Sikh Empire

The Sikh Empire (from 1801-1849) was formed on the foundations of the Sikh Confederacy by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The Empire extended from the Khyber Pass in the west, to Kashmir in the north (touching) the border's of Tibet, to the Sind River in the south and in the east to Himachal Pradesh.

The main geographical footprint of the empire was Punjab (historical Punjab region).

The beginnings of the Sikh Empire could be defined as early as 1707, starting from the death of Aurangzeb and the downfall of the Mughal Empire. However, it is the period from 1762-1799 that Sikh rulers appeared to be coming into their own (Sikh Confederacy).

However, the true Sikh Empire began with the disbandment of the Sikh Confederacy by the Coronation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Lahore, creating the one unified political Empire.

The fall of the Mughal Empire provided opportunities for the Sikh army, known as the Dal Khalsa, to lead expeditions against the Mughals and Afghans. This led to a growth of the army, which was split into different confederations.


Each of these groups were known as a misl, each controlling different areas. The religious population demography of the Sikh Empire was Muslim (60%), Hindu (25%) and Sikh (15%).

The once strong empire, severely weakened after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839.

The story of the Empire ends, with the British East India Company annexing it's territory in 1849, after the Second Anglo-Sikh War.

Timeline1707-1716 Creation of Sikh Confederacy begins to influence the political structure of Punjab 1762-1767 Ahmed Shah Abdali and the Sikhs battle for control.

1763-1774 Charat Singh, misldhar of Sukerchakia misl established himself in Gujranwala.

1773- Ahmed Shah Abdali dies and his son Timur Shah is unable to suppress the Sikhs.

1774-1790 Maha Singh, becomes misldhar of the Sukerchakia misl.

1790-1801 Ranjit Singh becomes misldhar of the Sukerchakia misl.

1801-1839 Ranjit Singh proclaimed himself Maharaja in 1801.

1839-1840 Maharaja Kharak Singh 1840-1841 Maharani Chand Kaur but never proclaimed.

1841-1843 Maharaja Sher Singh 1843-1849 Maharaja Duleep Singh