Reform and Resistance : The Case of the Sikh Empire and the Feudal Military Aristocracy

This thesis examines why Ranjit Singh thought it necessary to push forward military reform and state formation, the reaction of the feudal chiefs of Punjab, and the results of such. The methodology of this thesis consists of analyzing correspondence between East India Company (EIC) officials, first hand accounts of European travellers in Punjab, indigenous official state and unofficial histories, as well as building off the ideas of other scholars. Ranjit Singh pursued state formation and military reform, which were causes and results of each other, in order to secure the independence of the Sikh nation from the historic Afghan menace and the rising threat of the EIC. The chiefs opposed the reforms to secure the feudal military institutions which were the basis of their prestige and power. Ranjit Singh’s reforms ultimately culminated in the formation of the Panth Khalsa after his death. The power struggle between the Panth Khalsa and the chiefs ultimately caused the First Anglo-Sikh War and eventual annexation of Punjab.