Treaty of Amritsar 1809
Topic: Europeans in India and the Rise of Company Rule · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Treaty of Amritsar of 1809 was signed between Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh kingdom of Punjab and the East India Company. Charles Metcalfe made the deal for the Company. The treaty made the Sutlej river the line Ranjit Singh's power could not cross towards the east. It stopped him from growing into the area between the Sutlej and the Yamuna. It also kept peace between the two powers for many years.
Example
Under the treaty, the small "cis-Sutlej" Sikh states came under British protection. Cis-Sutlej means "on this side of the Sutlej", the side facing British territory. Patiala and Nabha were among them. Ranjit Singh then grew his kingdom to the north and west instead, taking Multan, Kashmir and Peshawar.
Don't confuse with
- Treaty of Amritsar (1846): this treaty came after the First Anglo-Sikh War. Under it, the Company sold Kashmir to Gulab Singh. The 1809 treaty only fixed the Sutlej as a border with Ranjit Singh.
Related concepts
- Divide and rule
- Dastak
- Black Hole of Calcutta
- Siraj-ud-daulah
- Robert Clive
- Battle of Plassey
- Mir Jafar
- Mir Qasim
- Battle of Buxar 1764
- Treaty of Allahabad 1765