V2I5P103

European Courtiers in Lahore Darbar; Special Reference to Europeanization of Army

Jasmeen Walia^1*, Dr. Seema Parihar²

Abstract

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, ambitious as he was, did not feel satisfied with the Lahore Darbar’s affairs he found at the threshold of his reign. He built up a formidable armed force under his own direct control and command. All military matters, organizational, administrative, tactical and strategical, were conducted under his personal and direct supervision, with the result that his wars, as compared with those of the 18th century, were waged in an orderly and organized manner. He set up an efficient system of training and grudged neither money nor time to make his people have maximum benefit out of it. Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s extensive empire, which was the product of his conquests, needed a sound system of defense. Not only he had to deal with smaller powers but also with big powers like the British and the Afghans. He had a potential threat of the British in the east and the hostile Afghans on the western border.

Keywords:

Ambitious, Threshold, Formidable, Tactical, Strategical, Extensive