viii. British Conquest of Punjab (1849)

Until the middle of 1808, the British authorities believed that Napoleon would invade India through the North-West frontier. Hence, they favoured establishing closer contact with the ruler of Lahore so that he could serve as a buffer against foreign invasion.
However, after the Anglo-Persian treaty in 1809, which ended the possibility of a French invasion, the British changed their attitude.
In 1809, the British asked Ranjit Singh to withdraw his army from the Cis-Sutlej areas (Territories east of river Sutlej). Recognising the superiority of British military power, Ranjit Singh abandoned his claim over the Cis-Sutlej Sikh States.

The Treaty of Amritsar or Minto-Metcalfe Treaty (1809)	Charles Theophilus Metcalfe of the British EIC and Maharaja Ranjit Singh signed a pact in 1809, signifying their friendship. It accepted the Sutlej River as a boundary line for the dominions of Sikh Trans-Sutlej (Territories west of river Sutlej) and EIC (Cis-Sutlej (Territories east of river Sutlej). Although the treaty restricted Ranjit Singh from expanding his rule to the Cis-Sutlej states, it allowed him to conquer places in the Trans-Sutlej (Territories west of river Sutlej) states, like Kashmir and Peshawar.
The Treaty of Amritsar or Minto-Metcalfe Treaty (1809)	Immediate Effects Sikhs: The Treaty of Amritsar prevented Ranjit Singh from establishing Sikh supremacy over the territories between the Yamuna and Sutlej rivers. The Treaty allowed Ranjit Singh to bring the Cis-Sutlej states under his dominion and conquer places like Kashmir and Peshawar. British: The British gained Ranjit Singh’s support and secured the northwest border from a possible French invasion.
Punjab after Ranjit Singh	Maharaja Ranjit Singh had died in June 1839. Despite his great personal achievements, he had failed to establish a stable Sikh state in Punjab and his death was followed by political instability. He was a despot and had established a military rule. He left behind a standing army of 40,000 soldiers. The strength of the army increased three-fold within five years of his death which proved to be a great burden on the shrinking resources of the state. When the soldiers could not be paid salaries, they went out of control and interfered in politics. A war of succession ensued amongst the many sons of Ranjit Singh, the legitimacy of many of whom was doubtful. These incompetent heirs were unable to check the forces of disorder. Ranjit Singhs sons Khadak Singh and Naunihal Singh sat on the throne in quick succession. In 1843, Dalip Singh, a minor son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was proclaimed king under the guardianship of Rani Jindan.
The English Cast Their Eye	The English were closely watching the happenings in Punjab and cast longing eyes on the fertile plains on the other side of the Sutlej. The disastrous defeat in the Afghan war had lowered British prestige, which they wanted to regain at the cost of the Sindh and Punjab. In 1843 itself, they annexed Sindh, to the south of Punjab, which did not gain the British any respect in Punjab but only increased suspicions of British motives. In 1843, Major Broadfoot was appointed as Company’s political agent in Punjab. He stressed on the disorder in Punjab and recounted every tale of corrupt behaviour at the court, affecting British attitudes. In 1844, Lord Ellenborough was succeeded by Lord Hardinge as Governor-General. Hardinge undertook vigorous measures to strengthen the Company’s military position. The Company’s troops in Punjab and Sindh were trained and fortified. The Company took a hypocritical stand and contended that the preparations were only defensive in nature and calculated to meet a possible attack from the Sikhs. In an attempt to shift the responsibility of war on the shoulders of the Sikhs, the English variously wrote: ‘If the army could not be controlled it must be disbanded or its energies diverted in war. No one dreaded to do the former and so the latter was the only recourse’. ‘Rani Jindan dreaded the absolute power of the Khalsa army and found her only hope of security in urging it on to challenge British supremacy’. In 1845, Lai Singh, a lover of Rani Jindan, had won over the army on his side and become the wazir. Teja Singh had become the new commander of the Sikh forces. To the Sikhs, the British moves appeared more as an act of aggression rather than defence. Consequently, on 11 December 1845, the Sikh troops, led by Lai Singh, crossed the Sutlej and took offensive action against the English troops commanded by Sir Hugh Gough. On 13 December, Hardinge made his declaration of war and thus the war began.
Causes of Anglo-Sikh War	British desire to expand their influence and control over Punjab, as it was the only remaining formidable force that could threaten the British hold in India and the last remaining independent kingdom not under British influence. Glorious wealth of the kingdom of Punjab-the Kohinoor was but one of its treasures. Political instability after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Indiscipline of the Khalsa army. Instigating role of Major Braodfoot. English attempt to regain the prestige which had suffered during the First Afghan war.

First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46)

Details	Four successive battles were fought between the British and the Sikh army. These were the battles of Mudki, Ferozeshah, Baddoval and Aliwal. But the fifth and decisive battle was the Battle of Sabbraon (10 February 1846). Due to the treachery of Lai Singh and Teja Singh, who gave all critical information to the English, the battle resulted in a bloody slaughter of Sikh troops. After the defeat of the Sikhs, the British occupied Lahore and forced the Sikhs to sign the Treaty of Lahore.
Treaty of Lahore (9 March 1846)	The main provisions of the Treaty of Lahore were as follows: Maharaja gave up all his territories lying to the south of the River Satluj. Sikhs had to pay Rs 1.5 crore as war indemnity. Unable to pay the entire sum, they had to give up certain additional territories including Kashmir and Hazara. In a later separate arrangement (the Treaty of Amritsar), the Raja of Jammu, Gulab Singh, purchased Kashmir from the East India Company for a payment of 7.5 million rupees and was granted the title Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. Minor Dalip Singh was accepted as King with Queen Jindan as his guardian (Queen Regent) and Lai Singh as the wazir. Sir Henry Lawrence became the British Resident at Lahore
Treaty of Amritsar (March 16, 1846)	Since the Sikhs could not pay the entire war indemnity, the British ceded the territories of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh to Maharaja Gulab Singh for seventy-five lakh rupees. On March 16, 1846, the Treaty of Amritsar was signed between the British EIC and Maharaja Gulab Singh, which formalised the transfer of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh to Gulab Singh. The Sikhs disliked the British move of selling away Kashmir to Gulab Singh. Consequently, the Sikhs revolted under Lal Singh. The revolt was suppressed and yet another treaty, Treaty of Bhairoval, was signed with Dalip Singh.
Treaty of Bhairoval (16 December 1846)	Main provisions of the treaty were as follows: Rani Jindan’s guardianship was ended and she was pensioned. (Maharani Jind Kaur was removed from Lahore Darbar and sent to Sheikhupura and then Banaras.) A Council of eight Sikh chiefs under the Chairmanship of British Resident was appointed for governance works. The British Resident at Lahore was given full authority over all matters in every state department. It was decided that a permanent British army will be placed at Lahore until Dalip Singh becomes a major. The British were permitted to station their troops in any part of the state. This made the British Resident the real ruler of the Punjab, and Punjab became a dependent state of the British.
Consequences of the First Anglo-Sikh War	The Punjab became a British dependency. The Sikh Empire lost Kashmir to the British. The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority state with a Hindu Dogra ruler, was formed on March 16, 1846.

Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49)

Second Anglo-Sikh War Details

After the Treaty of Bhairoval, the British Resident became the virtual ruler of Punjab with unlimited civil and military powers. When Rani Jindan showed her resentment towards such usurpation of powers, her jewellery was seized and she was sent to Sheikhpura under spies. Her pension was also arbitrarily reduced from Rs 1.5 lakh to mere Rs 48,000 per annum.
The British were not satisfied with their indirect rule in Punjab and were waiting for an opportunity to establish a direct rule in Punjab.
1. Their opportunity came in 1848 when the Punjabis rose in numerous local revolts. Two prominent revolts were led by Mulraj at Multan and Sardar Chatter (Chattur) Singh Attariwala near Lahore.
Immediate Cause (Revolt of Mulraj):
1. Diwan Mulraj Chopra was the governor of Multan. In a dispute over taxation, the British ordered his replacement with Sirdar Khan Singh and Lieutenant Patrick Vans Agnew, a British political agent.
2. The new Governor-General Dalhousie soon got his opportunity for annexation when two British officers, Vans Agnew and Lieutenant Anderson, were sent for taking charge of Multan from its Governor, Mulraj. The officers were murdered there and within a short period of time, other Sikh chiefs joined in with their armies in open rebellion under the banner of Mulraj. The rebellion soon developed into a national uprising in Punjab.
Taking this as an excuse, Dalhousie declared war, saying: ‘the Sikh nation has called for war and on my word, sirs, they shall have it with a vengeance’. Three battles were fought in the Second Anglo Sikh War, namely:
1. Battle of Ramnagar (22 November 1848)
2. Battle of Chillianwala (13 January 1849): The first two battles were indecisive. In these battles, the British army was led by General Gough.
3. Battle of Gujarat (21 February 1849): The Sikh army was defeated and it surrendered before the English led by Charles Napier.
Once the Sikh army collapsed, Dalhousie decided in favour of annexation declaring that, ‘There never can be now any guarantee for the tranquility of India, until we shall have affected the entire subjugation of the Sikh people and destroyed its power as an independent nation. Hence, on 29 March 1849, Dalhousie annexed Punjab.
Maharaja Dalip Singh was pensioned and sent to England for education (There he adopted Christianity but later returned to Punjab and re-embraced Sikhism). Punjab administration was entrusted to a Board of Commissioners. Kohinoor diamond was taken away from Dalip Singh and placed in the British royal crown. In this way, Punjab was made part of the British Empire.

Administration of Punjab

After the annexation of Punjab, it was governed by a three-member Board of Administration.
In 1853, the Board of Administration was abolished and replaced by the office of chief commissioner.
Following the transfer of power from EIC to the Crown in 1859, the office of chief commissioner was replaced by the lieutenant governor.

Lawrence Brothers

John Lawrence

John Lawrence was a member of the Board of Administration of Punjab from 1849 to 1853.
From 1853 to 1858, he was the chief commissioner of Punjab.
In 1859, he became the first lieutenant governor of Punjab.
From 1864 to 1869, he was the Governor-General of India.

Henry Lawrence

After the First Anglo-Sikh War, Henry was appointed a British resident at Lahore.
After the Second Anglo-Sikh War, he was appointed head of the Board of Administration. He was assisted on the board by his brothers, John, and Charles Grenville Mansel.