Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Life, Conquests, leadership. Governance, Reforms
Leader
of All Time” Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the 19th century ruler of the Sikh Empire in
India, has beaten competition from around the world against 19 renowned leaders
like Winston
Churchill Abraham Lincon, Queen Elizabeth 1, and many others. To be named as
the "Greatest Leader of All Time", in world
History. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was nominated by historian Matthew Lockwood – an
assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama - for
Establishing
a "modern empire of toleration". Maharaja of Punjab received 38% of
total votes to be named as the "Greatest Leader of All Time" So who
was Maharaja Ranjit Sing, and how did he made such a great name for Himself?
Early Childhood
One of the greatest Indian Ruler, but even more than that he was a figure who is admired equally in both the rival countries of India and Pakistan. His near mythical rule of Tolerance and stability is an example for everyone around the world of how a leader should lead. In the late 18th Century the Once- Mighty Mughal Empire was at the last stage of Decline. Other regional powers along with the British east India Company was trying to fill these gaps. At such Time the region of Punjab was no different, In Punjab Ranjit Singh’s Father was ruler of one of the 14 Misls or Small Kingdoms that emerged after the collapse of Mughal Empire. Out of these 14 Misls 12 Misls were Sikh Misls, 1 was a Muslim Misl and another one was ruled an Irish Sailor. Ranjit Sing’s whole life was filled with wars and his name itself was derived from a battle as Ranjit Meant “Victory in the Battlefield.”
Sikh Empire
After the death of His father in 1792, when he
was 12, he took charge of His father’s Sukerchakia Misl. 12 years old, small in
size, with his left eye blinded and his
face scarred by smallpox – nobody could have imagined him as a founder of an empire at that time.
But perhaps these responsibilities at young age shaped him as the man that he
turned out to be. The 12 Sikh Misls were already bonded by blood and marriages,
but still at the same time competition between these misls was fierce and
conflicts were constant. At a mere age of 17 in 1797 he leads these Misls in a
conquest to successfully stop the invasion of Zaman Shah, then ruler of the
Afghans Durrani Empire. With more victories over afghan in 1798 he solidified
his Image as the most Important Military Commander of Punjab and in 1799 with
His conquest over City of Lahore he translated his prestige into power. By 1801, at the age of 21 he had sufficiently consolidated his control of the region and then he proclaimed himself as Maharaja of Punjab.
Golden age of Punjab
With this the Sikh empire was born. His reign over Punjab from 1801 to 1838, is marked as a golden age for Punjab and north-west India. Though a devoted Sikh – he also went to great lengths to ensure religious freedom of all his subjects within his lands. He openhearted donated money to Hindu temples and Sufi shrines, attended Muslim and Hindu ceremonies, married Hindu and Muslim women, and even banned the slaughter of cows to protect the religious sensitivities of Hindus. His modern Army and administration of his empire consisted Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Europeans as well. Under his leadership, infrastructure of region was improved, commerce opened and expanded, and the arts flourished. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a conqueror, almost uniquely, a unified but not a crusader– he was a force for stability, prosperity and tolerance but he was never known for any unnecessary brutality, popularly referred to as “Sher-e-Punjab” or the “the lion of Punjab”. He ruled over a multi-ethnic, multi-faith, multi-caste empire which had remarkable toleration and inclusivity for its subjects.
Marriages
During his rule, to secure the internal stability of the empire, Ranjit married a series of women – at least 18, but as many as 46 – from the ruling families of the region. Multiple marriage was a common practice among Punjabi elites at that time, it was a symbol of status but also a crucial means of forging strong alliances.
Reforms
To ensure the external security, the army was reformed and modernized by Ranjit Singh, his Khalsa army was at par with any army in the world at that time. His diverse army included Hindus, Muslims, and European Christians – French, Spanish, Polish, Russian, and Prussian, though not British, as it was commonly believed at that time in Indian subcontinent, that one should always keep Britishers at at least an arm’s length. In the same manner his administration was a diverse affair as well; his prime minister was a Dogra Rajput, his finance minister a Brahmin and his foreign minister a Muslim.
He
Also signed a treaty with the British, establishing a firm boundary at the
river Sutlej and also agreed on occasional co-ordination against their common
enemy, the Afghans.
Governance
Conquests
The
stunning rise of the Sikh empire made Ranjit Singh a celebrity in the world. A
French traveler compared him to Napoleon as well, while other observers praised
him as a “military genius” and his empire as “the most wonderful object in the
whole world.”
The Britisher’s also agreed to these praises, and they themselves were filled with wonder at the “Napoleonic suddenness of his empires rise” and “the Intelligence behind Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s success”. Maharaja Ranjit Singh made his empire and the Sikhs a strong political force, for which he is deeply admired and revered in Sikhism.
Death
But, In the 1830s, Maharaja Ranjit Singh suffered from
numerous health complications as well as a stroke, which some historical
records attribute to alcoholism and a failing liver.
He died in his sleep on 27th June 1839 and after his death, the Sikh Empire began to decline as empire failed to establish a lasting structure for Sikh government or a stable succession. The British and Sikh Empire fought two Anglo Sikh wars with the second ending the reign of Sikh Empire, 1849. Though his empire could not sustain for long, but his legacy certainly has and even today it is so strong, that still he is one of the greatest.
Contents
- Early Childhood
- Sikh Empire
- Reforms
- Marriages
- Governace
- Conquests
- Death
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