HPAS Notes: Treaty of Lahore (9th March 1846)
1. The Surrender & Core Terms
Dismantling Sikh Sovereignty
- The Negotiator: The central durbar of the Punjab nominated Gulab Singh (the effective ruler of Jammu) to negotiate terms for surrender.
- Date of Treaty: Signed on 9th March, 1846.
- Territorial Cession: The Sikhs ceded the valuable agricultural lands of the Jullundur (Jalandhar) Doab (lying between the Satluj and Chenab Rivers) to the East India Company.
- Political Subjugation: A British Resident was installed at Lahore, with subordinates in other principal cities. These Residents indirectly governed the Punjab through Sikh Sardars.
2. The Indemnity & The Kashmir Deal (High Yield)
The Sale of Kashmir
The British used financial leverage to further break apart the Sikh Kingdom’s territory:
- The Penalty: The Sikhs were ordered to pay a massive war indemnity of 1.2 million pounds.
- The Inability to Pay: The Sikh treasury could not readily find this immense sum.
- Gulab Singh’s Bargain: As a workaround, the British allowed Gulab Singh to acquire Kashmir from the Punjab by directly paying 750,000/- pounds to the East India Company.
3. The Uprising of the Hill Rulers
Taking Back the Forts (Match-Up Data)
Tired of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s policy of annexation, the Hill Rulers used the Anglo-Sikh war as an opportunity to violently reclaim their lost territories from the Sikhs.
| Hill Ruler | State | Action Taken against Sikhs |
|---|---|---|
| Shamsher Singh | Guler | Raised a force and successfully turned the Sikhs out of Haripur fort. |
| Bir Singh | Nurpur | Attempted, at the cost of his life, to vacate the fort of Nurpur. |
| Raja Narain Pal | Kutlehr | Expelled the Sikhs and captured all forts except Kamlagarh (which was freed only after the war). |
| Raja of Suket | Suket | Sent a confidential agent, ‘Pandit Sibu’, to Erskine to tender allegiance on 10th February 1846 (the exact day the Sikhs were defeated at Sobraon). |
4. The British Betrayal of Expectations
- The False Hope: The Punjab Hill Chiefs had fully expected the same generous treatment from the British that the Shimla Hill States had received back in 1815 A.D. after the Anglo-Gurkha War.
HPAS Notes: Treaty of Lahore (Part 2)
1. The Great Betrayal of the Hill Chiefs
Broken Expectations
The Hill Rulers fought against the Sikhs expecting to get their ancestral lands back, just like the British did in 1815. Instead, the British capitalized on the victory for themselves:
- The Cession: The Sikhs ceded all territories to the South of Satluj, along with the Jalandhara Doab (lying between the Satluj and the Beas).
- The Betrayal: Instead of restoring these ceded territories to the hill chiefs, the British occupied them as British territory.
- The Dispersal: Any remaining territories were dispersed and handed over to Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu.
2. Context & War Timeline Recap
From Declaration to Occupation
- The Underlying Cause: After Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839, factions and assassinations destroyed the state’s unity. This alarmed the British as it weakened their “buffer” against perceived invasion threats from the north.
- 13 December 1845: Following escalating tensions, Governor-General Hardinge officially issued a proclamation declaring war on the Sikhs.
- 20 February 1846: After nearly facing defeat at Ferozeshah and securing final victory at Sobraon, the British marched unopposed into Lahore.
- 9 March 1846: The Treaty of Lahore was signed, officially marking the end of the First Anglo-Sikh War.
3. The Signatories of the Treaty (High Yield)
The Representatives
| British Representatives | Sikh Representatives (Lahore Durbar) |
|---|---|
|
Acting on behalf of the seven-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh Bahadur, seven members of the Durbar signed:
|
HPAS Notes: Treaty of Lahore (Punitive Terms)
1. The Dismemberment of the Sikh Empire
Territorial & Military Losses
The terms of the treaty were highly punitive, reducing the Sikh territory to a mere fraction of its former size.
- Territories Lost: Jammu, Kashmir, Hazara, the territory south of the river Sutlej, and the forts/territory in the Jalandhar Doab (between the Sutlej and Beas).
- Military Restrictions: Controls were placed on the size of the Lahore army, and thirty-six field guns were confiscated.
- River Control: Control of the rivers Sutlej, Beas, and part of the Indus passed to the British (though Lahore Government passenger boats were allowed passage).
- The Kashmir Sale Clause: The treaty officially provided for the separate sale of the hilly regions between the River Beas and Indus (including Kashmir) to Gulab Singh, the Raja of Jammu.
2. The British Draftsmen
The Architects of the Peace
- The Chief Negotiator: The peace treaty was negotiated and drafted by Frederick Currie.
- Military Assistant: Currie was assisted on military aspects by Brevet-Major Henry Lawrence.
- The Reward: Currie’s diplomatic skills impressed Governor-General Hardinge so much that the home authorities rewarded Currie with a baronetcy in January 1847.
3. The Supplementary Agreement (11 March 1846)
The Occupation of Lahore
Just two days after the main treaty, a supplement comprising eight Articles of Agreement was signed by the same parties.
- The British Garrison: It provided that a British force would remain in Lahore until no longer than the end of the year.
- The Stated Purpose: Officially, this was “for the purpose of protecting the person of the Maharajah and the inhabitants of the City of Lahore, during the reorganization of the Sikh Army”.
- At the Durbar’s Request: Crucially, this supplementary agreement was made at the request of the Lahore Durbar itself.
- The Cost of “Protection”: The Lahore army had to vacate the City to provide convenient quarters for the British troops, and the Lahore Government had to pay the extra expenses for this occupation.
HPAS Notes: The Annexation of the Hill States
1. Final Clauses of the Supplementary Agreement
Jagirdars and Revenue
Continuing from the terms regarding the British occupation of Lahore, the agreement also stipulated:
- Protection of Rights: The British agreed to respect the bona fide rights of jagirdars within the Lahore territories.
- Revenue Recovery: The British would actively assist the Lahore Government in recovering legitimate revenue arrears from the kardars and managers in the territories ceded by Articles 3 and 4 of the Treaty.
2. The Fate of the Himachal Hills (High Yield)
Direct British Control (1846)
Because the British chose not to restore the hill territories to their original rulers, a massive swath of modern-day Himachal Pradesh fell under direct Company rule.
- The Annexed States: Consequently in 1846, the Hill states of Kangra, Nurpur, Guler, Jaswan, Datarpur, Suket, Mandi, Kullu, and Lahaul-Spiti came under the direct control of the British.
- The Disappointment: The retention of these specific areas by the British came as a “great disappointment” to the Chiefs of the Kangra Hill states.
3. The Backlash: Shifting Alliances
The Suicidal Revolt
- The Enemy of My Enemy: Driven by their disappointment, the Kangra Hill Chiefs completely switched their allegiances.
- The Second Anglo-Sikh War: During the next English-Sikh war, these Chiefs supported the Sikhs (both internally and outwardly) and actively revolted against the British.
- The Tragic Outcome: The success of the British in this subsequent war proved suicidal for the Kangra Hill Chiefs.
- The Punishment: The revolt was ruthlessly suppressed; the guilty chiefs were brought to book and officially banished.
4. Defining the Era
The Period of Expansion
- Historically, the 11-year span from 1846 to 1857 A.D. is defined as a period of the expansion of British power in the Himachal Hills.