Afghans vs Sikh and Maratha Empire

                                                        Maraja Ranjit Singh

During the Battle between Afghans and Sikh lot of sikh women were raped by Afghan and lot of afghan women were raped by Sikh also

The Battle of Attock (also known as the Battle of Chuch or the Battle of Haidru) took place on 13 July 1813 between the Sikh Empire and the Durrani Empire.[3] The battle was the first significant Sikh victory over the Durranis.[2

In 1811–12, Ranjit Singh invaded the hill states of Bhimber, Rajauri, and Kullu in preparation for an invasion of Kashmir.[4] In late 1812, Fateh Khan, the Vizier of Kabul, crossed the Indus river under orders from Mahmud Shah Durrani to raid Kashmir and to free Shuja Shah Durrani from its renegade vizier, Atta Muhammad Khan. In an 1812 interview with Ranjit Singh, Fateh Khan agreed to a joint invasion of Kashmir. He could not invade Kashmir if he was opposed by the Sikh Empire,[5] and agreed that a small Sikh force under Dewan Mokham Chand would receive one third of the plunder.

Both invasions began at Jhelum, but once the armies reached the Pir Panjal Range, Fateh Khan used a heavy snowfall to double march his veteran mountain troops through the range.[6] However, Dewan Mokham Chand offered the Rajauri raja a large jagir if he could find a path through the range that would allow the Sikhs to reach the valley of Kashmir at the same time as the Afghan troops and was able to have a small body of troops under Jodh Singh Kalsia and Nihal Singh Attari present at the captures of Hari Parbat and Shergarh. The vizier of Kashmir, Atta Muhammad Khan, had offered no resistance to either army but Fateh Khan refused to share the spoils.[6] Shuja Shah Durrani chose to be escorted by Dewan Mokham Chand to Lahore, the capital of the Sikh Empire, out of fear of becoming a prisoner at Kabul.[5]

Ranjit Singh became annoyed at Fateh Khan's refusal to share plunder and opened negotiations with the renegade governor of Attock, Jahandad Khan, brother to the recently deposed Atta Muhammad Khan of Kashmir,[6] and took control of the fort at Attock.[5] After Jahandad Khan accepted his jagir, Dia Singh, a Sardar with a small contingent of troops in the area, took control of Fort Attock including 3,510 Maunds of grain, 439 rounds of cannon shot, 70 cannon and small mortars, and 255 Maunds of rock salt.[7] Hari Singh Nalwa arrived with Dewan Devi Das and a detachment of cavalry to support the garrison at an unknown date.[8]


Battle
Attock Fort, whose capture by the Sikh Empire lead to the Battle of Attock
Attock Fort

Accusing Ranjit Singh of treachery, Fateh Khan set off from Kashmir at the head of 15,000 cavalry[9] in April 1813 and invested Attock Fort.[10] At the same time Ranjit Singh rushed Dewan Mokham Chand and Karam Chand Chahal from Burhan with a force of cavalry, artillery, and a battalion of infantry to meet the Afghans.[7]

Dewan Mokham Chand encamped 8 miles (13 km) from the Afghan camp,[11] unwilling to risk a decisive engagement, although both sides engaged in numerous skirmishes and took losses. On 12 July 1812, the Afghans' supplies were exhausted and Dewan Mokham Chand marched 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Attock to Haidaru, on the banks of the Indus River, to offer battle. On 13 July 1812, Dewan Mokham Chand split the cavalry into four divisions, giving command of one division to Hari Singh Nalwa and taking command of one division himself. The lone battalion of infantry formed an infantry square protecting the artillery, with Gouse Khan commanding the artillery.[7] The Afghans took up positions opposite the Sikhs, with a portion of their cavalry under the command of Dost Mohammad Khan.

Fateh Khan opened the battle by sending his Ghazis on a cavalry charge which was repulsed by heavy fire from the Sikh artillery.[7] The Afghans rallied under Dost Mohammad Khan, who led the Ghazis on another cavalry charge which threw one wing of the Sikh army into disarray and captured some artillery.[10] When it appeared the Sikhs had lost the battle, Dewan Mokham Chand led a cavalry charge atop a war elephant that repulsed the Afghans "at all points",[11] and routed the remaining Afghan troops.[2] Fateh Khan, fearing his brother, Dost Mohammad Khan, had died, escaped to Kabul and the Sikhs captured the Afghan camp, including the lost artillery pieces.[12]
Aftermath

Amritsar, Lahore, and other large cities across the Sikh Empire were illuminated for two months afterwards in rejoicing over the victory.[13] After his defeat at Attock, Fateh Khan fought off an attempt by Ali Shah, the ruler of Persia, and his son Ali Mirza to capture the Durrani province of Herat, which left their newly captured province of Kashmir open to attack.[14]



Battle of Multan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Battle of Multan
Part of Afghan-Sikh Wars
Battle of Multan - Devender Singh.jpg
Date     March – 2 June 1818
Location     Battle at Multan, extended siege at Multan Fort
30.198247°N 71.470311°E
Result     Decisive Sikh victory
Belligerents
Nishan Sahib.svg Sikh Empire     Flag of the Abdali Afghan Tribes.jpeg Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Kharak Singh[nb 1]
Dewan Mokham Chand
Hari Singh Nalwa     Nawab Muzaffar Khan Sadozai[2]
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Afghan–Sikh wars

The Battle of Multan was a battle between a Vizier of the Durrani Empire and the Sikh Empire that started in March 1818 and ended on 2 June 1818.[3]

Contents

    1 Background
    2 Battle
    3 Aftermath
    4 Notes
    5 References
    6 Bibliography

Background
This map of Multan from 1873 shows the prominence of the Multan Fort

After he was defeated at the Battle of Attock, the Durrani Vizier, Fateh Khan, fought off an attempt by Ali Shah, the ruler of Persia, to capture the Durrani province of Herat.[4] He was joined by his brother, Dost Mohammad Khan, and the rogue Sikh Sardar Jai Singh Attarwalia. Once they had captured the city, Fateh Khan attempted to remove the ruler, a relation of his superior, Mahmud Shah, and rule in his stead. In the attempt to take the city from its Durrani ruler, Dost Mohammad Khan's men robbed a princess of her jewels.[5] Kamran Durrani, Mahmud Shah's son, used this as a pretext to remove Fateh Khan from power, and had him horribly tortured and executed.[5]

While in power, however, Fateh Khan had installed twenty-one of his brothers in positions of power throughout the Durrani Empire. After his death, they rebelled and divided up the provinces of the empire between themselves. During this turbulent period Kabul had many temporary rulers until Dost Mohammad Khan captured the city in 1826.[6]

The Sikh Empire had attacked Multan multiple times in the past, the largest attack being in 1810. However, on the previous occasions the Sikh forces would defeat the defending force and seize the city only to have the governor of Multan, Muzaffar Khan Sadozai, retreat into the Multan Fort. During previous sieges the Sikhs had settled for large single payments of tribute, while the attack in 1810 resulted in Multan paying a yearly tribute. Muzaffar Khan already ruled the Durrani province of Multan independently of the descendants of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the rulers of Kabul. With the relatives of the deceased Fateh Khan engulfed in a power struggle with Mahmud Shah, no Durrani force would be able to relieve him.
Battle

In early 1818, Ranjit Singh ordered the Sikh army to rendezvous on the south-west frontier of the Sikh Empire to make preparations for an expedition against Multan.[7] By January 1818, the Sikh Empire had established an extensive supply chain from the capital, Lahore, to Multan, with the use of boat transports to ferry supplies across the Jhelum, Chenab, and Ravi rivers.[1] Rani Raj Kaur herself oversaw the steady supply of grain, horses, and ammunition being sent to the at Kot Kamalia, a town equally distanced between Multan and Lahore.[1]

In early January the Sikh force began their campaign with the capture of Nawab Muzaffar Khan's forts at Muzaffargarh and Khangarh. In February, the Sikh force under Kharak Singh reached Multan and ordered Muzaffar to pay the large tribute he owed and to surrender the fort, but Muzaffar refused. The Sikh forces won an engagement near the city but were unable to capture Muzaffar before he retreated into the fort. The Sikh army asked for more artillery and Ranjit Singh sent them the Zamzama and other large artillery pieces, which commenced fire on the walls of the fort. In early June, Sadhu Singh and a small band of other Akalis attacked the fort walls and discovered a breach in the wall. As they ran in to battle the unaware garrison the larger Sikh army was alerted and entered the fort through the breach. Muzaffar and his sons attempted a sortie to defend the fort but were killed in the battle.




Battle of Shopian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Battle of Shopian[nb 1]
Part of Afghan-Sikh Wars
Date     3 July 1819[nb 2]
Location     Battle at Shopian
33.72°N 74.83°E
Result     Decisive Sikh victory
Belligerents
Nishan Sahib.svg Sikh Empire     Flag of the Abdali Afghan Tribes.jpeg Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ranjit Singh
Dewan Mokham Chand
Kharak Singh
Hari Singh Nalwa     Jabbar Khan
Agar Khan
Strength
8000 soldiers[nb 3]     unknown
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Afghan–Sikh wars

The Battle of Shopian took place on 3 July 1819 between an expeditionary force from the Sikh Empire and Jabbar Khan, the governor of the Durrani Empire province of Kashmir. It was the decisive battle in the 1819 Kashmir expedition

Contents

    1 Background
    2 1819 Kashmir expedition
    3 Battle
    4 Aftermath
    5 Notes
    6 References
    7 Bibliography

Background

The defeat of the Sikh forces during the 1814 Invasion of Kashmir by the Durrani Empire and its local allies reduced Sikh influence on the hill states around Kashmir. From 1814 to 1819, the Sikh Empire was forced to send successive punitive expeditions against the hill states of Bhimber, Rajauri, Poonch, Nurpur, and others. By subduing rebellions in these states the Sikh Empire was attempting to keep control of the routes through the Pir Panjal range and into Kashmir. However the Durrani Empire kept de facto control of the areas because the Pir Panjal Range blocked supplies and fresh troops to the Sikh armies.

By 1819, Azim Khan had taken a force of troops to Kabul. Birbal Dhar, Azim Khan's revenue minister, traveled to Lahore, the capital of the Sikh Empire, and asked Maharaja Ranjit Singh to annex Kashmir from the Durrani Empire.[2] He informed Ranjit Singh that Azim Khan was no longer leading the Durrani forces in Kashmir, and supplied information on invasion routes into Kashmir.
1819 Kashmir expedition
1819 Kashmir expedition
Part of Afghan-Sikh Wars
Type     Military Expedition
Location     Kashmir
Objective     Annex Kashmir to Sikh Empire
Executed by     Sikh Army
Outcome     Decisive Sikh Victory

The Sikh expeditionary force established two armories for the expedition at Gujrat and Wazirabad.[3] On 20 April, Ranjit Singh ordered 30,000 men from Lahore to the hill states at the foot of the Pir Panjal range.[3] The expedition was split into three columns: Dewan Mokham Chand commanded the advance force, Kharak Singh commanded the rear guard, and Ranjit Singh commanded a reserve of 10,000 troops[3] protecting the supply train.[4] The expeditionary force marched to Bhimber and resupplied, capturing the fort of a local Hakim without resistance.[3] On 1 May, both columns of the Sikh Army reached Rajouri and its ruler, Agar Khan rebelled and forced a battle. Hari Singh Nalwa took command of a force and routed his army, which offered an unconditional surrender after losing most of its men and war supplies.[3] Agar Khan was caught attempting to escape and sent to Bhimber, where Ranjit Singh was holding his Durbar (court). His brother, Rahimullah Khan, was appointed the raja of Rajauri in return for assistance in navigating the Behram Pass.

Once the Sikh forces reached the Behram Pass, the Durrani-appointed faujdar charged with guarding it fled to Srinagar. Mir Mohammad Khan, the kotwal of Poonch, and Mohammad Ali, the kotwal of Shopian, attempted a defense at the Dhaki Deo and Maja passes but were defeated and surrendered to Dewan Mokham Chand on 23 June 1819.[1] Kharak Singh now advanced to Surdee Thana.[1][nb 4] while Dewan Mokham Chand split his force into three divisions and ordered them to cross the Pir Panjal Range through different passes.
Battle

The army regrouped at Surai Ali[nb 5] on the road to Shopian. On 3 July 1819, the Sikh army attempted to march through Shopian to Srinagar but was stopped by a Durrani army headed by Jabbar Khan. The Durrani force had heavily entrenched itself in preparation for the Sikh artillery attack and brought heavy artillery,[7] which the Sikhs were unprepared for because they had brought only light guns.[8]

Once his artillery was in range, Dewan Mokham Chand opened the battle with an artillery barrage and multiple infantry and cavalry charges. The Durrani army was able to hold back the Sikh attempts to storm their lines until the Sikhs began moving their guns forward. However, when Dewan Mokham Chand was overseeing the movement of guns on the Sikh left flank, Jabbar Khan saw an opening and led the Durrani right flank which stormed Dewan Mokham Chand's artillery battery, captured two guns, and threw the Sikh left flank in "disarray".[9] However the Durrani force attacking the Sikh left flank was exposed from their left and Akali Phoola Singh, the commander of the Sikh right flank, rallied his troops and led his command in a charge across the battlefield to the artillery battery. After a close quarters fight which resulted in both sides resorting to using swords and daggers, sections of the Durrani force began to retreat and Jabbar Khan was wounded while escaping the battlefield.[3]
Aftermath

Although both sides sustained heavy losses, Jabbar Khan and his army retreated from the battlefield and fled in disorder from Kashmir over the Indus river.[10] When the Sikh army entered the city of Srinagar after the battle, Prince Kharak Singh guaranteed the personal safety of every citizen and ensured the city was not plundered. The peaceful capture of Srinagar was important as Srinagar, besides having a large Shawl-making industry, was also the center of trade between Panjab, Tibet, Iskardo, and Ladakh.[11]

After taking Srinagar, the Sikh army faced no major opposition in conquering Kashmir. However, when Ranjit Singh installed Moti Ram, the son of Dewan Mokham Chand, as the new governor of Kashmir, he also sent a "large body of troops" with him to ensure tribute from strongholds within Kashmir that might attempt to resist Sikh rule.[10] The conquest of Kashmir marked an "extensive addition" to the Sikh Empire and "significantly" increased the empire's revenue.[11]



Battle of Nowshera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Battle of Nowshera
Part of Afghan-Sikh wars
Date     14 March 1823
Location     Pir Sabak Hill, Nowkhaar Province, Afghanistan
Result     Sikh Empire victory
Territorial
changes     Peshawar valley
Belligerents
Nishan Sahib.svg Sikh Empire     Flag of Afghanistan (1919–1921).svg Emirate of Afghanistan
Commanders and leaders
Maharaja Ranjit Singh     Muhammed Azem Khan Barakzai & Syed Akbar Shah
[1]
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Afghan–Sikh wars

The Battle of Nowshera was fought in March 1823 between the forces of Pashtun tribesmen with support from Muhammad Azem Khan Barakzai, Durrani governor against the Army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.[2] The battle was a decisive victory for the Sikhs and led to their occupation of the Peshawar valley.[3]

Contents

    1 Background
    2 Battle
    3 Aftermath
    4 See also
    5 References

Background

In 1818, Ranjit Singh made an aggressive push against the Durranis, defeating the Kabul Vizier and Muhammad Azem Khan Barakzai he pushed as far as Peshawar, which under the Durrani Governor (and Azem Khan's brother) Yar Muhammad Khan accepted his rule and paid tribute as a vassal. With this victory Ranjit Singh withdrew from the Peshawar valley leaving a small garrison in a newly constructed fort at Khairabad, modern day Nowshera. This was in turn followed by Ranjit Singh's capture of Kashmir in 1819 from Azem Khan's other brother Jabbar Khan.

Angered by his defeats, Azem Khan recaptured Peshawar in 1822, he made a call for jihad against the Sikhs and hurried to Nowshera where Muhammad Zaman Khan successfully destroyed the bridge at Attock, effectively trapping the Sikh garrisons west of the Indus. However Ranjit Singh had already reinforced his forces in Nowshera including general Hari Singh Nalwa with backing from Pashtun tribes loyal to Shah Shuja. These forces successfully repulsed attacks by Pashtun ghazis and Durrani troops at Jahangira and withdrew to Nowshera hoping to link up with Ranjit Singh.[3]
Battle

Ranjit Singh by this point had brought up his army to the east of Hund, on the opposite bank, a lashkar of thousands of fighters led by Syed Ahmad Shah of Buner had started forming. Despite the odds, Ranjit Singh's forces crossed the Indus under fierce attacks. The lashkar then withdrew to Pir Sabak hill where they concentrated their forces and hoped to gain support from the Durrani troops and their artillery under Azem Khan.[1]

Azem Khan for unknown reasons, did not cross the Kabul River straight away to link up with the tribesmen. Ranjit Singh realising the situation concentrated his artillery and infantry on the lashkar and left a small detachment under General Ventura to forestall any crossing by Azem Khan.[1] What proceeded was ferocious hand-to-hand fights between the Tribal lashkar and the Sikh Khalsa. Finally after the fourth attack, led personally by Ranjit Singh and his personal bodyguard themselves the hill was carried. By the late evening the lashkar realised that Azem Khan had withdrawn from the battle and abandoned his allies. This coupled with the withering attacks by the Sikh artillery, broke the lashkar's resolve and thought willing to rally again under their Pir Ahmad Shah they dispersed in disarray, the Sikh victory was complete.
Aftermath

Swiftly securing Nowshera, Ranjit Singh's forces captured Peshawar and reached Jamrud itself. Destroying the remains of Durrani power, they reduced Peshawar to ruins and secured the Khyber Pass so no Durrani reinforcements could threaten them again.[1]

The tribesman of Khattaks and Yousafzais suffered enormous casualties due to the Sikh artillery and the seeming betrayal by the Muhammadzai Sardars led to a lack of trust in the Durranis' word from then onwards.

Azem Khan's retreat has never been explained fully, some say he believed his brother had returned to recapture Peshawar at the behest of the Sikhs, others attribute his retreat to cowardice or fear of being cut off by the ferocious Sikh attack. He did not recover from the shock of the defeat and died shortly after the battle.[1]

Ranjit Singh's victory was to mark the highpoint of his campaigns, his empire now stretched from the Khyber Pass to the west, to the north Kashmir and to the south Multan. With this victory he planned to eventually push further west and take the Afghan capital of Kabul itself.



Battle of Peshawar (1834)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Battle of Peshawar (disambiguation).
Battle of Peshawar
Part of Afghan-Sikh Wars
Date     May 6, 1834
Location     Peshawar
Result     Sikh Victory
Afghan forces withdraw
Belligerents
Nishan Sahib.svg Sikh Empire     Flag of Herat until 1842.svg Durrani Empire
Commanders and leaders
Hari Singh Nalwa     Dost Mohammad Khan
Sultan Mohammad Khan
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Afghan–Sikh wars

    Attock
    1st Kashmir
    Multan
    2nd Kashmir
    Shopian
    Nowshera
    Peshawar
    Jamrud

The Battle of Peshawar took place on May 6, 1834 between the Sikh Empire and the Durrani Empire.[1] Maharaj Ranjit Singh had previously won and lost the city twice and sent General Hari Singh Nalwa to capture it. After brief fighting Hari Singh Nalwa forced Sultan Mohammad Khan to evacuate the city.[2] A large Afghan force under his brother, Dost Mohammad Khan arrived in support of him but withdrew.[2] Hari Singh Nalwa then installed Sultan Mohammad Khan as governor of the city as a vassal to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Finally Peshawar fell under Sikh rule after 998 years when it was ruled by King Jaipal who was killed by Afghans and territory became a part of Kingdom of Kabul in 1000 A.D.[citation needed]



Battle of Peshawar (1758) Maratha victory over afghans
The Battle of Peshawar took place in on 8 May 1758 between Maratha Empire and the Durrani Empire. The Marathas were victorious in the battle and Peshawar was captured. Before that, the fort of Peshawar was being guarded by Durrani troops under Timur Shah Durrani and Jahan Khan. After being defeated by the army of Marathas, they managed to escape the fort and fled to Afghanistan. The victory in this battle is considered a great success for Marathas as now their rule had extended to the border of Afghanistan, located 2000 km far from their capital Pune.