List of battles involving the Sikh Empire

Summary

The Sikh Empire (1799 – 1849 CE) was established by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Throughout its history, it fought various adversaries including the Durrani Empire of Afghanistan and the British East India Company.

Background edit

The Sikhs first raised their weapons against the Mughal Empire under Guru Hargobind. Shri Guru Hargobind Ji was son of the 5th Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji who was executed by the Mughal ruler Jahangir. After his father's death, Shri Guru Hargobind Ji added the martial element to Sikhism which was until then a religion mainly focused on Spirituality. But at this point the need for self defence was felt. Hence Shri Guru Hargobind Ji started recruiting an army which he called "Risaldari", after training his men in cavalry and Sikh Martial Arts. He adopted Royal symbols like wearing "kalgidhari turban" and keeping bodyguards. Along with that he asked his followers to gift him horses and weaponry instead of anything else. So the 6th Guru at one point managed to command 700 cavalry and with this might his Risaldari fought several small scale battles in 1620s and 1630s against Shahjahan's forces and some other warlords in Poadh and Majha. The tenth and the last Guru, Guru Gobind Singh organized Sikhs into a military sect called Khalsa (means "pure"), in 1699, against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. Before his death in 1708, he sent Banda Singh Bahadur to lead the Sikhs of Punjab. Banda Singh Bahadur through his outstanding leadership skills weakened the Mughal grasp over India. But he was later captured and beheaded in Delhi in 1716, during the reign of Farrukhsiyar.

Thereafter, Sikhs were divided into Misls. In 1738, Nadir Shah of the Afsharid dynasty attacked India and looted Delhi. The Mughals were never able to recover their power in the Punjab. Later, the Punjab was subject to constant invasions of Ahmad Shah Durrani of Afghanistan.

The Afghans led numerous campaigns to re-capture Lahore but ultimately had to return to Pashtun territories due to internal strife. After Ahmad Shah's final invasion of the Punjab in 1767, he left Lahore which was re-captured by the Sikhs. For more than three decades, Sikhs consolidated their power in areas of the Punjab, though facing repeated invasion attempts from other Afghan emperors such as Timur Shah Durrani, and Zaman Shah Durrani. The decisive moment came in 1790, when Ranjit Singh of Sukerchakia Misl became Misldar. He started uniting Misls and finally took Lahore in 1799. His coronation on 12 April 1801 marked the beginning of the Sikh Empire, which went on to conquer the whole Punjab, Kangra, parts of Kashmir and briefly, the city of Peshawar.

Battles fought by Sikh Empire edit

Name of conflict (Date) Belligerents Opponents Outcome Details
Katoch–Sikh War (1801) Sikh Empire Kangra State Sikh Victory
Battle of Kasur
(1807)
Sikh Empire Durrani Empire Sikh Victory
Battle of Jammu (1808) Sikh Empire Dogra Rajput Sikh Victory
Gurkha-Sikh War (1809) Sikh Empire Kingdom of Nepal Sikh Victory
Siege of Multan (1810) Sikh Empire Durrani Empire Sikh Victory
Battle of Bhimber (1812) Sikh Empire Chibhal Sikh Victory
Battle of Anandpur (1812) Sikh Empire Kahlur Sikh Victory
Afghan-Sikh Capture of Kashmir (1812–1813) Sikh Empire
Durrani Empire
Kashmir under Ata Muhammad Khan Afghan-Sikh Victory
Battle of Hasan Abdal (1813) Sikh Empire Pashtuns led by Wazir Fateh Khan Barakzai Afghan Victory[1]
Battle of Attock (1813) Sikh Empire Durrani Empire Sikh Victory
Battle of Kashmir (1814) Sikh Empire Pashtuns led by Wazir Fateh Khan Barakzai Afghan Victory[2]
Battle of Multan (1818) Sikh Empire Durrani Empire Sikh Victory
Battle of Shopian (1819) Sikh Empire Durrani Empire Sikh Victory Kashmir is conquered by the Sikhs.
Battle of Gandgarh (1820) Sikh Empire Yousufzai Zamindars Afghan Victory[3]
Battle of Mangal (1821) Sikh Empire Jaduns and Tanaolis Tribes Sikh Victory
Siege of Mankera (1821–1822) Sikh Empire Kingdom of Mankera Sikh Victory
Battle of Taragarh (1822) Sikh Empire Afghan tribesmen Sikh Victory
Battle of Nowshera (1823) Sikh Empire Coalition of Azim Khan Sikh Victory
Battle of Akora Khattak (1826) Sikh Empire Mujahideen Mujahideen Victory
Battle of Saidu (1827) Sikh Empire Mujahideen Sikh Victory
Battle of Haidru (1828) Sikh Empire Mujahideen Sikh Victory
Battle of Balakot (1831) Sikh Empire Mujahideen Sikh Victory
Battle of Bannu (1832) Sikh Empire Local Pashtuns Afghan Victory
Expedition of Shuja ul-Mulk (1833-1834) Shah Shuja Durrani Emirate of Kabul Barakzai Afghan Victory Shah Shuja's expedition fails.
Battle of Peshawar (1834) Sikh Empire Peshawar Sardars Sikh Victory Peshawar Sardars deposed from power.
Ladakh War (1834–1835) Sikh Empire Namgyal Dynasty Sikh Victory Entirety of Ladakh annexed in Sino-Sikh War
Battle of Ramkani (1835) Sikh Empire Barakzai Dynasty Inconclusive
Battle of Michni (1836) Sikh Empire Michni Sardars Sikh Victory
Standoff at the Khyber Pass (1835) Sikh Empire Emirate of Kabul Inconclusive Withdrawal of Dost Mohammad Khan, no battle fought.
Battle of Panjtar (1836) Sikh Empire Panjtar Pashtuns Sikh Victory
Battle of Jamrud (1837) Sikh Empire Emirate of Afghanistan Disputed[4]
1837 Poonch Revolt Sikh Empire Sudhans of Poonch Sikh Victory Rebellion suppressed
Baltistan Expedition (1840) Sikh Empire Maqpon Dynasty Sikh Victory[5] Baltistan and Skardu annexed to the Sikh Empie
First Anglo-Afghan War   British Empire Emirate of Kabul British coalition defeat Shah Shuja initially restored to the throne successfully, however is deposed and killed in 1842.
Battle of Waziristan 1843[6][7] Sikh Empire Tribal Afghans Afghan Victory
Battle of Waziristan 1844[8][9] Sikh Empire Tribal Afghans Afghan Victory
Battle of Mudki British Empire Sikh Empire British Victory
Battle of Ferozeshah British Empire Sikh Empire British Victory
Battle of Baddowal Sikh Empire British Empire Sikh Victory
Battle of Aliwal British Empire Sikh Empire British Victory
Battle of Sobraon British Empire Sikh Empire British Victory
Battle of Sohana British Empire Sikh Empire British Victory
Battle of Ramnagar (1848) Sikh Empire British East Indian Company Sikh Victory
Battle of Chillianwala (1849) Sikh Empire British East Indian Company Sikh Victory
Siege of Multan (1848–1849) Sikh Empire British East Indian Company British Victory
Battle of Gujrat (1849) Sikh Empire British East Indian Company British Victory

First Anglo-Sikh War edit

Battle of Mudki edit

The battle was fought on 18 December 1845 during night. The British won with heavy casualties on the higher ranks.

Battle of Ferozeshah edit

The battle was fought on 21–22 December 1845, in which the British forces under Sir Hugh Gough won a Pyrrhic victory over the Sikh army under Lal Singh.

Battle of Baddowal edit

In this battle, a large number of Sikh soldiers crossed Satluj after being defeated at Mudki and Ferozeshah. When General Henry Smith marched to Dharmkot to relieve Ludhiana, their rear was attacked by Sikhs under Ranjodh Singh Majithia. Hence, Sikhs gave a defeat to British in the battle of Baddowal.[10][11]

Battle of Aliwal edit

The battle was fought on 28 January 1846, in which the company troops decisively defeated the Sikh army. It proved as the turning point in the war.

Battle of Sobraon edit

The Sikhs were defeated by the East India Company at the battle of Sobraon fought on 10 February 1846, which led to the end of the war.

Second Anglo-Sikh War edit

Battle of Ramnagar edit

In the battle of Ramnagar fought on 22 November 1848, Sikhs under Sher Singh Attariwalla defeated the company forces under Sir Hugh Gough

Battle of Chillianwala edit

In the battle on 13 January 1849, the Sikh army under Sher Singh Attariwalla defeated the British army under Sir Hugh Gough.

Siege of Multan edit

The prolonged siege of Multan by the British army lasted from 19 April 1848 until 22 January 1849, when the fort was breached and Dewan Mulraj surrendered. Multan was then captured by the British.

Battle of Gujrat edit

This was the last battle of the war and the Anglo-Sikh battle. Sir Hugh Gough's army decisively defeated the Sikh forces. The Sikh Empire officially ended as the young emperor, (Maharaja Dalip Singh) was kidnapped and taken to England. Punjab was annexed as a province of the British Indian Empire.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. History Of The Sikhs Vol. V The Sikh Lion of Lahore (Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799-1839).
  2. ^ www.DiscoverSikhism.com. History Of The Sikhs Vol. V The Sikh Lion of Lahore (Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1799-1839).
  3. ^ Griffin, Lepel Henry (1890). "The Panjab Chiefs: Historical and Biographical Notices of the Principal Families in the Lahore and Rawalpindi Divisions of the Panjab".
  4. ^ Clements, Frank; Adamec, Ludwig W. (2003). Conflict in Afghanistan: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-402-8.
  5. ^ Charak, Sukh Dev Singh (1983). General Zorawar Singh. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
  6. ^ Kumar, Rajinder (January 2023). "Hari Singh Nalwa".
  7. ^ Alikuzai, Hamid Wahed (October 2013). A Concise History of Afghanistan in 25 Volumes. Trafford. ISBN 978-1-4907-1446-2.
  8. ^ Kumar, Rajinder (January 2023). "Hari Singh Nalwa".
  9. ^ Alikuzai, Hamid Wahed (October 2013). A Concise History of Afghanistan in 25 Volumes. Trafford. ISBN 978-1-4907-1446-2.
  10. ^ Jacques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges. Greenwood Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-313-33536-5.
  11. ^ Jacques, p. 93