Historical Note and Map for A Beggar at the Gate
In 1840 the Punjab was still proudly independent. Standing between British India and Afghanistan, irrigated by five rivers and boasting a great treasury of gold and jewels, it was the second richest kingdom in India.
But for all the Punjab's success, it had lost its powerful, unifying ruler. Maharajah Ranjit Singh, who had brought the Punjab under one rule and created a strong, disciplined army, had died in 1839, leaving the throne to his only legitimate son, the weak, half-witted Kharrak Singh.
By July 1840, Kharrak Singh was out of power, imprisoned by his son, Prince Nau Nihal Singh. The atmosphere at the Lahore Citadel, the Maharajah's palace and fort, had turned poisonous as opposing factions struggled to gain control of the country.
As these divisions deepened, the British watched, biding their time. They had recently invaded Afghanistan and installed their own puppet king on the throne. Now, confident of their victory, they had sent for their wives and children to join them in Kabul. But the shortest line of supply between British territory and occupied Kabul lay across the Punjab, and the British government was finding it increasingly difficult to negotiate the use of that route with the fractured government in Lahore.
A Beggar at the Gate takes place during this time of political intrigue.
