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| Sher Singh | |
|---|---|
| Maharaja of Punjab Maharaja of Lahore Sarkar-i-Wallah[1] SarkarKhalsaji[1] | |
 Painting of Maharaja Sher Singh wearing theKoh-i-Noor diamond (on his right bicep), by August Schoefft, ca.1841–42 | |
| Maharaja of Punjab, Kashmir and Jammu | |
| Reign | 18 January 1841 – 15 September 1843 |
| Coronation |
|
| Predecessor | Nau Nihal Singh(as monarch until 1840) Chand Kaur(as regent in 1840–1841) |
| Successor | Duleep Singh |
| Prime minister | Dhian Singh Dogra |
| Born | 4 December 1807
|
| Died | 15 September 1843(1843-09-15) (aged 35)
|
| Consort | Prem Kaur Waraich (m.1822) |
| Spouses | |
| Issue | ByMaharani Desa Kaur: * None ByMaharani Prem Kaur: *Yuvraj Pratap Singh Bahadur ByMaharani Pratap Kaur: * Kanwar Deva Singh Bahadur By Maharani Dakno Kaur: *Shahdeo Singh Bahadur |
| House | Sukerchakia |
| Father | Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab |
| Mother | Mehtab Kaur Kanhaiyā |
| Religion | Sikhism |
| Seal or stamp of approval |  |
Sher Singh (4 December 1807 – 15 September 1843) was the fourthMaharaja of theSikh Empire. Elder of the twins ofMaharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire andMaharani Mehtab Kaur. His reign began on 18 January 1840 following his assault onLahore which ended the brief regency ofMaharani Chand Kaur.[2] He was assassinated on 15 September 1843 byAjit Singh Sandhawalia.[2]
Sher Singh was the son of MaharajaRanjit Singh and MaharaniMehtab Kaur, he had a younger twin brotherTara Singh (1807–1859).[a]
In 1820, Maharaja Ranjit Singh granted him the privilege of being seated in the Darbar and bestowed civil and military honors on him. From 1831 to 1834 he acted as Governor of Kashmir and in 1834 he was a commander of the force that capturedPeshawar from the Afghans.[3]
Barelvi declaredjihad against theSikhs and established a camp in Balakot. Along withShah Ismail Dehlvi and his tribesmen, in 1831, Sher Singh accompanied by Pratab Singh Attarwala and Akali Hanuman Singh arrived in Balakot. He invested Balakot on all sides. The Sikh slowly advanced narrowing the besieged area gradually. On reaching near the Sayyid residence, the Sikh drew out their swords, cut down the sayyid troops and shot down Sayyid Ahmed Khan. His head cut off for display, and about 500 followers of Sayyid were killed includingShah Ismail Dehlvi. The entire property of Sayyid fell into the hands of Sikhs. A sum of Rs. 50,000 along with a letter of appreciation was sent to Sher Singh promising an additional Jagir.[4]
Sher Singh became the maharaja on 27 January 1841,[3] after the sudden death ofNau Nihal Singh whose death was set in motion, some say purposely while returning from his father's cremation. He was the half-brother ofNau Nihal Singh's father, former MaharajaKharak Singh.
Proclaimed Maharaja by hiswazir (prime minister)Dhian SinghDogra, he won the throne after a protracted siege of theLahore Fort which was held by the royal family. Thousands died in the siege.
Sher Singh was a patron of the arts, with one of his court painters beingKehar Singh.[5] The painterAugust Schoefft arrived in the Punjab and worked during his reign.[5] Sher Singh was also a fan of wrestling and often would take wrestlers outside the walled city of Lahore to the tomb of Qasim Khan.[5] One of these wrestlers were Sultan Muhammad, who later became a contractor under the British colonial administration.[5]
Sher Singh was killed as he was asked to inspect a new shotgun brought by Ajit Singh Sandhawalia. Sandhawalia then pulled the trigger and then killed the wounded Sher Singh with his sword by cutting off his head.[6] Ajit Singh Sandhawalia had served as Prime Minister first for Ranjit Singh then for Sher Singh's brother Kharak Singh then Karak Singh's son Nau Nihal each of whom had died shortly after taking office. Ajit Singh Sandhawalia then served as Prime Minister for Kharak Singh's widow Chand Kaur who served as regent. Ajit Singh Sandhawalia preferred having Chand Kaur as regent ruler as it allowed him more power. Chand Kaur had been removed as the expected heir her late son Nau Nihal's daughter in law was about to deliver died stillborn. Sher Singh only had time to utter, "what treachery." The Sandhawalias also murdered Dhian Singh. The Sandhawalias were thought to have also had designs on the empire.[citation needed]
His palace is leased toBaring Union Christian College.[7][8]
Media related toSher Singh at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Chand Kaur as regent | Maharaja of theSikh Empire 18 January 1841– 15 September 1843 | Succeeded by |
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