James Baquet The British East India Company was essentially the trading arm of the British Government from 1600 to 1874. They served to fulfill the English people’s appetites for all things Asian: silk, spices, tea and opium, among other commodities. In doing so they became a quasi-governmental body, using a private army (about twice the size of the official British Army) to forward not just trade issues but also the cause of empire-building. (This included the two Opium Wars, the first of which led to the cession of Hong Kong Island.) But today’s topics are the two wars between “the Company” and the Sikh Empire. The first of these took place between 1845 and 1846, and the second from 1848 to 1849. With the death of Sikh Maharajah Ranjit Singh in 1839, the British began positioning themselves to take over as much of the kingdom of Punjab as possible. The British military build-up engendered deep (and probably justified) suspicions among many Sikhs. Others, though, suggested the British were just preparing for any spill-over of the chaos that was happening in the Punjab due to a disorganized succession. When diplomatic relations between the Sikhs and the East India Company broke down in 1845, open war ensued. The British prevailed — not least because the Sikh military leader was providing regular information to the British, and even following instructions he received from British officers. The First Anglo-Sikh War led to the cession of parts of the Punjab kingdom, and at last to the British taking control of the government by placing a British regent over the young Sikh king. Resentment survived, however, and two years later, on April 19, 1848, one British civil servant and one military officer were murdered by a mob. This triggered a Sikh rebellion which became the Second Anglo-Sikh War. Though at first things seemed to go well for the Sikh armies in the field, the success of the British siege of the Sikh capital of Multan broke the resistance and freed up resources. The war ended with the British victory at the Battle of Gujrat on Feb. 21, 1849, with the kingdom of the Punjab in British hands. Vocabulary: Which words above mean: 1. ceding, giving over 2. followed 3. large, disorganized group of people 4. caused, created 5. goods to be traded 6. tastes, desires 7. considered to be correct 8. offense taken due to injury or insult 9. a drug derived from poppies 10. partially | 