Emperor of the Five Rivers: The Life and Times of Maharajah Ranjit Singh

by Mohamed Sheikh

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350274365
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/29/2022
Pages:	246
Product dimensions:	8.95(w) x 12.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mohamed Sheikh is the Chairman of the Conservative Ethnic Diversity Council and the founder and Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum. Lord Sheikh, who was made a life peer in 2006 is a prominent promoter of interfaith activities.

Table of Contents

Introduction

PART I: THE RISE TO POWER
Chapter 1 The Punjab and Sikhism
Chapter 2 The Misls
Chapter 3 Ranjit's Childhood
Chapter 4 Ruling as a Teenager
Chapter 5 Consolidation in Lahore
Chapter 6 Reaching out beyond Lahore
Chapter 7 Ranjit's Early Civil and Military Infrastructure
Chapter 8 More on Ranjit and His Close Family
Chapter 9 Enter the British
Chapter 10 Almost War, then a Treaty
Chapter 11 First Conquests in the Second Decade
Chapter 12 Setback and Victory in Kashmir
Chapter 13 Events at the Court

PART II: HIGH-POINT
Chapter 14 At the Midpoint (i): the Civil State
Chapter 15 At the Midpoint (ii): Trade, Industry and the Army
Chapter 16 Ranjit's Secularism
Chapter 17 Tales of the Hero
Chapter 18 The Third Decade Opens with a Bang
Chapter 19 Syed Ahmed, a Fanatical Interloper
Chapter 20 Anti-climax after a Grand Summit of Equals
Chapter 21 The Nobles
Chapter 22 Steadfast against British Provocation
Chapter 23 Caught up in the Great Game
Chapter 24 Fateful Conclusion with the British
Chapter 25 The End of a Great Life

PART III: COLLAPSE AND SURVIVAL
Chapter 26 Vicious Aftermath
Chapter 27 Bloody Finale
Chapter 28 Conclusion
Postscript Maharaja Dalip Singh

Appendices: Themes highlighting the life and times of Ranjit Singh
Appendix 1 Education under Ranjit Singh
Appendix 2 The Darbar
Appendix 3 The variety and tolerance of Punjabi religions
Appendix 4 Urban developments.
Appendix 5 The Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama
Appendix 6 Ranjit Singh's own words