Mention the main cause for anglo sikh wars?
Answers
Hey dear,
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom and cession of Jammu and Kashmir as a separate princely state under British suzerainty.
After the downfall of the Mughal empire, the Sikhs, taking advantage of the confused situation, carved out independent states of their own in Punjab. It was Ranjit Singh who united these states into a powerful kingdom in the Punjab during the nineteenth century. He established military rule in Punjab. After Ranjit Singh's death, the military set-up exploded and slowly the real power passed into the hands of the Khalsa army.
Ranjit Singh had left an army of 40,000 soldiers. This increased three-fold within five years of his death thus taking the large share of resources of the State. Unable to get their salaries, the soldiers got out of control and often interfered in political decisions. They formed their own panchayats and decided their own actions. The army assumed the role of "king-makers". The history of the Punjab in the years following the death of Ranjit Singh was thus the history of plots and counter plots, murders and assassinations, desertions and treachery -- all undermining the stability of the State.
Weak Successors of Ranjit Singh
One weak ruler after another came in succession. Ranjit Singh died in 1839. His successors were unable to hold the vast Sikh kingdom for a long time. Ranjit Singh was succeeded by his son Kharak Singh. Dhian Singh continued to hold the post of Wazir. Kharak Singh was not an able ruler. Taking advantage of this the powerful chiefs of the Sindhanwalia (Chet Singh, Atar Singh, Lehna Singh and Ajit Singh) and the Dogra brothers (Dhian Singh, Golab Singh and Suchet Singh) brought anarchy and confusion in Punjab. On October 8, 1839, Dhian Singh murdered Chet Singh in front of the king Kharak Singh and then the king was put behind the bars. Kharak Singh's son Noanihal Singh was proclaimed the king of the Punjab and Dhian Singh as a Wazir.
Noanihal Singh was an able ruler. He restored law and order in Punjab. He even sent an army to capture Ladhak and parts of Balistan. He kept a strict watch on the move of the British. However, fortune did not favour Punjab. On November 5, 1840 Kharak Singh died in the prison and on the same day the reign of Noanihal came to an end. He was hurt by the archway of the Lahore fort when he was returning back from the cemetery. He did not survive long after the accident.