Maharaja Sher Singh was the Sikh sovereign of Punjab from January 1841 until his assassination in September 1843. He was the son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Born on 4 December 1807 to Mahitab Kaur first wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh bestowed upon him civic and military honors as well as the right to sit in a chair in his darbar in 1829. Sher Singh took part in several of the Maharaja wars for the enlargement of his realm. At Balakot in the Hazara district in May 1831, he overcame the troubled Sayyid Ahmad Barelavi who had launched a Jihad against Sikh rule. He served as the governor of the Kashmir province from 1831 until 1834. He was one of the army generals in charge of the soldiers that finally overthrew the Afghans in Peshawar in 1834.
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Sher Singh launched his claim to the throne of Punjab in the political void left by the subsequent deaths of Maharaja Kharak Singh and his son Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh in November 1840. Rani Chand Kaur, the widow of Kharak Singh, was another significant contender. She dispatched Gulab Singh Dogra from Jammu to counteract the influence of Raja Dhian Singh, who had publicly supported Sher Singh. Dhian Singh offered several concessions. Sher Singh was available for marriage, or Chand Kaur, who was childless, may adopt Sher Singh's son Pratap Singh as her own. Chand Kaur argued that Nau Nihal Singh's widow might give birth to a legitimate heir because she is currently pregnant.
It was ultimately decided that Chand Kaur would serve as the regent for her upcoming grandson, Sher Singh would serve as vice-regent and president of the council of regency, and Dhian Singh would serve as the major minister. But the trio was unable to cooperate. A few days later, Atar Singh and Ajit Singh, two strong Sandhanvalia Sardars and heirs of the royal pretenders to the throne, arrived in Lahore and seized power. Chand Kaur was given the title of Malika Muqaddasa (immaculate queen) and made the Maharani of the Punjab on December 2, 1840. The following day, Sher Singh departed for his land in Batala from Lahore. Dhian Singh Dogra was forced to leave the capital a month later, and Chand Kaur and the Sadhanvalias gained complete control of the administration.
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The majority of the crack regiments had switched sides to support Sher Singh, who continued to enjoy the backing of the army. The officers from Europe were also with him. He led a sizable force that arrived in Lahore in January 1841. Gulab Singh Dogra had been given the position of commander-in-chief by Chand Kaur, and he was tasked with protecting the city. She gave the commanders expensive gifts of gold bangles, necklaces, and shawls while also paying the soldiers' four-month pay arrears. She sent the city bankers orders prohibiting them from lending money to Sher Singh. However, when troops stationed outside the city walls joined Sher Singh in a body, the situation decisively shifted in his favor. At last, he had 26,000 troops, 8,000 horses, and 45 guns, whereas Chand Kaur was left with only 5,000 men, a few guns, and a limited quantity of gunpowder.
After forcibly entering the city, Sher Singh issued a proclamation promising the people's protection and granting forgiveness to everyone who came to him. The top courtiers submitted their case and sent a joint request for Chand Kaur and Gulab Singh Dogra to put down their weapons. But the Maharani opted to engage in combat. Sher Singh's artillery blasted the fort for two days, although it had little impact. Dhian Singh Dogra arrived that evening, January 17, 1841, and successfully negotiated a cease-fire. To give up her right to the throne, Chand Kaur was persuaded to accept a jagir. At midnight, Gulab Singh Dogra and his warriors left the Fort, taking all the gold and jewelry that belonged to the State with them.
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Ajit Singh, a member of Chand Kaur's Sandhanvalia supporters, went to Ludhiana to ask Mr. Cler, a British political agent, for assistance. When Mr. Cler declined, Ajit Singh continued to Calcutta to meet with the Governor-General. Atar Singh, Ajit Singh's uncle, also applied for shelter in the British colony.
Atar Singh and Ajit Singh were not reconciled to Sher Singh despite his magnanimity in permitting them to return to Punjab and resume their regular roles at the court. Mai Chand Kaur, their original candidate for the throne of Punjab, whose cause they had steadfastly espoused even after entering British territory, was now deceased (9 June 1842), yet they persisted in harboring animosity towards Sher Singh. This led to a homicidal scheme in the end. Since it was a Sankranti on September 15, 1843—the first day of the Bikrami month—there was no darbar for the Maharaja to attend, so he left the city early that morning. He got off close to the tents on Tej Singh's lawn that were put up for his son, Kanvar Partap Singh.
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Sher Singh agreed without the slightest hint of skepticism and left the room. Ajit Singh requested his permission to show him a carbine he had purchased from an Englishman in Calcutta after the parade. Ajit Singh pulled the triggers and shot the loaded barrels into Maharaja's chest as he extended his hands to grasp the rifle. The Maharaja loved guns. The Maharaja could only utter "Oh, Sardar, What deception?" before falling to the ground lifeless. Ajit Singh charged and struck him once with the sword to remove his head. The gunfire that killed Sher Singh served as a cue for the senior Sandhanvalia, Lahina Singh, to attack Maharaja Sher Singh's 12-year-old son, He then had his head chopped off at the adjoining Tej Singh garden. Shortly after, Dhian Singh was also slain. Shortly after this, the Sandhanvalia sardars were tracked down and murdered.
Sahdev Singh, who was born to Rani Dukno in 1843 and survived Sher Singh, traveled to Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh with the banished monarch Duleep Singh in 1849 after Punjab was annexed. Rae Bareli was home to descendants of Sahdev Singh, including his son Basdev Singh and daughter Harbans Kaur (who subsequently wed the Rana of Dhaulpur).
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