The Sikh and British Empires

The Sikh Empire was established by Maharajah Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century and spanned vast regions of North-western India and modern-day Pakistan.

Accompanying Sikh expansion in the Punjab was the growth in political power, territorial control, and wealth of the East India Company. A powerful commercial enterprise backed by the British government, the East India Company effectively governed large parts of India, and was instrumental in establishing British imperial dominance over the subcontinent.

The death of Ranjit Singh marked a turning point in relations as the catalyst for the Anglo-Sikh wars and the British annexation of the Punjab in 1849.