Lahore, the capital of Pakistan, has a history expanding thousands of years in which control over the city has been in the hands of Greeks, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, and of course the British. It was after Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839 that Punjab and Lahore became unstable.
On this day February 20th, in 1846, the British occupy the Sikh citadel in Lahore. A citadel is a fortress, or castle, meant as a defensive barrier to protect its population. Occupying, and ultimately controlling Lahore was a key strategic position for the British because it bordered Persia and Afghanistan.
The British rode in to Lahore in 1846, but did not defeat the Sikhs and take control of the city until 1849 in the Battle of Gujrat. The British forces were part of the British East India Company, an international commercial corporation. The British would retain control of Lahore until 1947.