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Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire
In late-eighteenth-century India, the glory of the Mughal emperors was fading, and ambitious newcomers seized power, changing the political map forever. Enter the legendary Maharajah Ranjit Singh, whose Sikh Empire stretched throughout northwestern India into Afghanistan and Tibet.Priya Atwal shines fresh light on this long-lost kingdom, looking beyond its founding father to restore the queens and princes to the story of this empire's spectacular rise and fall. She brings to life a self-made ruling family, inventively fusing Sikh, Mughal and European ideas of power, but eventually succumbing to gendered family politics, as the Sikh Empire fell to its great rival in the new the British.Royals and Rebels is a fascinating tale of family, royalty and the fluidity of power, set in a dramatic global era when new stars rose and upstart empires clashed.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 15, 2021
Atwal explores the rise and fall vis-à-vis Maharajah Ranjit Singh, the charismatic leader who, all too briefly, built an empire which challenged the growing hegemony of the East India Company, but whose arrow swift rise was matched by its fall following Ranjit Singh’s death and the splintering of the empire into different factions supporting rivals to the throne. What sets Atwal’s narrative apart from others is her avoiding the ‘great man’ trope, which is all to easy given Ranjit Singh’s importance, instead giving prominence to the women who helped Ranjit Singh rise to and maintain his power, from his mother-in-law Sada Kaur, to his wives, Atwal shapes the narrative of the often unseen and unexplored people who shaped Ranjit Singh’s rule and his empire. In doing this Atwal is counteracting two things, firstly the patriarchal nature of Punjabi society and secondly the narrative created around the British, where Ranjit Singh is lionised and seen as an exceptional figure against the intrinsic incompetence of Indian rulers and his descendants as being backwards and requiring the guiding hand of the British.
Whilst Atwal should rightfully be praised for telling the untold stories of the Sikh Empire, her depiction can at times be slightly disjointed as she can often jump back and forth between different time periods, with little explanation of events have transpired in between. Despite this, ‘Royals and Rebels’ is a brilliant account of Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Empire, of the political machinations which transpired during his reign, of the variety of his court life and different aspects of his rule, from his desire to build a friendly relationship with the British which led to the downfall of his empire and the centrality of his marriages in building and consolidating his power.
Whilst Atwal should rightfully be praised for telling the untold stories of the Sikh Empire, her depiction can at times be slightly disjointed as she can often jump back and forth between different time periods, with little explanation of events have transpired in between. Despite this, ‘Royals and Rebels’ is a brilliant account of Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Empire, of the political machinations which transpired during his reign, of the variety of his court life and different aspects of his rule, from his desire to build a friendly relationship with the British which led to the downfall of his empire and the centrality of his marriages in building and consolidating his power.
October 9, 2020
In this book, Atwal examines the rise and fall of the Sikh Empire in an engaging style from beginning to end. Alongside telling of the Sikh Empire itself, she showed how the relationship with the British first developed on a balanced footing and decades later how it rapidly contributed to the end of the Empire.
Her analysis of the sources she drew upon was enlightening and balanced and she frequently commented on biases and prejudices which have influenced the way this period in history has been recorded. She also highlights the gaps in the records, predominantly concerning the women, which unfortunately will always remain unknown.
The Sikh Empire lasted around 50 years and for most of that was headed by Ranjit Singh. This book touches on the notion that much of written history on the topic focuses massively on Ranjit Singh and credits the rise of the Empire solely at his feet and fall of it at his successors’. What this book does is bring to attention the women, who so often are neglected in history, and princes of the dynasty and demonstrates the ways they contributed not only to the initial rise of the dynasty but also the expansion of it.
I really appreciated the comprehensive approach to the book in which it first laid out the circumstances in which Ranjit Singh was able to style himself as a king, the maharajah. Furthermore, Atwal went into some depth exploring the ways in which a monarchical approach to ruling interacts with the Sikh faith and she presented different views on this matter.
When referring to previous historian’s work in this area, Atwal would highlight how their own personal views may have influenced the way in which they framed the history. She also discussed the social and political context of the time which would also have had an impact on the records.
For example, the court historian for Ranjit Singh’s dynasty would not usually refer to any of the wives by name out of respect for their modesty so this shows how easily their role could have been minimised. She also looked at the way members of East India Company began to shift in the way they portrayed the Sikh empire after Ranjit Singh died and more so as their own intentions and aspirations became more sinister.
This whole aspect of the book really highlighted for me the importance of scrutinising sources that are used throughout history, particularly when it concerns a country or region that has been colonised and when those sources are predominantly told by the colonisers.
Atwal dismantles the orientalist notions which were entrenched in the contemporary and following Colonial narratives of this period of history. One example of this is the way in which the British criticised the competitive nature between the princes and heirs and claimed that the rivalry contributed to the downfall of the empire. However, Atwal notes that the rivalry also contributed to the expansion of the empire with princes all eagerly trying to claim new territories for their dynasty and all trying to be the best they could be in the hopes to continue their father’s legacy. The style in which the princes were educated and trained echoed that of the Mughal empire before it and Atwal highlights the fact that Ranjit Singh had admired this aspect and drew influence from it.
There were many other examples in which Atwal shone a light on the orientalist narratives of the British men who were part of the Company. Furthermore she indicated how their own misogynistic views regarding the women of the dynasty contributed to the misogyny the women would then experience from their compatriots.
I thoroughly enjoyed delving into this period of history, especially because of the insightful and refreshing way in which it was told. I utterly admire the work that must have gone into this book.
Thank you to Hurst Publishers for sending me a review copy.
Her analysis of the sources she drew upon was enlightening and balanced and she frequently commented on biases and prejudices which have influenced the way this period in history has been recorded. She also highlights the gaps in the records, predominantly concerning the women, which unfortunately will always remain unknown.
The Sikh Empire lasted around 50 years and for most of that was headed by Ranjit Singh. This book touches on the notion that much of written history on the topic focuses massively on Ranjit Singh and credits the rise of the Empire solely at his feet and fall of it at his successors’. What this book does is bring to attention the women, who so often are neglected in history, and princes of the dynasty and demonstrates the ways they contributed not only to the initial rise of the dynasty but also the expansion of it.
I really appreciated the comprehensive approach to the book in which it first laid out the circumstances in which Ranjit Singh was able to style himself as a king, the maharajah. Furthermore, Atwal went into some depth exploring the ways in which a monarchical approach to ruling interacts with the Sikh faith and she presented different views on this matter.
When referring to previous historian’s work in this area, Atwal would highlight how their own personal views may have influenced the way in which they framed the history. She also discussed the social and political context of the time which would also have had an impact on the records.
For example, the court historian for Ranjit Singh’s dynasty would not usually refer to any of the wives by name out of respect for their modesty so this shows how easily their role could have been minimised. She also looked at the way members of East India Company began to shift in the way they portrayed the Sikh empire after Ranjit Singh died and more so as their own intentions and aspirations became more sinister.
This whole aspect of the book really highlighted for me the importance of scrutinising sources that are used throughout history, particularly when it concerns a country or region that has been colonised and when those sources are predominantly told by the colonisers.
Atwal dismantles the orientalist notions which were entrenched in the contemporary and following Colonial narratives of this period of history. One example of this is the way in which the British criticised the competitive nature between the princes and heirs and claimed that the rivalry contributed to the downfall of the empire. However, Atwal notes that the rivalry also contributed to the expansion of the empire with princes all eagerly trying to claim new territories for their dynasty and all trying to be the best they could be in the hopes to continue their father’s legacy. The style in which the princes were educated and trained echoed that of the Mughal empire before it and Atwal highlights the fact that Ranjit Singh had admired this aspect and drew influence from it.
There were many other examples in which Atwal shone a light on the orientalist narratives of the British men who were part of the Company. Furthermore she indicated how their own misogynistic views regarding the women of the dynasty contributed to the misogyny the women would then experience from their compatriots.
I thoroughly enjoyed delving into this period of history, especially because of the insightful and refreshing way in which it was told. I utterly admire the work that must have gone into this book.
Thank you to Hurst Publishers for sending me a review copy.
December 30, 2023
didn’t know enough about the sikh empire and thought hey maybe i should know more. v disappointing looking back at this time period as a modern sikh now and also v disappointing reading this and just thinking my god what a fuckin DRAG. the author says towards the beginning that this was incepted when she was contemplating writing a book just about Maharani Jind Kaur and she should have just STUCK TO THAT
February 10, 2022
Story of a short lived Sikh kingdom in British India. They tried but were overwhelmed but other peoples.
February 26, 2021
I was so excited to read this book as I grew up listening to stories of Maharajah Ranjit Singh and to have these stories placed in their historical context made the history graduate in me even happier. Priya really plugs the gap when it comes to the mention of the many significant women (and men) that played a role in the shaping of the Sikh Empire. I found it so enlightening to learn about these key individuals which history seems to have made little to no mention to in regards to the rise and eventual fall of the Sikh Empire. It was refreshing to see a balanced account compared to the more well known sources that are used for this period (mostly written by the British or Maharajah Ranjit Singh's court officials that came with their own biases).
I was quite surprised to learn that many of Maharajah Ranjit Singh's wives were Hindu and Muslim, something I've never heard mentioned before so found that quite interesting! I thoroughly enjoyed learning of the roles that these women played in shaping the Empire too, especially when it came to Maharani Jind Kaur. Someone who started out as more of a "background character" and after the Maharajah's death, grow to be an influential queen/political leader and to even be bestowed with the title Mother of Sikhs (admiration that was very touch and go from the Khalsa Army it seems).
I was quite surprised to learn that many of Maharajah Ranjit Singh's wives were Hindu and Muslim, something I've never heard mentioned before so found that quite interesting! I thoroughly enjoyed learning of the roles that these women played in shaping the Empire too, especially when it came to Maharani Jind Kaur. Someone who started out as more of a "background character" and after the Maharajah's death, grow to be an influential queen/political leader and to even be bestowed with the title Mother of Sikhs (admiration that was very touch and go from the Khalsa Army it seems).
February 3, 2024
A fascinating and very well-written account of the Sikh Empire from roughly 1800-1850. Much better, and much more recent and scholarly, than Khushwant Singh's overview of this period in my opinion.
February 28, 2021
Never again would i associate The Sikh Empire with just Ranjit Singh. No doubt the man created a kingdom based on the misl he obtained from this father, his rise could not have happened without his sons and wives. His mother in law, sada kaur, trained him in his younger days. His eldest, kharak singh, would play a big role in the Rnajit's diplomacy initiatives with the british. His wife, Jind Kaur, would launch a final rebellion (from exile) in Multan to wrest control back for her son, Duleep Singh. This son, would die a broken man in a hotal room in Paris.
The fall of the sikh empire also had many factors attached to it: a misogynistic British Political Agent & later resident (H Lawrence) who supplied reports to a pro-annexation GovernorGeneral, treachery of sikh CnC of armed forces & Ghulab Singh (who was later given J&K by British as a gift).
There are certainly many more factors and this book does a great job of giving a novice on the subject a good introduction.
It may not be as narratively flowing as some other writes, but the tendency of the writer to see things in a fresh light certainly makes this book a worthy read.
The fall of the sikh empire also had many factors attached to it: a misogynistic British Political Agent & later resident (H Lawrence) who supplied reports to a pro-annexation GovernorGeneral, treachery of sikh CnC of armed forces & Ghulab Singh (who was later given J&K by British as a gift).
There are certainly many more factors and this book does a great job of giving a novice on the subject a good introduction.
It may not be as narratively flowing as some other writes, but the tendency of the writer to see things in a fresh light certainly makes this book a worthy read.
March 3, 2022
A marvelous read that doesn't write the history of the Sikh Empire with golden words like authors before her have done repeatedly. She strikes a beautiful balance of acknowledging the shortcomings and being honest in her appreciation of Men and Women of the Sukerchakia Dynasty.
This is a fantastic read for someone who wants an up-close and personal look at the path that the Sikh Empire followed. The author also brilliantly highlights how historians and British officers often intentionally downplayed the role of women in the creation and running of the empire. The extremely gendered narratives of officers from that period only further elaborate on the kind of misogyny the Queens faced.
A historical book that uses multiple lenses only to portray a rather humanizing account of the rising of peasants to the stature of being royals.
This is a fantastic read for someone who wants an up-close and personal look at the path that the Sikh Empire followed. The author also brilliantly highlights how historians and British officers often intentionally downplayed the role of women in the creation and running of the empire. The extremely gendered narratives of officers from that period only further elaborate on the kind of misogyny the Queens faced.
A historical book that uses multiple lenses only to portray a rather humanizing account of the rising of peasants to the stature of being royals.
June 5, 2021
As a young female Sikh American two generations removed from India, this book was such a gift. Thank you, THANK YOU, Priya for your hard work on this book. I didn’t get to learn about Punjab or Sikhism in school and now that I have time to learn about my heritage, I’m thrilled to study my past from the perspective of a fellow Indian woman. I’m almost grateful to learn it all from Priya first because she shows how the history of the Sikh Empire has been portrayed/why the British were motivated to spin things in their favor. I so appreciate the feminist lens on this and got so invested in the last chapter that learning the fate of Duleep and his mother made me cry. Truly grateful for this book. An immense undertaking.
February 24, 2021
Bought the book after hearing author on a history podcast. Completely different to what I expected, more a social commentary than an historical analysis on how this "Empire" came into existence and then failed. Creating an empire can't be as simple as taking wives from as many of your competitors as possible. Obvious facts for the uneducated reader were missing - what were the 12 Sikh misls and how did they come into being, how did they relate to this so called "Sikh Empire," what were the demographics of the region (a google search, not verified, says there were 10m Sikhs in this "Empire" of whom 9m converted back to Hinduism, Islam etc. after the British took over), what were the economic resources used to fund this experiment. Ranjit Singh himself doesn't come across as a Sikh, based on his lecherous lifestyle and drive to create a monarchy. My conclusion, misnomer to call it a "Sikh Empire," at best a Suckerchakia alliance that barely lasted 50 years.
December 20, 2025
I’ve just finished this book and WOW!
I am so impressed with how Priya has written the history of the Sikh empire highlighting a brief history of the Sikhs/ gurus then diving deeper into the lives of the royal family that followed. She dives deeper into the lives of not only of the Mahrajah Ranjit Singh but how the lives of the strong women and men around him influenced politics and ideas of royalty at the time. I’m excited to learn more about the history and think Priya has done a fantastic job at articulating the challenges with the British and how their strategies of revisionist and sources despite being limited and orientalist shaped the themes for future events such as partition 1947. This book is definitely worth reading, a missing history that is not taught in schools or society.
I am so impressed with how Priya has written the history of the Sikh empire highlighting a brief history of the Sikhs/ gurus then diving deeper into the lives of the royal family that followed. She dives deeper into the lives of not only of the Mahrajah Ranjit Singh but how the lives of the strong women and men around him influenced politics and ideas of royalty at the time. I’m excited to learn more about the history and think Priya has done a fantastic job at articulating the challenges with the British and how their strategies of revisionist and sources despite being limited and orientalist shaped the themes for future events such as partition 1947. This book is definitely worth reading, a missing history that is not taught in schools or society.
May 5, 2021
Had read from various sources about the illustrious, princely, royalty, the fluidity of power and expansion of the rule and empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh that stretched throughout northwestern India into Afghanistan and Tibet. But I was always curious to know about the downfall and eventual decline of such a large empire, and what would have happened to his wives and children other than Maharaja Duleep Singh and his mother - Maharani Jind Kaur. Also the controversially annexation of Punjab. Royals & Rebels is a very informative and takes you through the royal family, their roles and contribution to this large empire and also their clashes and divides and crumbling down. Very interesting read.
July 18, 2021
Being her first book, Priya had done a good job in researching various aspects of Sikh dynasty in Punjab and has expanded the knowledge of readers beyond just Ranjit Singh, main character of Sikh rule in sub continent. However one can tell that some aspects of the kingdom were either intentionally or unintentionally omitted to highlight only glorious events of the dynasty. Loot and plunder which Sikhs committed to downgrade the monuments of Mughal empire and also desecration of holy sites was a black spot on the Sikh empire which were totally ignored in this book.
The book however does catches the imagination of the reader and gives an insight to the advent of British rule in Punjab and their eventual taking over the entire subcontinent.
The book however does catches the imagination of the reader and gives an insight to the advent of British rule in Punjab and their eventual taking over the entire subcontinent.
May 5, 2022
Fantastic book discussing the royal political culture within the Punjab, mostly in the early 19th century, but with a strong contextualisation to earlier and later times. Atwal emphasizes the role of dynastic and kinship connections, offering a needed new perspective on the Sikh Empire and contesting the view of the "lonely genius" of Ranjit Singh without disregarding him.
January 3, 2021
Loved reading this. Excellent research. Reads like a fiction around the dynasty
March 14, 2021
Informative
July 8, 2021
A rich and engrossing history of the Sikh Empire. Well researched the book shines a light on some fascinating women and their children.
July 26, 2021
At times a highly academic work this book can be dry and reads like a PhD thesis. However this is an important work in this area of literature.
June 12, 2023
Why does this book read like an essay?
November 13, 2022
Comprehensive overview of the Sikh empire with a novel focus on the women involved. Enjoyable albeit quite dense in parts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2023
The Sikh Empire, a state in the north of India that lasted a short 50 years before being swallowed up by the British Empire, was a fascinating time and place in history. The ideas of the relatively new Sikh faith were mixing with deeply entrenched Hindu and Muslim ideas of rulership and (as Atwal draws attention to) the position of women.
Atwal's narrative of the history has all bases covered. If you want a look into all of the Game of Thrones-style backstabbing, war and intrigue, she covers it. If you want an academic discussion of how previous histories have emphasized the role of Ranjit Singh, following the tired and problematic "Great Men" trope, she covers it. If you want a subtly political discussion of the contrasting position of women in the Sikh and British Empires, she covers it.
Personally, I do feel Atwal missed a few opportunities in this book. Often once she has explained the history, she will pose an absolutely fascinating question about the broader resonance of the events, and then promptly move on. It would've been nice to see a little more depth there, but I get that it would've created a far more unwieldy book!
Overall though, a fantastic read.
Atwal's narrative of the history has all bases covered. If you want a look into all of the Game of Thrones-style backstabbing, war and intrigue, she covers it. If you want an academic discussion of how previous histories have emphasized the role of Ranjit Singh, following the tired and problematic "Great Men" trope, she covers it. If you want a subtly political discussion of the contrasting position of women in the Sikh and British Empires, she covers it.
Personally, I do feel Atwal missed a few opportunities in this book. Often once she has explained the history, she will pose an absolutely fascinating question about the broader resonance of the events, and then promptly move on. It would've been nice to see a little more depth there, but I get that it would've created a far more unwieldy book!
Overall though, a fantastic read.
December 9, 2021
For as far I can remember, Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been the first and only prominent Sikh ruler in the history of India. Popularly known as ‘Sher-e-Punjab’ (Lion of Punjab), Ranjit Singh’s reign was a transformational period in the history of northwestern Indian subcontinent. He epitomised the vision of an all inclusive and unified Sikh empire, leaving behind a legacy of modernisation and cultural renaissance.
What I didn’t know was, how Ranjit Singh had been provided with a strong power-base and swathe of land to launch his expansion conquest by his father and grandfather.
After losing his father at the age of 10 his mother, Raj Kaur, managed the misl acting as regent till he was of age. After marriage, he was mentored by his mother in law, Sada Kaur to be the gracious conqueror he came to be known as. His wives along with the princes and heirs to the throne, are blamed for the inevitable fall of the empire because they weren’t equally as great as the Maharaja, whereas they were actually on the frontlines of empire building and serving as diplomatic agents through out, with the princes starting at a young age.
This is what sets Priya Atwal’s narrative apart from the other’s in my view-history of women who helped Ranjit Singh during and after his rule all along challenging and questioning the misogynistic narratives in the Indian royal culture and history. She talks about the fluctuation of power in the Lahore Durbar after the Maharaja’s death and the aftermath of the unfortunate double death in 1840 of Maharaja KHARAK SINGH (the first born son of Ranjit Singh) and his son PRINCE NAU NIHAL SINGH within 5 days from one another.
The author sheds a light on the problematic British narratives’ role with clear gender bias that it was fine for a man to behave deplorable fashion but not the same for a woman. This continued during the period of Maharani Jindah’s reign as regent to the last maharaja, Duleep singh, where she was was described as being motivated with ‘passion not patriotism’ and unfit as a mother, being forcefully exiled and separated from her son for 13 years.
I re-wrote this review at-least 3 times trying to put into words how much I enjoyed this book. It was engrossing, thought provoking & very well researched! Even though at times it was a bit confusing, going back and fourth between events, I still found myself re-reading certain parts i enjoyed after finishing it. Definitely recommend!👏🏼
What I didn’t know was, how Ranjit Singh had been provided with a strong power-base and swathe of land to launch his expansion conquest by his father and grandfather.
After losing his father at the age of 10 his mother, Raj Kaur, managed the misl acting as regent till he was of age. After marriage, he was mentored by his mother in law, Sada Kaur to be the gracious conqueror he came to be known as. His wives along with the princes and heirs to the throne, are blamed for the inevitable fall of the empire because they weren’t equally as great as the Maharaja, whereas they were actually on the frontlines of empire building and serving as diplomatic agents through out, with the princes starting at a young age.
This is what sets Priya Atwal’s narrative apart from the other’s in my view-history of women who helped Ranjit Singh during and after his rule all along challenging and questioning the misogynistic narratives in the Indian royal culture and history. She talks about the fluctuation of power in the Lahore Durbar after the Maharaja’s death and the aftermath of the unfortunate double death in 1840 of Maharaja KHARAK SINGH (the first born son of Ranjit Singh) and his son PRINCE NAU NIHAL SINGH within 5 days from one another.
The author sheds a light on the problematic British narratives’ role with clear gender bias that it was fine for a man to behave deplorable fashion but not the same for a woman. This continued during the period of Maharani Jindah’s reign as regent to the last maharaja, Duleep singh, where she was was described as being motivated with ‘passion not patriotism’ and unfit as a mother, being forcefully exiled and separated from her son for 13 years.
I re-wrote this review at-least 3 times trying to put into words how much I enjoyed this book. It was engrossing, thought provoking & very well researched! Even though at times it was a bit confusing, going back and fourth between events, I still found myself re-reading certain parts i enjoyed after finishing it. Definitely recommend!👏🏼
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