Maharaja Sher Singh

Sher Singh was born in 1807, the son of Ranjit Singh's wife Mehtab Kaur, though some at court doubted his paternity. He was a fine soldier, governor of Kashmir and commander in the frontier campaigns, and was liked by the army.

After Nau Nihal Singh's death in 1840 he claimed the throne. With the army behind him he besieged Lahore Fort in January 1841, forced Chand Kaur to give up the regency and became Maharaja. He relied on the Dogra minister Dhian Singh and tried to keep peace with the British.

On 15 September 1843 he was shot by Ajit Singh Sandhawalia, who had come to show him a new carbine, at a review near Lahore; his young son Pratap Singh was killed on the same day, and Dhian Singh was murdered hours later. The killings opened the way for the child Duleep Singh.