SUPREMACY OVER PUNJAB

SUPREMACY OVER PUNJAB

The English had con­quered most of India and they now turned to the Punjab. The death of Ranjit Singh in 1839, led to anarchy in Punjab, which the English tried to exploit. The annexation of Sindh in 1843 made the Sikhs go to war with the English. In the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-1846), the Sikhs fought bravely, but owing to the treachery and half-heartedness of their leaders they suffered reverses. They were finally defeated at Sabraon in 1846. A treaty was conduded at Lahore in 1846 and the state placed under British protection. Under the Lahore Treaty, the Jallandhar Doab came under the British control, while Jammu and Kashmir was handed over to Raja Gulab Singh Dogra for a cash payment of five million rupees.

Lord Dalhousie had hardly been in India a few months when the Second Anglo-Sikh War broke out in 1848.. The Sikhs had been feeling humiliated for long. The immediate cause was the rebellion of Mulraj, who proclaimed a religious war against the English. Though the English won in the end, they suffered huge losses. Punjab was annexed to the British empire on March 29, 1849. balip Singh (the minor son of Ranjit Singh), and his mother/Rani Jindan were
pensioned off and sent to England.