2025/07/01 by Paul K. MacDonald · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Military History and Strategy #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #South Asian Studies and Diaspora
paper · doi:10.1080/03086534.2025.2524826
openalex publication_date 2025/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
This article explores how British perceptions of Sikh martial character evolved in the years surrounding the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars. Although British observers in previous decades recognised the Sikh Empire’s expanding military capabilities, they tended to reduce these developments to the presence of European mercenaries or the unique martial genius of Ranjit Singh, rather than the inherent character of Sikhs themselves. The experience of the two Anglo-Sikh wars upended these views. Not only did the Sikh army fight hard in both conflicts, it also fought using tools and tactics that were legible to British observers. The wars thus came to be seen as noble last stands undertaken by an armed and unified people, a tragic tale that resonated with mid-Victorian audiences. This narrative was further strengthened and transformed in late-Victorian and Edwardian retellings. The Anglo-Sikh wars came to be seen as a military crucible that forged two nations together in a common destiny. These latter works seemed to provide historical support for official claims that the Sikhs constituted a ‘martial race’, one whose masculine virtues could be unlocked under the paternalistic supervision of British officers.