BENTINCK, LORD WILLIAM CAVENDISH (1774-1839), Governor General of India, son of William Henry, third duke of Portland, was born on 14 September 1774. In 1803, he was appointed governor of Madras, but recalled in 1807 in consequence of the sepoy mutiny at Vellore. In 1827, Bentinck succeeded Lord Amherst as Governor General of India in which capacity he served till 1835. Lord William Bentinck`s policy towards the Sikh kingdom was dictated by the steady growth of a supposed Russo Persian threat to India`s northwestern frontier. In face of it, the Government of India adopted certain extraordinary measures.
CHATAR SINGH ATARlVALA (d. 1855), commander and provincial governor under minor Maharaja Duleep Singh, was the son of Jodh Singh Atarivala. Jodh Singh had joined the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1805 when he received large jagirs in the Pothohar country. On the death of his father in that year, Chatar Singh succeeded to the jagrrs, then amounting to over a lakh of rupees annually. He devoted most of his time to farming and kept generally aloof from state affairs during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. When after the assassination of his son, Maharaja Sher Singh, in September 1843, his daughter, Tej Kaur, was betrothed to Maharaja Duleep Singh, he came into prominence politically.
EUROPEAN ADVENTURERS OF NORTHERN INDIA, 1785 to 1849, by G. Grey, first published in 1929 and reprinted by the Languages Department, Punjab, Patiala, in 1970, contains biographical sketches of over one hundred Europeans who came to or served in the Punjab during Sikh times. The book, which is the result of "some six years of labour" in the archives of the Punjab Government as well as the consultation of a large number of contemporary memoirs and other works, supplements Compton`s European Adventurers which the author found both out of date and incomplete. Broadly speaking, these adventurers fall into two groups: well known men like George Thomas and Avitabile and the lesser known men "of whom no account has hitherto appeared." They could also be classified as combatants and noncombatants; the former category includes Generals like Ventura and Potter and the latter class includes medical men like Honigbergcr and Harlan, the antiquarian Masson and the engineer Bianchi.
Discover the legacy of Gulab Singh, founder of the Dallevalia clan, renowned for his bravery and pivotal role in Sikh history during the 18th century.
IMAM UDDIN, FAQIR (d. 1847), second son of Ghulam Mohly udDTn and younger brother of Faqir `Azi/ udDin, foreign minister to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was Qiladar or garrison commander of the Gobindgarh Fort at Amritsar, where the bulk of the Sikh crown jewels was kept in deposit. Capable and scholarly. Imam udDin was entrusted with multifarious duties by the Maharaja. He virtually acted as the chief treasurer of the kingdom, authorizing payments on behalf of the Darbar and carrying out commercial transactions through casli and hund is for the purchase of grain.
Explore the life of Kirpa Ram, a pivotal Sikh statesman and soldier, known for his leadership and historical influence during the 19th century.
Explore Frank E. Mevins's role as a Prussian colonel in the Sikh army and his discharge in 1830. Discover the historic conditions for foreign service in Punjab.
OMS (d. 1828), a Spaniard, also known as Amise, Musa Sahib, Urns and Hommus, served in Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s army. As a young man, he had enlisted in Napoleon`s artillery. After France`s defeat in 1815, he set out on his travels and reached Persia where he obtained employment declaring himself to be a Frenchman. He left Persia in 1824, reaching Lahore in 1826. He took up service under Maharaja Ranjit Sihgh on a salary of Rs 1,200 per month and was given command of two battalions of infantry and a regiment of cavalry.
Discover the legacy of Mai Raj Kaur, known as Mai Malvain, who led courageously in the Sukkarchakkia family until Ranjit Singh took power.
Explore Sahib Singh Bhangi's legacy in 18th century Punjab and his alliance with Ranjit Singh. Discover his strategic fort holdings and military prowess.Explore Sahib Singh Bhangi's legacy in 18th century Punjab and his alliance with Ranjit Singh. Discover his strategic fort holdings and military prowess.
