page_title: Siege of Multan
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Siege of Multan / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Plate 13 from "Recollections of India. Part 2. Kashmir and the Alpine Punjab" by James Duffield Harding (1797-1863) after Charles Stewart Hardinge (1822-1894), the eldest son of the first Viscount Hardinge, the Governor General. This illustrates Sheikh Imam-ud-din along with Ranjur Singh and Dina Nath. Sheikh Imam-ud-din was the governor of Kashmir under the Sikhs, and fought on the side of the English in the battle of Multan during the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845-46). Following the Treaty of Lahore, the administration of the district was entrusted to a Council of regency consisting of Imam-Ud-Din, Teja Singh and Dina Nath (the Minister responsible for finance). Runjur Sing conquered Lahore aged 19 in July 1799 and was the chieftain who opposed the British at the battle of Aliwal.
context_page_description: The Siege of Multan was a prolonged contest between the city and state of Multan and the British East India Company. The siege lasted between 19 April 1848, when a rebellion in the city against a ruler imposed by the East India Company precipitated the Second Anglo-Sikh War, and 22 January 1849, when the last defenders surrendered.
context_section_description: Multan had been captured and incorporated into the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh in 1818. In 1845, although the population was almost half Muslim, it was ruled by a Hindu vassal, Dewan Mulraj. In that year, the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out, and was won by the British East India Company. There was an uneasy peace for three years, during which Mulraj attempted to maintain practical independence while being nominally subject to the East India Company.
  In 1848, Multan had a population of 80,000. It was the centre of trade for a wide region, and was renowned for its wealth. There were large stores of spices, silks and valuables. Early in 1848, the newly appointed Commissioner in the Punjab, Sir Frederick Currie, demanded that Mulraj pay duties and taxes previously paid to the central Durbar of the Sikh Empire and now in arrears. Mulraj attempted to forestall a complete annexation of Multan by abdicating in favour of his son. Currie nevertheless decided to impose a compliant Sikh ruler, Sardar Khan Singh, who was to be accompanied by a British Political Agent, Patrick Vans Agnew.
caption: Sheikh Imam-ud-din, governor of Kashmir under the Sikh Empire, fought on the side of the British during the Siege of Multan
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