Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Bharatpur
Encyclopedia
Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the ruling Maharaja of princely state
Bharatpur
(1776–1805) and successor of Maharaja Nawal Singh
.
Maharaja Jawahar Singh
ruled from 1763 to 1768. As he left no son, he was succeeded by his incapable, licentious and extravagant brother Maharaja Ratan Singh
. Ratan Singh was ultimately killed by a juggler at Mathura. His son Kehri Singh died of smallpox in childhood.
In the absence of any capable and powerful ruler, the inevitable result was a civil war and maladministration within the state. Conflict arose between Jawahar Singh's remaining brothers, Nawal Singh and Ranjit Singh. Nawal Singh ruled from 1771 to 1176, but his health was indifferent, and he finally died thereby clearing the way for Ranjit Singh to ascend the throne of Bharatpur in 1776. These internal dissensions caused the economic condition of the state to deteriorate.
In this period the seven years War between France
and England
was taking place. France was flourishing under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte who was thinking of colonising India. The British were also trying to do the same through the East India Company
.
The French Governor of Pondicherry approached Captain Samru and Captain Madek to resign their service with the Jats who were considered friends of the British. According to the instructions from their Government, both the reliable and trustworthy commanders of Jats Force had to leave them, and take up their new assignment at Delhi
under the Mughal
Emperor.
Taking advantage of their intimate knowledge of the weakness of Bharatpur State, Mirza Najaf Khan
attacked Bharatpur and defeated Ranjit Singh at Hathras
. Ranjit Singh was exiled from the State and Maharani Kishori
was left with the territory of Kumher
having a yearly income of Rs. 7 Lakh
s. However, after the death of Mirza, the Mughals in defiance of his decision attempted to capture Kumbher. Ranjit Singh consolidated his strength during his period of exile, rallied against the Mughals, gave them a crushing defeat and returned to Bharatpur victoriously. He not only regained his lost territory but also annexed some Mughal territory.
He was supported by Maratha
s on the condition of chauth
(1/4 of war benefits). He cultivated diplomatic relations with the East India Company and gained more territory resulting in further amelioration of his position. After acquiring sufficient power, he discontinued the grant of Chauth to the Marathas, which resulted in strained relations between Marathas and Jats.
In 1802, in the war between the British and the Maratha
s, the latter were badly vanquished by the foreign forces under command of Lord Lake.
Yashwantrao Holkar
had attacked the British and chased Colonel Manson. He had attacked Delhi to free the Moghul Emperor from the British. Meanwhile he learnt that Colonel Mare and Colonel Wallace had attacked his kingdom. He retreated, and the Jats greeted him with open arms. Lord Lake advanced on Bharatpur in spite of the combined forces of Jats and Holkars. On 13 December 1804 war broke out; it lasted for 7 months. This war is compared with the Mahabharata war by Shri Harnam Singh. Due to heavy pressure from the enemy, the Jats had to evacuate Deeg
to better defensive positions.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh remained the friend of British rulers throughout his life. He fully followed the treaty with British. He died in December 1805. He had four sons, of which Maharaja Randhir Singh
was the eldest and succeeded him.
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
Bharatpur
Bharatpur, India
Bharatpur is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded by Maharaja Suraj Mal in 1733. Located in the Brij region, Bharatpur was once an impregnable, well-planned and well-fortified city, and the capital of Jat kingdom ruled by Sinsinwar Maharajas.The trio of Bharatpur, Deeg and...
(1776–1805) and successor of Maharaja Nawal Singh
Maharaja Nawal Singh
Maharaja Nawal Singh was the ruling Maharaja of princely state Bharatpur . He succeeded Maharaja Kehri Singh in 1771. After his death in 1776 his successor was Maharaja Ranjit Singh....
.
Maharaja Jawahar Singh
Jawahar Singh
Maharaja Jawahar Singh was a ruling Maharaja of the Bharatpur state. He succeeded to the throne when his father Maharaja Suraj Mal died in 1763. At the time of Raja Suraj Mal's death in 1763 Jawahar Singh was in Farrukhnagar....
ruled from 1763 to 1768. As he left no son, he was succeeded by his incapable, licentious and extravagant brother Maharaja Ratan Singh
Maharaja Ratan Singh
Ratan Singh was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Bharatpur from 1768 to 1769. He ascended to the throne on the death of Maharaja Jawahar Singh. Jawahar Singh had no son, hence he was succeeded by his brother, Ratan Singh. Ratan Singh was ultimately killed by a juggler at Mathura. His...
. Ratan Singh was ultimately killed by a juggler at Mathura. His son Kehri Singh died of smallpox in childhood.
In the absence of any capable and powerful ruler, the inevitable result was a civil war and maladministration within the state. Conflict arose between Jawahar Singh's remaining brothers, Nawal Singh and Ranjit Singh. Nawal Singh ruled from 1771 to 1176, but his health was indifferent, and he finally died thereby clearing the way for Ranjit Singh to ascend the throne of Bharatpur in 1776. These internal dissensions caused the economic condition of the state to deteriorate.
In this period the seven years War between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
was taking place. France was flourishing under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte who was thinking of colonising India. The British were also trying to do the same through the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
.
The French Governor of Pondicherry approached Captain Samru and Captain Madek to resign their service with the Jats who were considered friends of the British. According to the instructions from their Government, both the reliable and trustworthy commanders of Jats Force had to leave them, and take up their new assignment at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
under the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor.
Taking advantage of their intimate knowledge of the weakness of Bharatpur State, Mirza Najaf Khan
Mirza Najaf Khan
Mirza Najaf Khan was a Persian adventurer in the court of Mughal emperor Shah Alam II. He had royal lineage, having been a Safavi prince, when that dynasty was deposed by Nader Shah in 1735. He came to India around 1740 and may even have come a year earlier with the Afsharids. His sister married...
attacked Bharatpur and defeated Ranjit Singh at Hathras
Hathras
Hathras is a city and a municipal board in Mahamaya Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of the district that was created on 3 May 1997 by incorporating parts of Aligarh, Mathura and Agra districts. It forms a part of Aligarh Division...
. Ranjit Singh was exiled from the State and Maharani Kishori
Maharani Kishori
Maharani Kishori lived in the 16th century, the wife of Jat Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, India. She came from Hodal, a town situated in the Faridabad district of Haryana , near Mathura and Bharatpur....
was left with the territory of Kumher
Kumher
Kumbher is a historical city and municipality in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, India. It was founded by a Jat chieftain Kumbh.-Geography:...
having a yearly income of Rs. 7 Lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
s. However, after the death of Mirza, the Mughals in defiance of his decision attempted to capture Kumbher. Ranjit Singh consolidated his strength during his period of exile, rallied against the Mughals, gave them a crushing defeat and returned to Bharatpur victoriously. He not only regained his lost territory but also annexed some Mughal territory.
He was supported by Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s on the condition of chauth
Chauth
Chauth was a tax or tribute imposed, from early 18th century, by the Maratha Empire in India. It was nominally levied at 25% on revenue or produce, hence the name....
(1/4 of war benefits). He cultivated diplomatic relations with the East India Company and gained more territory resulting in further amelioration of his position. After acquiring sufficient power, he discontinued the grant of Chauth to the Marathas, which resulted in strained relations between Marathas and Jats.
In 1802, in the war between the British and the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s, the latter were badly vanquished by the foreign forces under command of Lord Lake.
Yashwantrao Holkar
Yashwantrao Holkar
H. H. Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Sawai Shrimant Yashwant Rao Holkar Bahadur, Nusrat Jang, Maharaja of Maratha Empire, was born on 3 December 1776...
had attacked the British and chased Colonel Manson. He had attacked Delhi to free the Moghul Emperor from the British. Meanwhile he learnt that Colonel Mare and Colonel Wallace had attacked his kingdom. He retreated, and the Jats greeted him with open arms. Lord Lake advanced on Bharatpur in spite of the combined forces of Jats and Holkars. On 13 December 1804 war broke out; it lasted for 7 months. This war is compared with the Mahabharata war by Shri Harnam Singh. Due to heavy pressure from the enemy, the Jats had to evacuate Deeg
Deeg
Deeg is a city and a municipality in Bharatpur district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated in the north of Bharatpur at a distance of 32 km, and North of Agra....
to better defensive positions.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh remained the friend of British rulers throughout his life. He fully followed the treaty with British. He died in December 1805. He had four sons, of which Maharaja Randhir Singh
Maharaja Randhir Singh
Maharaja Randhir Singh was the ruler of princely state Bharatpur and successor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Maharaja Randhir Singh ascended the throne after death of his father Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1805....
was the eldest and succeeded him.