Ranjit Singh

Ranjit Singh (known as ‘the Lion of the Punjab’ ) ( 1780 – 1839 )
Indian maharaja, founder of the Sikh state of Punjab. After succeeding his father as a Sikh ruler at the age of twelve, he seized Lahore from the Afghans in 1799 and proclaimed himself maharaja of Punjab in 1801 . He proceeded to make the state the most powerful in India, securing the holy city of Amritsar ( 1802 ) and expanding his control north-west with the capture of Peshawar ( 1818 ) and Kashmir ( 1819 ). At the end of the Sikh Wars, following his death, most of his territory was annexed by Britain.