DULEEP SINGH, MAHARAJA (1838-1893), the last Sikh sovereign of the Punjab, was born at Lahore on 6 September 1838, the youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. On 18 September 1843, at the age of five, he was, after the murder of Maharaja Sher Singh, proclaimed Maharaja of the Punjab with his mother, MaharanIJind Kaur, as his Regent. The country was in a state of disorder and the army had become all powerful. Though little Duleep Singh attended all the council meetings seated on the royal throne, the real authority had passed from the palace to the cantonment and the military panchayats. The English, who had been watching the happenings in the Sikh State with more than a neighbour`s interest, were looking for an opportunity to strike and penetrate into the Punjab.
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