Allen (William H.)

London, W.H. Allen & Co., 1849.
a significant, and seemingly scarce, map of what was to become known as the North-West Frontier Province, from the time of the second Anglo-Sikh war, that saw the final annexation of the Punjab and the collapse of the Sikh Empire by the East India Company. The empire had risen to prominence through the success of the militarily and diplomatically skilled Ranjit Singh in uniting the various Sikh and Muslim territories, or ‘Misls’ of the region in the early decades of the 19th century. He orchestrated military campaigns against the advances of the Afghans, managing to retake and rebuild the city of Amritsar, also restoring the famous Golden Temple to even greater glory. At the same time, he forged and maintained an uneasy alliance with the British East India Company, who were also keen to expand their sphere of influence, but were better skilled at biding their time. The death of Ranjit Singh, in 1839, and the subsequent revolts, assassinations, incursions and other forms of unrest that followed, gave them the perfect opportunity to intervene and wrest control of this strategically highly important area, now largely modern-day Pakistan..
610 by 555mm (24 by 21¾ inches).