First Sikh War

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First Sikh War
British cavalry attack at the Battle of Aliwal
British cavalry attack at the Battle of Aliwal
date 1845-1846
place Punjab
exit British victory
Parties to the conflict

British East India CompanyBritish East India Company British East India Company

Sikh Empire flag.svg Empire of the Sikh

Battles of the First Sikh War (1845 to 1846)
India in the late 18th and 19th centuries

The First Sikh War was a military conflict between the last sovereign Indian state of Punjab and the British East India Company . The war lasted from December 13, 1845 to February 13, 1846 and ended in the defeat of the Punjab. This made the Sikh Empire of the Punjab dependent on the British Empire. The course of the war was largely shaped by the betrayal of the general of the Sikh army.

background

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, drawing by Emily Eden, 1844
Duleep Singh, drawing by James D. Harding, around 1840

Maharaja Ranjit Singh , the first ruler of the Sikh-State of Punjab, had built up a strong army organized on the European model. According to traditional medieval custom, the 40,000-strong army no longer consisted of mounted nobles who provided their equipment themselves, poorly equipped lower-class infantrymen and mercenaries, but of well-trained infantrymen who were able to advance in formation and also to attack cavalry resist. This transformation had been carried out with some success, but it resulted in social upheavals that destabilized the state. The modern army could not have an efficient administration that could have created the economic and organizational prerequisites for them and at the same time brought a certain continuity into the life of the state.Duleep Singh , took the throne. The regency took over his mother, Rani Janda Kaur. The army of Sikh farmers had become an uncontrollable power factor that did not submit to the government. At the end of 1845 the situation spiraled out of control. The Panchayat, soldiers' councils at regimental level, who expressed the will of the army and influenced politics, executed the vizier and brother of the Rani Jawahar Singh after a court martial and the military took over the government of Lahore. Parts of the army wanted a war with the British and this request was supported by the court, who hoped that the British would defeat the now uncontrollable military and take control of the Punjab. This would mean the end of independence, but the upper class hoped to be able to maintain their political and sovereign status. Nobles Lal Singh and Tej Singh began making efforts to stir up a hostile mood against the British in the army.

This development did not go unnoticed by the British and they further promoted the domestic political problems, as they increasingly sought military control of the Punjab since the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since Ranjith Singh's death, British circles have been considering annexing the Punjab. The British hoped, however, to be able to avoid the outbreak of hostilities by the end of 1845 in order to be able to reorganize the army after the catastrophic defeat of Elphinstone's army in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839-1842) and the conquest of Sind (1841-1843) . (See also The Great Game .) The time was used to prepare the war, a pontoon - Trainbrought in, food supplies laid out and the garrisons in Firozpur , Ludhiana , Ambala and Merath strengthened.

By the end of November 1845, the British had 7,000 men standing on Satluj . Their commanders were Major General Sir John Littler in Firozpur seven Sepoy - battalions , a British battalion and two Indian cavalry regiments and Brigadier General Hugh Wheelerin Ludhiana with five Indian and one British infantry regiments and an Indian cavalry regiment. At the beginning of December, Wheeler moved his troops close to the border in the British Bassian, about 40 kilometers southwest of Ludhiana, the main grain store. In Ambala there were another 10,000 men, in Merath another 9,000. The British declarations that this was only for defense were not believed by the Sikhs in view of the internal political situation of the Punjab and the presence of bridge building material for crossing the Satluj. A series of provocations eventually convinced the Sikh army that war with the British was inevitable, and they decided to appoint two members of the upper class, Lal Singh and Tej Singh, as their leaders - the two nobles, most openly in favor of war with the British. Lal Singh was appointed vizier and Tej Singh commander in chief of the Sikh army.

Course of war

Map of the war zone
General Henry Smith, before 1860
Map of the Battle of Aliwal
Depiction of the crossing of the Satluj by the British in The Illustrated London News of 23 May 1846

On December 11, 1845, British troops began to advance from Ambala towards the border river Satluj. This led to the decision to let the Sikh army march against the enemy. Already on December 12, 1845, the Sikh army crossed the Satluj with their commanders-in-chief Lal Singh and Tej Singh 12 miles south of Firozpur and took up a defensive position on their own territory at Ferozeshah , 16 kilometers east of Firozpur. The Governor General Henry Hardinge called this action an invasion of British territory and a breach of the Treaty of Amritsarfrom 1809. On December 13th, he declared war on the Punjab and annexed Lahore's estates south of the Satluj. However, other authors see the Sikhs as responsible for the outbreak of war.

By December 17, 1845, nearly 12,000 men had gathered at Badhni, about 13 miles west of Bassian, under the command of Lieutenant General Hugh Gough . The force consisted of 13 infantry battalions (four of them British), five cavalry regiments and had 42 cannons.

Meanwhile the Sikh army had been divided. One part was to guard Littler in Firozpur, while the other was to resist Gough. On December 18, the British met under Gough at the Battle of Mudkion the Sikh army. The Sikhs led up to 10,000 men and 22 cannons into battle. The British lost 872 men, while the Sikhs lost 300 deaths and 17 cannons. The battle was evenly balanced, even if the British considered it a victory. The battle had shown that the British could only partially rely on the sepoys. They had fallen behind, and there were reports that they had purposely fired too high. The sepoys feared the Sikhs, who had a reputation for invincibility because they had not suffered defeat in living memory.

The British now made the plan to combine their forces with the beleaguered Littler army in Firozpur and then defeat one of the two Sikh armies before the Sikhs could merge them. However, their generals were in constant contact with the British and kept them up to date. When, on the early morning of December 21, 1845, Littler's troops from Firozpur had not yet united with Gough's forces, Gough decided to attack anyway. However, he was forced by Governor General Hardinge, nominally under Gough's orders, to wait for them to arrive. The British finally united on December 21, 1845 at 1:30 p.m. An hour before sunset, the British began their attack on the fortified positions of the Sikhs. On the second day of theIn the Battle of Ferozeshah , the British remained victorious, although the outcome was more than uncertain and the Sikhs were deliberately badly led by their generals. The Sikhs lost 3,000 men while the British lost 2,415, including 700 dead. The Sikh army left British territory and withdrew again behind the Satluj. On January 6, 1846, Gough received 10,000 reinforcements and was expecting a train with supplies and siege artillery. At the same time, the Sikhs began to build a bridge over the Satluj and to raise fortifications to secure the bridgehead. 8,000 men under Ranjodh Singh marched east to Ludhiana, where a small British detachment was located.

Meanwhile, the Sikh army was pillaging British territory. Major General Harry Smith was with a brigadeInfantry, two Indian cavalry regiments and artillery sent to give the supply train escort to the main army. On the way he captured a small fort at Dharmkot held by Muslim mercenaries. He also received some reinforcements before he met the army of Ranjodh Singh on January 21, 1846 near Baddowal. This comprised 8,000-9,000 men and 40 guns and was thus twice as powerful as Smiths with only 4,000 men and 18 guns. Smith decided to avoid the fight and bypass the enemy south. He succeeded in doing this with little loss. Further reinforcements brought Smith's force to over 10,000 men. Ranjodh Singh also received 4,000 reinforcements.

Ranjodh Singh's army of 13,000 to 14,000 men marched further south and met on January 28, 1846 at the Battle of Aliwal in a battle of encounters with the 10,000 British facing west towards Ludhiana. The terrain was favorable for the British cavalry and the Sikhs were surprised by the clash. The battle was a complete victory for the British, who had defeated a superior army. They lost only 500 men, while the Sikhs were estimated to have lost 3,000 men. The British also captured 51 cannons and rendered 16 more harmless. After the battle of Aliwal, Gulab Singh , an influential Hindu from the Dogra and Raja tribe took Jammusby Ranjit Singh's grace, made contact with the British and explored the possibility of ending the war. Hardinge, however, called for the Sikh army to be disbanded. However, this condition could not be fulfilled by the Sikh leaders Ghulab Sing, Tej Sing and Lal Singh. The annihilation of the Sikh army became a prerequisite for the implementation of the plans of the Sikh leaders.

After the battle, Gough turned to the fortified bridgehead at Sobraon. The Sikhs had fastened it irregularly for almost three kilometers in a semicircle around the pontoon bridge; it was defended by 67 guns and up to 20,000 men. Gough could field 15,000 men and between 70 and 80 cannons. On the morning of February 10, 1846, the Battle of Sobraon began . It ended in a complete British victory. The losses of the Sikh army were estimated at between 8,000 and 10,000 men. The British lost 2,400 men, including over 300 dead. Sobraon was to be the final battle of the war. The British army crossed the Satluj and occupied Kasurwhere on February 13, 1846 Gulab Singh met for peace negotiations with Lieutenant General Gough and Hardinge and accepted the peace conditions laid down by the latter.

Consequences and effects of the war

Lieutenant General Hugh Gough

The war was one of the toughest the British waged in India. The British victory was hard won and the betrayal of the Sikh army by its leaders Gulab Singh, Tej Singh and Lal Singh made it even more favorable.

The terms of the Treaty of Kasure were harsh and aimed at weakening the Sikh state and rewarding the traitors. They consisted of the restriction of the Sikh army to 20,000 infantrymen and 12,000 cavalry, the surrender of 25 cannons and a ban on the recruitment of European mercenaries. The area of ​​Jalandhar Doab (the area between Satluj and Beas ) had to be ceded and the stationing of a British army in Lahore had to be accepted by the end of 1846. The British Army was given a right of passage and the Punjab was not allowed to declare war or make peace without the permission of the British. In addition, the Sikh state had to pay compensation of 1,500,000 pounds sterlingAfford. In the event that the sum was not raised, the assignment of Kashmir to Gulab Singh was planned. This case actually occurred and Gulab Singh became the first Maharaja of Kashmir. However, it was not until November 1846 that he actually gained control of Kashmir with British help.

The peace conditions might have been even tougher if the British had not lost half of their European troops in the course of the war. Their Indian troops were unreliable and the Sikh could still field 40,000 men, while the British could count on reinforcements from overseas in three months at the earliest. On March 6, 1846, the treaty was officially signed in Lahore.

The peace shouldn't last long. In April 1848, in the Sikh fiefdom of Multan , there was a murder of two British officers and a subsequent uprising. It spread in the following months and eventually led to the Second Sikh War , which ended in the annexation of the entire Sikh state.

literature

  • ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49 , In: Brian Bond (Ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns . New York 1967.
  • KK Datta (Ed.): The Consolidation of British Rule in India . In: A Comprehensive History of India , Vol. 11, New Delhi 1985, ISBN 81-7007-003-1 .
  • Byron Farwell: Queen Victoria's Little Wars . Wordsworth Editions Limited, Hertfordshire 1999. ISBN 1-84022-215-8 .
  • George Bruce Malleson: The Decisive Battles of India . From 1746 to 1849 inclusive. Associated Publishing House, New Delhi 1973, ISBN 978-0-554-47615-5 .
  • Edward Penderel Moon : The British Conquest and Dominion of India . Duckworth, London 1990. ISBN 0-7156-2169-6 .

Web links

Commons : First Sikh War  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ All Sikh men bear the surname Singh (lion) as a sign of solidarity
  2. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49 In: Brian Bond (Ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 36
  3. ↑ KK Datta (Ed.): A Comprehensive History of India. Volume 11: The Consolidation of British Rule in India. New Delhi 1985. Page 32 f.
  4. ^ GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). New Delhi 1973. page 305.
  5. ↑ KK Datta (Ed.): A Comprehensive History of India. Volume 11: The Consolidation of British Rule in India. New Delhi 1985. page 26
  6. ^ GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). New Delhi 1973. Page 304 f.
  7. ↑ KK Datta (Ed.): A Comprehensive History of India. Volume 11: The Consolidation of British Rule in India. New Delhi 1985. page 24
  8. ↑ Sir Penderel Moon: The British Conquest and Dominion of India. London 1990. page 590
  9. ↑ Sir Penderel Moon: The British Conquest and Dominion of India. London 1990. page 595
  10. ↑ KK Datta (ed.): A Comprehensive History of India, Volume 11: The Consolidation of British Rule in India. New Delhi 1985. page 26
  11. ^ GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). New Delhi 1973. page 305.
  12. ↑ KK Datta (Ed.): A Comprehensive History of India. Volume 11: The Consolidation of British Rule in India. New Delhi 1985. page 26
  13. ^ Moon: Sir Penderel Moon: The British Conquest and Dominion of India. London 1990. page 596
  14. ^ GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). New Delhi 1973. page 310.
  15. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49, In: Brian Bond (ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 41.
  16. ^ Moon: Sir Penderel Moon: The British Conquest and Dominion of India. London 1990. page 598
  17. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49 In: Brian Bond (Ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 41
  18. ↑ Byron Farwell: Queen Victoria's Little War. Hertfordshire 1999. page 41.
  19. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49 In: Brian Bond (Ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 43
  20. ^ GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). New Delhi 1973. Page 314 f.
  21. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49, In: Brian Bond (ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 43.
  22. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49, In: Brian Bond (ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 46.
  23. ^ GB Malleson: Associated Reprint: Four. The Decisive Battles of India (From 1746 to 1849 inclusive). New Delhi 1973. page 319.
  24. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49, In: Brian Bond (ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 48.
  25. ↑ Sir Penderel Moon: The British Conquest and Dominion of India. London 1990. page 601.
  26. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49, In: Brian Bond (ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 48.
  27. ↑ KK Datta (Ed.): A Comprehensive History of India. Volume 11: The Consolidation of British Rule in India. New Delhi 1985. page 27
  28. ↑ Walter Goetz (Ed.): The emergence of the world state system. Volume 9. Berlin 1933. Page 64.
  29. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49, In: Brian Bond (ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. page 43.
  30. ↑ KK Datta (Ed.): A Comprehensive History of India. Volume 11: The Consolidation of British Rule in India. New Delhi 1985. page 28
  31. ↑ Sir Penderel Moon: The British Conquest and Dominion of India. London 1990. Page 601 f.
  32. ^ ER Crawford: The Sikh Wars, 1845-49 In: Brian Bond (Ed.): Victorian Military Campaigns. New York 1967. Page 48 f.
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