“Though certainly an imperialist, Ranjit Singh represented a different, more enlightened, more inclusive model of state-building, and a much-needed path towards unity and toleration. The British invaded, the Sikh empire collapsed and instability returned to the region,” says Lockwood. After his death in 1839, Ranjit Singh's empire of toleration unravelled. Singh's name was nominated by Lockwood, who is assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama, as a modernising and uniting force, whose reign “marked a golden age for Punjab and north-west India”. While the Indian subcontinent was riven with imperial competition, religious strife and wars of conquest, Singh was, almost uniquely, a unifier – a force for stability, prosperity and tolerance,” it notes. “Singh, however, was more than a mere conqueror. The magazine notes that by the early decades of the 19th century, he had modernised the Sikh Khalsa army, embraced western innovations without abandoning local forms and institutions, unified the fractious misls or states, stabilised the frontier with Afghanistan, and reached a mutually beneficial detente with the British East India Company. "And, at a time of global political tensions, it's telling that Singh's rule is interpreted as representing ideals of tolerance, freedom and cooperation,” he said.ĭescribed as the “Lion of Punjab”, Singh's rise to power came after a period of economic and political uncertainty. "Though perhaps not as familiar as some of the other names on the list, Ranjit Singh's overwhelming success in our poll suggests that the qualities of his leadership continue to inspire people around the world in the 21st century,” said Matt Elton, Editor of ‘BBC World History Magazine' of leading historians.
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