Ranjit Singh

Ranjit Singh (Punjabi pronunciation: [ɾəɳd͡ʒiːt̪(ə̆) sɪ˩˥ŋɡ]; c. 13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and the first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839.

Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia Misl, Ranjit Singh fought his first battle alongside his father at the age of ten. After Maha Singh died in his early teenage years, Ranjit Singh became leader of the Misl. He was the most prominent of the Sikh leaders who opposed Zaman Shah, the ruler of Durrani Empire, during his third invasion. After the retreat of Zaman Shah in 1799, he captured Lahore from the Sikh triumvirate which had been ruling the city since 1765. At the age of 21, he was formally crowned at Lahore.

Before his rise, the Punjab had been fragmented into a number of warring Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu states. A large part of Punjab was under direct Durrani control. By 1813, Ranjit Singh had successfully annexed the Sikh misls and taken over the local kingdoms; the following decades saw the conquest of Durrani Afghan-ruled territories of Multan, Kashmir and Peshawar into his expanding Sikh Empire. Ranjit Singh established friendly diplomatic relations with the British after the treaty of Amritsar.

During his reign, Ranjit Singh introduced military reforms, structural changes in administration, and modernisation. His Khalsa army and government included Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, and Europeans. His legacy includes a period of Sikh cultural and artistic renaissance, including the rebuilding of the Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar as well as other major gurdwaras, such as the Takht Sri Patna Sahib and the Hazur Sahib Nanded under his sponsorship despite being located outside of his realm. Ranjit Singh was succeeded by his son Kharak Singh after his death in 1839.