Esercito britannico attraversando sutlej 1845 Barca a vela canottaggio fucile marzo formazione elefante di viaggio il primo Anglo-Sikh guerra fu combattuta
3969 x 4599 px | 33,6 x 38,9 cm | 13,2 x 15,3 inches | 300dpi
Altre informazioni:
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom. The Sikh kingdom of Punjab was expanded and consolidated by Maharaj Ranjit Singh during the early years of the nineteenth century, about the same time as the British-controlled territories were advanced by conquest or annexation to the borders of the Punjab. Ranjit Singh maintained a policy of wary friendship with the British, while at the same time building up his military forces to deter aggression both by the British and by the Afghans under Dost Mohammed Khan. He hired American and European mercenary soldiers to train his artillery, and also incorporated contingents of Hindus and Muslims into his army. Ranjit Singh died in 1839. Almost immediately, his kingdom fell into disorder. Ranjit's unpopular legitimate son, Kharak Singh, was removed from power within a few months, and later died in prison under mysterious circumstances. It was widely believed that he was poisoned.[1] He was replaced by his able but estranged son Kanwar Nau Nihal Singh, who also died within a few months in suspicious circumstances; he was crushed by a falling archway at the Lahore Fort while returning from his father's cremation.[1] There were at the time two major factions within the Punjab contending for power and influence, the Sikh Sindhanwalias and the Hindu Dogras. The Dogras succeeded in raising Sher Singh, the eldest illegitimate son of Ranjit Singh, to the throne in January 1841. The most prominent Sindhanwalias took refuge on British territory, but had many adherents among the Army of the Punjab. The army was expanding rapidly in the aftermath of Ranjit Singh's death, from 29, 000 (with 192 guns) in 1839 to over 80, 000 in 1845[2] as landlords and their retainers took up arms. It now proclaimed itself to be the Khalsa, or embodiment of the Sikh nation.
