Portrait of Duleep Singh by Franz Xaver Winterhalter

Duleep Singh (Lahore, 6 September 1838 - Paris, 22 October 1893) was a Sikh ruler of the sovereign country of Punjab and the Sikh Empire. He was the last Maharaja during the Sikh Raj of Punjab. He was the youngest son of the legendary Lion of the Punjab (Maharaja Ranjit Singh) and the Messalina of the Punjab (Maharani Jind Kaur). There are questions about the spelling of his name. Among the possibilities are Dhulip, Dulip, Dhalip, Dhuleep and Dalip but he used Duleep when writing it himself. Official British letters and documents sometimes refer to him as Dalip. Maharajah Duleep Singh, the Maharajah of Lahore and King of the Sikh Empire. He was also known as the Black Prince of Perthshire. He was born on September 6, 1838. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (613x1157, 81 KB) Description The sikh raja Duleep Singh by Franz Winterhalter (1805-1873) Le râja sikh Dhulîp Singh par le peintre Franz Winterhalter (1805-1873) Statut File links The following pages link to this file: Duleep Singh ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (613x1157, 81 KB) Description The sikh raja Duleep Singh by Franz Winterhalter (1805-1873) Le râja sikh Dhulîp Singh par le peintre Franz Winterhalter (1805-1873) Statut File links The following pages link to this file: Duleep Singh ... The Empress Eugenie Surrounded by her Ladies in Waiting Franz Winterhalter was a famous Victorian, German speaking artist. ... Lahore (Urdu: لاہور) is a major city of Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... This article is about the day of the year. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur Tossed by the waves, she does not founder Coordinates : , Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Département Paris (75) Région ÃŽle-de-France Mayor Bertrand Delanoë (PS) City (commune) Characteristics Land Area 86. ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... A Sikh (IPA: [siːk] or [sɪk]; Punjabi: , , IPA: [sɪk. ... Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers (c. ... The Sikh Empire (from 1801-1849) was formed on the foundations of the Sikh Confederacy by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. ... The word Maharaja (also spelled maharajah) is Hindi as well as ancient Sanskrit for high king (a karmadharaya from maha great and rajan king). Its use is primarily for Hindu potentates (ruler or sovereign). ... The Sikh Empire (from 1801-1849) was formed on the foundations of the Sikh Confederacy by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers (c. ... Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Punjabi: ), also called Sher-e-Punjab (The Lion of the Punjab) (1780-1839) was a Sikh ruler of the Punjab. ... Maharani Jind Kaur (1817 - London, August 1, 1863), also popularly known as Rani Jindan, the Messalina of Punjab. ... Lahore (Urdu: لاہور) is a major city of Pakistan and is the capital of the province of Punjab. ... The Sikh Empire (from 1801-1849) was formed on the foundations of the Sikh Confederacy by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. ... This article is about the day of the year. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Early years

The young Duleep Singh came to the throne of Punjab in 1843 succeeding his half-brother, Maharajah Sher Singh. After the close of the Second Anglo-Sikh War and the subsequent annexation of the Punjab in 1849, he was deposed at the age of eleven by the East India Company and separated from his mother. He was put into the care of Dr John Login and sent from Lahore to Fatehgarh on December 21, 1849. He handed over, in controversial circumstances, the Koh-i-Noor diamond to Queen Victoria as part of the terms of the conclusion of the war and the 250th anniversary of the East India Company on July 3, 1850. His health was reportedly poor, and he was mostly in quasi-exile in Fatehgarh and Lucknow after 1849, with tight restrictions on who he was allowed to meet. No Indians, except trusted servants, could meet him in private. As a matter of British policy, he was to be Anglicized in every possible respect. While no specific information was released about his health, he was often sent to the hill station of Landour near Mussoorie in the Lower Himalaya for convalescence, at the time about 4 days journey. He would remain for weeks at a time in Landour at a grand hilltop building called The Castle, which had been lavishly furnished to accommodate him. 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Sher Singh (December 1807-1843) son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. ... The Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–1849), resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh kingdom and absorption of the Punjab into lands controlled by the British East India Company. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company which was granted an English Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. ... Fatehgarh is a city in Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Koh-i-noor (کوۂ نور) is from the Persian language and means Mountain of Light. The Koh-i-Noor, Koh-i-Nur, or Kohinoor is a 105 carat (21. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Lucknow (Hindi: लखनऊ; Urdu: لکھنو Lakhnau) is the capital city of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. ... Anglicized refers to foreign words, often surnames, that are changed from a foreign language into English. ... Landour, a small town contiguous with Mussoorie, is about 35 km (22 miles) from the city of Dehradun in the northern state of Uttaranchal in India. ...

In 1853, under the tutelage of his long-time retainer Bhajan Lal (himself a Christian convert) he was converted to Christianity at Fatehgarh with the approval of the Governor-General Lord Dalhousie. His conversion remains controversial, having been effected in unclear circumstances before he turned 15. He was also heavily and continuously exposed to Christian texts under the tutelage of the devout John Login. His two closest childhood friends were both English, one being the child of Anglican missionaries. 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ...

In 1854, he was then sent into exile in England, his 'poor health' also being cited. While in exile, he would seek to learn more about Sikhism and was eager to return to India, but was thwarted by his handlers. Having finally decided in 1886, in no uncertain terms, to return to India and re-embrace Sikhism, and despite protests from the India Office, he set sail for 'Home'. He was intercepted in Aden, where the writ of the Raj began. He could not be stopped from an informal re-conversion ceremony in Aden (far less grand and symbolic that it would have been in India), but was forced to return to Europe. He headed for Paris, where he would die at the age of 55, not really having seen India again after he was 15, except for two brief, tightly-controlled visits in 1860 (to bring his mother to England) and in 1863 (to scatter his mother's ashes). Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... Port of Aden (around 1910). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...

Life in exile

London

Duleep Singh's arrival on the shores of England in 1854 threw him into the European court. Queen Victoria showered affection upon the turbaned Maharajah, as did the Prince Consort. Duleep Singh was initially lodged at Claridges Hotel in London before the East India Company took over a house in Wimbledon and then eventually another house in Roehampton which became his home for 3 years. He eventually got bored with Roehampton and expressed a wish to go back to India but it was suggested by the East India Company Board he take a tour of the European continent which he did with Sir John Spencer Login and Lady Login. 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and the first Empress of India from January 1, 1877, until her death in 1901. ... Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emmanuel, of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha branch of the House of Wettin) (26 August 1819 - 14 December 1861) was the husband and consort of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... Roehampton is a place in south London, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. ...

Scotland

On his return from Europe in 1855 he was given an annual pension, and was officially under ward of Sir John Spencer Login and Lady Login, who leased Castle Menzies in Perthshire, Scotland for him. He spent the rest of his teens there but at 19 he demanded to be in charge of his household, eventually, he was given this and an increase in his annual pension. In 1858 the lease expired and Duleep Singh rented the house at Auchlyne from the earl of Breadalbane. He was remarkable in the area as the first Indian prince to visit Scotland, and soon earned the nickname the "Black Prince of Perthshire". He was known for a lavish lifestyle, shooting parties, and a love of dressing in highland costume. (At the same time, he was known to have gradually developed a sense of regret for his circumstances in exile, including some inner turmoil about his conversion to Christianity and his forced departure from the Punjab). His mother stayed in Perthshire with him for a short time, before he purchased the Grandtully Estate, near Pitlochry. Following the deaths of his mother and John Login in 1863, he returned to England [1]. Castle Menzies in Scotland is home of the Menzies Clan. ... Perthshire (Siorrachd Pheairt in Gaelic) is a traditional county in central Scotland, which extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south. ... Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within Europe Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Auchlyne is a small hamlet in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, in the west part of the former county of Perthshire. ... The title Earl of Breadalbane and Holland was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1681 for John Campbell, 1st Earl of Caithness, who resigned the Earldom of Caithness in favour of George Sinclair in exchange for the new Earldom. ... Pitlochry (Baile Chloichridh in Gaelic) is a burgh in Perthshire, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel within the council area of Perth and Kinross. ...

Mulgrave Castle

Duleep Singh took on a lease at Mulgrave Castle in Yorkshire in 1858 and enjoyed the English countryside while there. Yorkshire is the largest traditional county of Great Britain, covering some 6,000 sq. ...

Elveden Estate

Duleep Singh bought (or was purchased for him by the India Office) a 17,000 acre country estate at Elveden on the Norfolk/ Suffolk border close to Thetford in 1863. He fell in love with Elveden and the area and restored the church, cottages and the school. He transformed the run-down estate into an efficient game preserve and the house into a quasi-oriental palace where he lived the life of a British aristocrat. Duleep Singh was accused of running up large expenses and the estate was sold after his death to repay his debt. Today, Elveden Hall is owned by descendants of the Guinness family of brewing fame, and remains an operating farm and private hunting estate. The India Office was the British government department responsible for the government of British India. ... Norfolk (pronounced IPA: ) is a low-lying county in East Anglia in the east of southern England. ... Suffolk (pronounced SUF-fk) is a large traditional and administrative county in the East Anglia region of eastern England. ... Map sources for Thetford at grid reference TL8783 Thetford is a town in the Breckland area of Norfolk, England. ... World War II era advert. ...

Duleep Singh died in Paris in 1893 and his body was brought back to be buried (according to Christian rites, under the supervision of the India Office) in Elveden Church beside the grave of his wife Maharani Bamba, and his son Prince Edward Albert Duleep Singh. However, the graves are not open to the public; permission is rarely granted to see them. Duleep Singh's wish for his body to be returned to India was declined, in fear of unrest given the symbolic value the funeral of the son of the Lion of the Punjab may have caused, given growing resentment of British rule.

A statue of the Maharajah was officially unveiled by HRH the Prince of Wales in 1999 at Butten Island in Thetford, a town which benefitted from his and his sons' generosity. The Prince of Wales Feathers. This Heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent is derived from the ostrich feathers borne by Edward, the Black Prince. ...

Heraldry

A coat of arms was granted, commissioned by Prince Albert. A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ...

Image File history File links TM_Wood_COA_Large. ...

Family

Duleep Singh's mother, Rani Jindan, was in exile in Nepal and in 1860 he was finally allowed to return to India and he decided to bring his mother back to England. Sadly in 1863 Rani Jind Kaur died. Maharani Jind Kaur (1817 - London, August 1, 1863), also popularly known as Rani Jindan, the Messalina of Punjab. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...

Duleep Singh married twice, once to Bamba Muller and another to an English lady called Ada Douglas Wetherill. He had 8 children in total, 6 from his first marriage to Bamba (Princes Victor, Frederick, and Albert Edward Duleep Singh, and Princesses Bamba, Catherine and Sophia Duleep Singh) and 2 from his second to Ada.

None of his children produced descendants of their own.

Maharani Bamba Muller

Maharani Bamba Muller was an Arabic speaking part Ethiopian, part German girl, her father was a German banker and her mother was an Abyssinian Coptic Christian slave. She and Duleep met in Cairo in 1863 on his return from scattering his mother's ashes in India and married in Alexandria, Egypt on June 7, 1864. The maharani died in London on September 18, 1887. Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Cairo Minarets Cairo (Arabic: ‎ transliterated: , transl. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... For other uses, see Alexandria (disambiguation). ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ...

Ada Douglas Weatherall

Ada Douglas Weaterall and Duleep married in Paris on May 21, 1889. They had two children together, one out of wedlock. Princess Alexandra Duleep Singh was born in Moscow on December 26, 1887 and Princess Ada Irene Helen Benyl Duleep Singh on October 25, 1889. May 21 is the 141st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (142nd in leap years). ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Sher Singh (December 1807-1843) son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

Reference

External links

• "Official" Duleep Singh site
• RoyalArk on Punjab's dynasty, includes extensive bios
• Anglo Sikh Heritage Trail

Further reading

Aijazuddin, F.S. Sikh Portraits by European Artists, Sotheby Parke Bernet,London & Oxford University Press, Karachi and New delhi, 1979.

• Bance, Peter (Bhupinder Singh Bance). The Duleep Singh's. Sutton Publishing, ISBN 0750934883
• Campbell, Christy. The Maharaja's Box: An Imperial Story of Conspiracy, Love and a Guru's Prophecy. Harper Collins, ISBN 0006530788