2016/01/09 by Pashaura Singh · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · Mathematics · #South Asian Studies and Diaspora #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #South Asian Studies and Conflicts #Polity #Empire #Monarchy #Politics #Ancient history #Population #Boundary (topology) #History #Geography #Economic history #Political science #Law #Sociology #Demography #Mathematics
paper · doi:10.1002/9781118455074.wbeoe314
openalex publication_date 2016/01/09 · openalex created_date 2022/05/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/14
Abstract The end of the 18th century saw the beginning of the process of unification of Sikh confederacies ( misls ) in the Punjab, leading to the establishment of an empire by Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839) in the early decades of the 19th century. Strategically, he made use of an efficient army, marriages, alliances, and suzerain–vassal polity to establish his political control over a domain extending from the Khyber Pass in the west to the River Satluj in the east, from the northern boundary of Kashmir to the deserts of Sindh in the South, comprising the provinces of Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, and Kashmir. It covered an area of 100 436 square miles with an estimated population of 12 million people. Designated as the Sarkar Khalsa Ji it was an absolute centralized monarchy, but a liberal and benevolent one that included Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims in the ruling class.