some decent developments in the defensive measures of the fort, the company was able to occupy the place.

Image 2: Ajit Singh of Ladwa - Only ruler who helped the Sikh cause below the Sutlej during the first Anglo-Sikh War. Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh.

The battle of Phillauri Fort was lost with the surrender of Ajit Singh. The fort was erected in response to the fort that was called Lodhi. The fort was built by the EIC to keep a tab on the movements of the Sikh army.

Battle of Lahore and Kangra

The Battle of Lahore was divided into a few notable events where the British and Sikh forces clashed with one another. The first event was known as the Battle of Mudki wherein British forces managed to grab a short victory at the cost of heavy casualties. The Battle of Ferozeshah was fought and won by the British after a ferocious fight.

In this event, Tej Singh barely contributed to the cause of the Sikh forces which was the major reason for the downfall of the army. The Battle of Kangra was not very favourable to the cause of the Sikh army. The armed forces of the Sikh regiment started to face defeat at the hands of the English East India Company.

Aftermath of the War

Image 3: Clauses in the Treaty of Lahore

The war finally came to an end with the Treaty of Lahore which was signed by the fighting sides on 9th March 1846. The fertile land of the Jalandhar Doab was a possession of the company. One of the generals in the ranks of the British army Henry Lawrence was going to make a British residency within the borders of Lahore.

Due to the loss of the war at the hands of these invading armies, the Sikhs has to pay a war indemnity. The entire strength of the army was brought down after the Sikhs lost this war against the company.

Conclusion

The tutorial is here to show the causes and the historical background of the war. The war broke out after the Sikh army crossed the Satluj. The major reason for the loss of this army was the betrayal and lack of political knowledge. The Treaty of Lahore brought the strength of Punjab to its knee.

FAQs

Q1.Who was the successor of Ranjit Singh?

Ans.The successor of Ranjit Singh was his son Kharak Singh. It was under the rule of this king that Punjab got into the war.

Q2.Who fought the Battle of Ferozeshah?

Ans.The Battle of Ferozehsah was fought between Lal Singh and Tej Singh from the Sikh side. The company represented Major Gen Sir Hugh Gough and Gen Sir Henry Hardinge.

Q3.When was the Treaty of Bhairowal?

Ans.The Treaty of Bhairowal was signed in the last month of 1846.