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Prelude · 1848–1849

Second Anglo-Sikh War & Annexation of Punjab

After Ranjit Singh's death the Sikh kingdom weakened. Two wars with the East India Company ended with Punjab's annexation in 1849.

Causes

  • Instability in Lahore after Ranjit Singh's death (1839)
  • Company expansionism under Dalhousie
  • Revolt at Multan (1848)

Consequences

  • Punjab annexed in March 1849
  • Maharaja Duleep Singh deposed and exiled
  • Company's frontier extended to Afghanistan

Significance

Completed British territorial control of the subcontinent and showed the aggressive policy that fed later resentment.

Key terms

Paramountcy

Sources

  1. Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, From Plassey to Partition (Orient BlackSwan, 2004)
  2. NCERT, Themes in Indian History Part III, Class XII