Empire of the Sikhs

Empire of the Sikhs PDF Author: Patwant Singh
Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers
ISBN: 0720615240
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
The definitive biography of Ranjit Singh, contemporary of Napoleon and one of the most powerful and charismatic Indian rulers of his ageRanjit Singh has been largely written out of accounts of the subcontinent's past by recent Western historians, yet he had an impact that lasts to this day. He unified the warring chiefdoms of the Punjab into an extraordinary northern Empire of the Sikhs, built up a formidable modern army, kept the British in check to the south of his realm, and closed the Khyber Pass through which plunderers had for centuries poured into India. Unique among empire builders, he was humane and just, gave employment to defeated foes, honored religious faiths other than his own, and included Hindus and Muslims among his ministers. In person he was a colorful character whose his court was renowned for its splendor; he had 20 wives, kept a regiment of "Amazons," and possessed a stable of thousands of horses. The authors make use of a variety of eyewitness accounts from Indian and European sources, from reports of Maratha spies at the Lahore Durbar to British parliamentary papers and travel accounts. The story includes the range of the maharaja's military achievements and ends with an account of the controversial period of the Anglo-Sikh Wars following his death, which saw the fall of his empire while in the hands of his successors.

Empire of the Sikhs

Empire of the Sikhs PDF Author: Patwant Singh
Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers
ISBN: 0720615240
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
The definitive biography of Ranjit Singh, contemporary of Napoleon and one of the most powerful and charismatic Indian rulers of his ageRanjit Singh has been largely written out of accounts of the subcontinent's past by recent Western historians, yet he had an impact that lasts to this day. He unified the warring chiefdoms of the Punjab into an extraordinary northern Empire of the Sikhs, built up a formidable modern army, kept the British in check to the south of his realm, and closed the Khyber Pass through which plunderers had for centuries poured into India. Unique among empire builders, he was humane and just, gave employment to defeated foes, honored religious faiths other than his own, and included Hindus and Muslims among his ministers. In person he was a colorful character whose his court was renowned for its splendor; he had 20 wives, kept a regiment of "Amazons," and possessed a stable of thousands of horses. The authors make use of a variety of eyewitness accounts from Indian and European sources, from reports of Maratha spies at the Lahore Durbar to British parliamentary papers and travel accounts. The story includes the range of the maharaja's military achievements and ends with an account of the controversial period of the Anglo-Sikh Wars following his death, which saw the fall of his empire while in the hands of his successors.

Ranjit Singh

Ranjit Singh PDF Author: Khushwant Singh
Publisher: Penguin Books India
ISBN: 9780143065432
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
The Classic Biography Of One Of India&Rsquo;S Greatest Rulers Ranjit Singh Was In Every Way As Remarkable A Man As His Contemporaries, Napoleon And Mohammed Ali. From The Status Of Petty Chieftain He Rose To Become The Most Powerful Indian Ruler Of His Time. His Empire Extended From Tibet To The Deserts Of Sindh And From The Khyber Pass To The Sutlej. His Army Was One Of The Most Powerful Of The Time In Asia And Was The First Indian Force In A Thousand Years To Stem The Tides Of Invasion From The North-West Frontiers Of Hindustan. This Is The First Detailed Biography Of The First And Only Sikh Ruler Of The Punjab By A Sikh Writer Who Has Devoted Many Years Of His Life To Research On Sikh History. In This Classic Work Khushwant Singh Presents Ranjit Singh As He Really Was. Based On Persian, Punjabi And English Sources And Drawing Upon The Diaries And Accounts Of European Travellers Like Moorcroft, Sir Alexander Burne, Masson, Fane And Emily Eden, This Is A Memorable Account Of The Pageantry And Brilliance Of The Sikh Kingdom At The Height Of Its Power, And A Lively Portrait Of One Of The Most Colourful Characters In Indian History. &Nbsp;

Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Maharaja Ranjit Singh PDF Author: Jean Marie Lafont
Publisher: Atlantic Publishers & Distri
ISBN:
Category : Punjab (India)
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Study on the political, military, and economic achievements of Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of Punjab, 1780-1839.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Maharaja Ranjit Singh PDF Author: Mohinder Singh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Sikhs
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Book Description
Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) Popularly Known As The Lion Of The Panjab Is, Perhaps The Most Outstanding Figure In Panjab History. Because Of His Extraordinary Qualities As A Fighter, Conqueror And An Empire Builder Ranjit Singh Is Often Compared With The Napoleon Bonaparte, Bismarck And Akbar. Rising From The Position Of The Chief Of One Of The Twelve Sikh Confederacies In The Eighteenth Century Panjab, Ranjit Singh Was The First Panjabi Ruler Who Established A Vast Empire In North India, Which Extended From The Khybar Pass In The North West, Sutlej In The East, Deserts Of Sind In The South And China And Tibet In The North. This Book Tries To Capture The Life And Times Of The Maharaja Based On Some Of The Hitherto Inaccessible And Unpublished Material Collected From Various Repositories In India, Pakistan And The United Kingdom.

Emperor of the Five Rivers

Emperor of the Five Rivers PDF Author: Mohamed Sheikh
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1786720957
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
In 1801, at the age of just 20 years old, Ranjit Singh became the Maharaja of the Punjab Empire and subsequently became one of the greatest figures in the history of India. He was a fiercely brave leader, capturing the city of Lahore before becoming Maharaja and overcoming a variety of challenges during his 40-year rule, such as harsh terrain, an ethnically and religiously diverse population and strong aggressors including the British and the Afghans. Despite such challenges, Ranjit Singh was able to unite Punjab's various factions yet rule a nation that was strictly secular; the Maharaja was benevolent to his subjects no matter their ethnicity or religion and sought to promote interfaith unity through policies of equality and non-discrimination. Aside from building his own nation, Ranjit built solid strategic relations with his most challenging aggressor - the British. Through stamina and political will, he managed to establish a formal treaty between the two and secured from 1809 Britain's protection against third party attempts to conquer the Punjab. Following Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the Empire fell into decline. Just six years later, the Punjabis attacked the British, and in 1845 they were beaten and forced to sign the Treaty of Lahore, essentially conceding control to the British.Ranjit Singh's personal characteristics and leadership skills were what held the Punjab nation together in a tumultuous period in history. Mohamed Sheikh's new account of Singh's life illustrates these characteristics and skills and illuminates the man who singlehandedly created and sustained the Empire.

Royals and Rebels

Royals and Rebels PDF Author: Priya Atwal
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197566944
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 326

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Book Description
In late-eighteenth-century India, the glory of the Mughal emperors was fading, and ambitious newcomers seized power, changing the political map forever. Enter the legendary Maharajah Ranjit Singh, whose Sikh Empire stretched throughout northwestern India into Afghanistan and Tibet. Priya Atwal shines fresh light on this long-lost kingdom, looking beyond its founding father to restore the queens and princes to the story of this empire's spectacular rise and fall. She brings to life a self-made ruling family, inventively fusing Sikh, Mughal and European ideas of power, but eventually succumbing to gendered family politics, as the Sikh Empire fell to its great rival in the new India: the British. Royals and Rebels is a fascinating tale of family, royalty and the fluidity of power, set in a dramatic global era when new stars rose and upstart empires clashed.

The Fall of the Kingdom of Punjab

The Fall of the Kingdom of Punjab PDF Author: Khushwant Singh
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 9351187969
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
A forgotten classic from India’s favourite storyteller This riveting historical narrative is more full of drama than any fiction. With the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the great Punjab empire he had built was riven by intrigues, betrayals, assassinations and wars until the British finally annexed it, seizing the Kohinoor diamond and sending the young Maharaja Duleep Singh into exile in Britain. Khushwant Singh brings this turbulent period to vivid life in this page-turning account of the collapse of a once-mighty kingdom.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Last to Lay Arms PDF Author: Kartar Singh Duggal
Publisher: Abhinav Publications
ISBN: 9788170174103
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Book Description
By Sheer Force Of His Personality Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Born In 1780, Became The Unquestioned Ruler Of The Punjab From 1799 To 1839, His Kingdom Being The Last Bastion To Hold Out Against The British-A Symbol Of Their Incomplete Conquest Of India. Relying On Unconventional Statecraft And Dazzling Display Of Daring And Courage, He Wielded His Warrior Nation To Extend The Empire From The Sutlej To Kabul In Afghanistan And From Ladakh To Iskardu And Tuklakote In Little Tibet. Every Invasion Of India Till Then Had Been From West To East, Across The Indus, From 2000 Bc Onwards, When The Aryans Came In. For The First Time In History, An Indian Ruler Went Westwards, Crossed The Indus River In 1826 And Hoisted His Flag On Kabul Fort. This Is The Story Of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Whose Kingdom Was The Last To Lay Arms Before The British Who Had Annexed The Entire Sub- Continent.

The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia

The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia PDF Author: Sarbpreet Singh
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
ISBN: 935708133X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
In 1801 the young scion of a petty fiefdom in the Punjab was invested with the title of Maharaja of Punjab. The young man whose name was Ranjit Singh went on to carve out a kingdom for himself that stretched from the borders of Afghanistan in the west to the boundaries of the British Raj in the east. It included the lush hills and valleys of Kashmir the barren mountains of Ladakh and the fertile plains of his native Punjab. The British valued him as an ally who would keep their western frontier safe and while they coveted his kingdom they did not dare to engage in military adventures in Punjab during his lifetime. The Camel Merchant of Philadelphia is an examination of Ranjit Singh and his times that focuses on a wide array of characters that populated his court. All these stories combine to present a nuanced and complex image of Maharaja Ranjit Singh through his interactions with these characters. The work humanises Maharaja Ranjit Singh and presents him as the brilliant man he clearly was without attempting to gloss over his flaws and foibles.

The Last Sunset

The Last Sunset PDF Author: Captain Amarinder Singh
Publisher: Roli Books Private Limited
ISBN: 8174369112
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 330

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Book Description
A comprehensive history of the Lahore Durbar, the glorious reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his exemplary organizational skills that led to forming of the formidable Sikh army and the fiercely fought Anglo Sikh wars. The Last Sunset: The Rise and Fall of the Lahore Durbar recreates history of the Sikh empire and its unforgettable ruler, Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Shukarchakia dynasty. An outstanding military commander, he created the Sikh Khalsa Army organized and armed in Western style, acknowledged as the best in undivided India in the nineteenth century. Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839 and the subsequent decline of the Lahore Durbar, gave British the opportunity to stake their claim in the region till now fiercely guarded by Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army. Captain Amarinder Singh chronicles in detail the two Anglo-Sikh wars of 1845 and 1848. The battles, high in casualties on both the sides led to the fall of Khalsa and the state was finally annexed with Maharaja Duleep Singh, the youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh put under the protection of the Crown and deported to England.