Sikh Empire

Sikh Empire
Sarkar-i-Khalsa امپراطوری سیک ਸਿੱਖਖਾਲਸਾਰਾਜ।।
1799–1849
Flag Khanda (Coat of Arms)
Anthem Deg Tegh Fateh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Sikh Empire at its peak
Capital		Lahore
Languages		Persian (court) Punjabi Dogri Kashmiri Pashto
Religion		Sikhism
Government		Federal monarchy
Maharaja
•	1801–1839	Ranjit Singh
•	1839	Kharak Singh
•	1839–1840	Nau Nihal Singh
•	1840–1841	Chand Kaur
•	1841–1843	Sher Singh
•	1843–1849	Duleep Singh
Wazir
•	1799–1818	Jamadar Khushal Singh
•	1818–1843	Dhian Singh Dogra
•	1843–1844	Hira Singh Dogra
•	1844–1845	Jawahar Singh Aulakh
Historical era		Early modern period
•	Capture of Lahore by Ranjit Singh	7 July 1799
•	End of Second Anglo-Sikh War	29 March 1849
Currency		Nanak Shahi Rupee
Preceded by Succeeded by Sikh Confederacy Durrani Empire Maratha Empire Company rule in India
Today part of		China  India  Pakistan

The Sikh Empire (also Sikh Khalsa Raj, Sarkar-i-Khalsa or Pañjab (Punjab) Empire), was a major power that originated on the Indian Subcontinent, which arose under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who established a secular empire basing it around the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849 and was forged on the foundations of the Khalsa from a collection of autonomous Sikh misls. At its peak in the 19th century, the Empire extended from the Khyber Pass in the west to western Tibet in the east, and from Mithankot in the south to Kashmir in the north. It was the last major region of the subcontinent to be conquered by the British.

The foundations of the Sikh Empire can be traced to as early as 1707, the year of Aurangzeb's death and the start of the downfall of the Mughal Empire. With the Mughals significantly weakened, the Sikh army, known as the Dal Khalsa, a rearrangement of the Khalsa inaugurated by Guru Gobind Singh, led expeditions against them and the Afghans in the west. This led to a growth of the army which split into different confederacies or semi-independent misls. Each of these component armies controlled different areas and cities. However, in the period from 1762 to 1799, Sikh commanders of the misls appeared to be coming into their own as independent warlords.

The formation of the empire began with the capture of Lahore, by Ranjit Singh, from its Afghan ruler, Zaman Shah Durrani, and the subsequent and progressive expulsion of Afghans from the Punjab, by defeating them in the Afghan-Sikh Wars, and the unification of the separate Sikh misls. Ranjit Singh was proclaimed as Maharaja of the Punjab on 12 April 1801 (to coincide with Vaisakhi), creating a unified political state. Sahib Singh Bedi, a descendant of Guru Nanak, conducted the coronation. Ranjit Singh rose to power in a very short period, from a leader of a single misl to finally becoming the Maharaja of Punjab. He began to modernise his army, using the latest training as well as weapons and artillery. After the death of Ranjit Singh, the empire was weakened by internal divisions and political mismanagement. Finally, by 1849 the state was dissolved after the defeat in the Anglo-Sikh wars.