Cis-Sutlej states

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Cis-Sutlej States
Region of British India
1809–1862
British and native states in the Cis-Sutlej Division between 1847-51, by Abdos Sobhan, 1858 (F.4-27).jpg
British and native states in the Cis-Sutlej Division between 1847–51, by Abdos Sobhan, 1858. The Cis-Sutlej states are visible south of the Sutlej river.
History 
1809
• Merged into the Punjab Province (British India)
1862
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Blank.png Maratha Empire
Company rule in India Blank.png

The Cis-Sutlej states were a group of states in the contemporary Punjab and Haryana states of northern India during the 19th century, lying between the Sutlej River on the north, the Himalayas on the east, the Yamuna River and Delhi District on the south, and Sirsa District on the west. The small Punjabi kingdoms of the Cis-Sutlej states were under influence of Marathas, until the Second Anglo-Maratha War of 1803–1805, after which the Marathas lost this territory to the British. [1] [2] [3] [4] During the British period, some of the cis-Sutlej were annexed by the British due to the doctrine of lapse. [5] : 53 

Contents

The Cis-Sutlej states included Kalsia State, Kaithal State, Patiala State, Nabha State, Jind State, Thanesar, Malerkotla State, Ludhiana, Kapurthala State, Ladwa State, Ambala, Ferozpur and Faridkot State, among others. [6]

History

Maratha period

Detail of Sikh territory from a map of India, by James Rennell, 1 January 1788 Detail of Sikh territory from a map of India, by James Rennell, 1 January 1788 (cropped).jpg
Detail of Sikh territory from a map of India, by James Rennell, 1 January 1788

Due to the decline of the Mughal and Afghan empires in the Punjab, the cis-Sutlej chiefs were de facto ruling independently, yet were often engaged in localized conflicts. [7] : 539  With the Maratha-Sikh treaty in 1785 the small Cis-Sutlej states came under the Influence of the Scindia Dynasty of the Maratha Empire. [8] The cis-Sutlej chiefs fought against the British at the Battle of Delhi (1803). [7] : 539  In the aftermath, the Maratha leader Yashwantrao Holkar sought refuge in Amritsar but Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire refused to offer him assistance against the British commanded under Gerard Lake. [7] : 539  The subsequent Treaty of Lahore of 1 January 1806 agreed that the Marathas would not remain in Punjab, secured a Sikh-British alliance, and guaranteed Sikh autonomy from the British north of the Sutlej river. [7] : 539 

British protection

Trans-Sutlej expeditions of the Sikh Empire

The casus belli for Ranjit Singh to expand into the cis-Sutlej region was an internal conflict between the states of Nabha and Patiala, with the Sikh Empire using it as a cause for its military crossing over the Sutlej river on 26 July 1806. [7] : 540  The Sikh Empire would capture Ludhiana in their cis-Sutlej expedition, with control over the captured Ludhiana being given-over to Raja Bhag Singh of Jind State, whom was the uncle of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. [7] : 540  These events alarmed the British, who were concerned about the Sikh Empire possibly expanding into the restive Sirhind region. [7] : 540  In 1807, the military of the Sikh Empire crossed the Sutlej river a second time, this time the local chieftains of the Sirhind region requested British protection against the Lahore State. [7] : 540  In September 1808, fearing a possible French invasion of the Indian subcontinent, the British dispatched Charles Metcalfe to the Sikh Empire to formulate a treaty between the British and Ranjit Singh, whilst the cis-Sutlej chiefs were also ensured their protection by the British against Ranjit Singh's ambitions. [7] : 540  Then, Ranjit Singh's army crossed the cis-Sutlej river a third time, where they took-control of Ambala and Faridkot, yet stopping short of capturing Patiala due to concerns of British retribution. [7] : 540  However, due to a various of factors the Sikh Empire agreed upon signing a treaty with the British, signing one on 25 April 1809, with the transaction being finalized by a proclamation on 3 May 1809. [7] : 540  The factors that led to the Sikh Empire signing the treaty were as follows: [7] : 540 

  • After Ranjit Singh's third cis-Sutlej expedition, a detachment of the British forces advanced under the leadership of David Ochterlony, with the general stating on 9 February 1809 that further incursions by the Sikh Empire south of the Sutlej would be met with British aggression going forward. [7] : 540 
    Map of the British possessions and countries adjacent to them west of the Yamuna River, showing the march of Col. Ochterlony, surveyed by F. S. White, 1808, reduced by C. G. Nicholls Map of the British possessions and countries adjacent to them west of the Yamuna River, showing the march of Col. Ochterlony, surveyed by F. S. White, 1808, reduced by C. G. Nicholls (F08-08).jpg
    Map of the British possessions and countries adjacent to them west of the Yamuna River, showing the march of Col. Ochterlony, surveyed by F. S. White, 1808, reduced by C. G. Nicholls
  • The Sikh Empire worried that further aggressions would intimidate the cis-Sutlej chiefs to move further toward developing a firmer alliance with the British. [7] : 540 
  • Metcalfe assured Ranjit Singh's court that the British would not interfere with Sikh conquests in the opposite direction toward Afghanistan. [7] : 540 
  • Ranjit Singh had assumed that there would be less anxiety over the western frontier due to improved relations between the British and Ottomans after the ascension of Mahmud II, allowing for a cessation of hostilities. [7] : 540 

Following the Second Anglo-Maratha War in 1806, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington drafted a treaty in 1809, granting independence to the Sikh clans east of the Sutlej River in exchange for their allegiance to the British General Gerard Lake, acting on his dispatch. [9] [10] At the conclusion of the war, the frontier of British India was extended to the Yamuna river.

The 1809 treaty between the Sikh Empire and British had the following terms: [7] : 540 

  • The British will not interfere in the affairs of Lahore State north of the Sutlej. [7] : 540 
  • The second article of the treaty stipulated that the Lahore State will not post more troops than necessary on the left bank of the Sutlej river. [7] : 540  It shall only station enough troops necessary to administer the area. [7] : 540 
  • The forces of the Sikh Empire shall never dispossess the local cis-Sutlej chiefs of their territory or interfere in their affairs. [7] : 540 

As per the 1809 treaty, Ranjit Singh was permitted to retain his cis-Sutlej territories that had been acquired prior to his third expedition but Ranjit Singh had vacated his control over Faridkot and Ambala. [7] : 541  Furthermore, he was not permitted to form an alliance with any of the cis-Sutlej chiefs. [7] : 541  The treaty pushed the boundary of British India from the Yamuna to the Sutlej river. [7] : 541  The treaty was successfully at halting the southern expansion of the Sikh Empire south of the Sutlej river, with Ranjit Singh instead turning his immediate focus to the Gurkha occupation in the Punjab Hills and internal conflict in Afghanistan shortly thereafter. [7] : 541 

Post-1809

In-order to prevent the cis-Sutlej states from in-fighting with another, the British issued a decree on 22 August 1811 that no cis-Sutlej state should seize another, whilst affirming the British commitment to respecting each state's independence and rights. [7] : 541  Relations between the Lahore State and British improved after the signing of the 1809 treaty, and Ranjit Singh would hold periodic diplomatic meetings with Claude Martin Wade at Ludhiana, with the British conceding to the Lahore State's claims of certain cis-Sutlej territories yet the British successfully laid claim to Ferozepore. [7] : 542  Friendly relations between the Sikh Empire and the British was reaffirmed in a meeting between Ranjit Singh and William Bentick at Ropar in October 1831, where it was mutually agreed that the Sutlej river should be opened-up for trade. [7] : 542 

The Charter Act of 1813 explicitly proclaimed the sovereignty of the royal crown over the conquered Indian territories held by the British East India Company, with the governor-general no longer being styled as a servant of the Mughal empire and the tribute given to the Mughals was no longer in the governor-general's name [5] : 53  The EIC also lost any exclusive-trading rights it once had in India. [5] : 53  The EIC gradually was transformed into an agency of the British crown for governing the Indian possessions, by 1833 the Company no longer being allowed to conduct commercial activities. [5] : 53 

In 1834, the exiled leader of Afghanistan, Shah Shuja, went to Ludhiana. [7] : 543  At Ludhiana on the directions of Dosh Mohammad, Abdul Ghiyas Khan attempted to elicit British help against the Sikhs in an effort to re-secure Peshawar for the Afghans, which had been recently conquered by the Sikhs but the British refused to assist. [7] : 543 

At the end of 1838, an ailing Ranjit Singh met George Eden Auckland at Ferozepore. [7] : 544  Ranjit Singh died shortly after the meeting on 27 June 1839. [7] : 544  Indirect causes which contributed to the first Anglo-Sikh war includes a dispute between the British and Sikh Empire regarding a village in Nabha State where both parties had vested interest in, and also due to the British not returning the treasures of Suchet Singh that had been brought to Ferozepore prior to Suchet's death. [7] : 547–548  Furthermore, a buildup of British military forces along the Sutlej boundary caused unease and suspicion of British intentions within the Sikh Empire. [7] : 548  Thus, the Sikh Empire's forces crossed the Sutlej on 11 December 1845 in an attempted surprise attack on the British with intentions for marching toward Delhi, with the Sutlej crossing occuring between Huriki and Kasur, with war being declared by the British governor-general on 13 December 1845. [7] : 549  In-response to Sikh hostilities, the British made a resolve to dispossess the Sikh Empire of its cis-Sutlej territories in the course of the war. [7] : 550  The Sikh army was eventually routed by the British at key engagements and fled across the Sutlej, with the British in-pursuit on-march toward Lahore, eventually occupying the capital on 20 February 1846. [7] : 550–552  In the aftermath of the subsequent treaty on 9 March 1846, the Sikh Empire's territory south of the Sutlej river, the Jalandhar Doab (tract of land situated between the Beas and Sutlej rivers) were annexed by the British, and the hill territory located between the Beas and Indus rivers (incl. Kashmir and Hazara. [7] : 552 

Before 1846 the greater part of this territory was relatively independent, the chiefs being subject to supervision from a political officer stationed at Umballa, and styled the agent of the British Governor-General of India for the Cis-Sutlej states. [11]

A number of states were confiscated or acquired by Britain under the Doctrine of Lapse. [5] : 53  The doctrine of lapse, which was incorporated in most of the treaties between the British and native Indian states, stipulated that any princely state in British India whose ruler had no heir would lapse into direct Company-control after the death of the issue-less ruler. [5] : 53  Furthermore, the British installed an official known as a "resident" at the court of prominent princely states. [5] : 53  After the Charter Act of 1833, the highest office in British India during this period of Company-rule was the Governor-General of India based in Calcutta. [5] : 54  After the First Anglo-Sikh War the full administration of the territory became vested in this officer. [11]

In 1849, the Punjab was annexed to British India, when the Cis-Sutlej states commissionership, comprising the districts of Ambala, Ferozepore, Ludhiana, Thanesar and Simla, was incorporated with the new Punjab Province. [11]

The name continued to be applied to this division until 1862, when—owing to Ferozepore having been transferred to Lahore Division and a part of Thanesar to Delhi Division—it ceased to be appropriate. [11] The remaining tract became known as the Ambala Division. The princely states of Patiala, Jind, and Nabha were appointed a separate political agency in 1901. Excluding Bahawalpur (for which there was no political agent) and Chamba, the other states were grouped under the commissioners of Jullunder and Delhi, and the superintendent of the Simla Hill States. [11] All native states, except Kaithal, would join PEPSU after India's independence.

Districts and states

Present districts and divisions

The current 14 districts of East Punjab, Chandigarh, and the 4 districts of Haryana were present in the Cis-Sutlej States.

The rest of the Bist Doab including districts of Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, and Jalandhar were merged and made a new Trans-Sutlej States in 1846 after the First Anglo-Sikh War.

Princely states

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaithal State</span> Sikh state

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ladwa State</span> Sikh kingdom

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References

  1. ↑ Ahmed, Farooqui Salma (2011). A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid Eighteenth Century, Farooqui Salma Ahmed, Salma Ahmed Farooqui, Google Books. Pearson Education India. ISBN   9788131732021 . Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  2. ↑ Chaurasia, R. S. (2004). History of the Marathas - R.S. Chaurasia - Google Books. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN   9788126903948 . Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Ray, Jayanta Kumar (6 August 2007). Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World. Pearson Education India. ISBN   9788131708347.
  4. ↑ Sen, Sailendra Nath (2010). An Advanced History of Modern India. Macmillan India. ISBN   9780230328853. By Mahadji Shinde's treaty of 1785 with the Sikhs, Maratha influence had been established over the divided Cis-Sutlej states. But at the end of the second Maratha war in 1806 that influence had been pass over to the British.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Michel, Aloys Arthur (1967). The Indus Rivers: A Study of the Effects of Partition. Yale University Press. ISBN   9780608140230.
  6. ↑ Jayanta Kumar Ray (2007). Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World. Pearson Education. p. 379. ISBN   9788131708347.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 Archbold, W. A. J. (1929). "29 (XXIX): The Conquest of Sind and the Panjab". In Dodwell, Henry Herbert (ed.). The Cambridge History of India. Vol. V: British India, 1497–1858. Cambridge University Press.
  8. ↑ Sen, Sailendra Nath (2010). An Advanced History of Modern India. Macmillan India. ISBN   9780230328853. By Mahadji Shinde's treaty of 1785 with the Sikhs, Maratha influence had been established over the divided Cis-Sutlej states. But at the end of the Second Maratha war in 1806, that influence had been passed over to the British.
  9. ↑ Wellesley, Arthur (1837). The Despatches, Minutes, and Correspondance, of the Marquess Wellesley, K. G. During His Administration in India. pp. 264–267.
  10. ↑ Wellesley, Arthur (1859). Supplementary Despatches and Memoranda of Field Marshal Arthur, Duke of Wellington, K. G.: India, 1797–1805. Vol. I. pp. 269–279, 319. "ART VI Scindiah to renounce all claims the Seik chiefs or territories" (p.318)
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cis-Sutlej States". Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 693.

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