Death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh: 1839

During the First Anglo Afghan war, the pillar of the Sikh Empire Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in 1839, after a rule of around 45 years. He left 7 sons with 7 different queens and immediately after his death the Sikhs started disintegrating. This led death of his successors one by one, which is dealt in brief in the later passages of this module.

Successors of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in 1839 and after that Sikhs started disintegrating. Lahore was torn by dissensions between rival princes, generals, ministers, and queens. These foolish successors ousted the skillful European generals, inducted by late Maharaja, from their commands in the Sikh army. The supreme military power of the time got vested in the Panchayats.

Maharaja was succeeded by his Son Kharak Singh, who was deposed within months of remaining in power. He was later poisoned to death later and was replaced by his son Nihal Singh, who was also dispatched from this world, under mysterious circumstances.

Now the Panchayats had to play their roles. The Hindu Dogras and Sikh Sindhanwalias tried to place their own representatives on the throne. Thus one Raja Sher Singh came to power. But within months, he was murdered by his own cousin and the Dogras placed Jind Kaur, one of the widows of late Maharaja on the throne. She ruled as a regent for his son Maharaja Duleep Singh, a young boy of 8-9 years, placed on the Throne of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.