Editing Ranjit Singh (section)

==Early years==
[[File:Ranjet Singh's Birth place..jpg|thumb|Birthplace of Ranjit Singh in [[Gujranwala]], [[Punjab, Pakistan]].|left]]
Ranjit Singh was born in a [[Sandhawalia]] [[Jat Sikh]] family on 13 November 1780 to [[Maha Singh]] and [[Raj Kaur]] in [[Gujranwala]], Punjab region (present-day [[Punjab, Pakistan]]). His mother [[Raj Kaur]] was the daughter of [[Sidhu]] Jat Sikh ruler [[Jind State|Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind]].<ref name="Arora">{{cite book |last=Arora |first=A. C. |editor1-last=Singh |editor1-first=Fauja |editor2-last=Arora |editor2-first=A. C. |title=Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Politics, Society, and Economy |year=1984 |publisher=[[Punjabi University]] |isbn=978-81-7380-772-5 |oclc=557676461 |page=[https://archive.org/details/maharajaranjitsi0000unse/page/86/mode/2up 86] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nDluAAAAMAAJ |chapter=Ranjit Singh's Relations with the Jind State |quote=Even before the birth of Ranjit Singh, cordial relations had been established between the Sukarchakia Misal and the Phulkian House of Jind. ... the two Sikh Jat chiefships had cultivated intimate relationship with each other by means of a matrimonial alliance. Maha Singh, the son of the founder of Sukarchakia Misal, Charat Singh, was married to Raj Kaur, the daughter of the founder of the Jind State, Gajpat Singh. The marriage was celebrated in 1774 at Badrukhan, then capital of Jind<sup>1</sup>, with pomp and grandeur worthy of the two chiefships. ... Ranjit Singh was the offspring of this wedlock.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Patwant|last2=Rai|first2=Jyoti M.|title=Empire of the Sikhs: the life and times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh|date=2008|publisher=Peter Owen|location=London|isbn=978-0720613230|page=69}}</ref>{{Efn|It has been argued that Ranjit Singh was born into a Jat clan (''got'' in Punjabi) named Sansi (which the Sandhawalias originate from), which is unrelated to the nomadic caste sharing the same name, leading to the misattribution of his origin to the Sansi caste by some.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McLeod |first1=W. H. |title=The A to Z of Sikhism |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0810863446 |page=172 |quote=Sikhs remember Maharaja Ranjit Singh with respect and affection as their greatest ruler. Ranjit Singh was a Sansi and this identity has led some to claim that his caste affiliation was with the low-caste Sansi tribe of the same name. A much more likely theory is that he belonged to the Jat ''got'' that used the same name. The Sandhanvalias belonged to the same ''got''.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Birinder Pal |title='Criminal' Tribes of Punjab |date=2012 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1136517860 |page=114 |quote=Ibbetson and Rose and later, Bedi, had clarified that the Sansis should not be confused with a Jat (Jutt) clan named Sansi to which perhaps Maharaja Ranjit Singh also belonged.}}</ref>|group=note}} Upon his birth, he was named Buddh Singh after his ancestor who was first in line to take [[Amrit Sanchaar]]. The child's name was changed to Ranjit (literally, "victor in battle") Singh ("lion") by his father to commemorate his army's victory over the [[Chattha (clan)|Chattha]] chief [[Pir Muhammad Chattha|Pir Muhammad]] of [[Chattha Dynasty|Chattha dynasty]].<ref name=eos-rs/><ref>{{cite book|author=Patwant Singh|title=Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vr4VAQAAIAAJ |year=2008|publisher=Peter Owen|isbn=978-0-7206-1323-0|pages=58–59}}</ref>
[[File:Possible depiction of Ranjit Singh as a young boy, detail from a painting of a diplomatic meeting between Sikh Misls.jpg|thumb|Ranjit Singh as a young boy, detail from a late 18th century painting of a diplomatic meeting between Sikh Misls]]
Ranjit Singh contracted [[smallpox]] as an infant, which resulted in the loss of sight in his left eye and a pockmarked face.<ref name=eos-rs/> He was short in stature, never schooled, and did not learn to read or write anything beyond the [[Gurmukhi]] alphabet.<ref>{{cite book|author=Patwant Singh|title=Empire of the Sikhs: The Life and Times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vr4VAQAAIAAJ |year=2008|publisher=Peter Owen|isbn=978-0-7206-1323-0|pages=56–57}}</ref> However, he was trained at home in horse riding, musketry and other martial arts.<ref name=eos-rs/>

At age 12, his father died.<ref name="Lafont2002p33">{{cite book|author=Jean Marie Lafont|title=Maharaja Ranjit Singh: Lord of the Five Rivers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zjduAAAAMAAJ |year=2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-566111-8 |pages=33–34, 15–16 }}</ref> He then inherited his father's [[Sukerchakia Misl]] estates and was raised by his mother Raj Kaur, who, along with Lakhpat Rai, also managed the estates.<ref name=eos-rs/> The first attempt on his life was made when he was 13, by Hashmat Khan, but Ranjit Singh prevailed and killed the assailant instead.<ref>{{cite book|author=Khushwant Singh|title=Ranjit Singh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D068dKeyGW4C  |year=2008|publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-306543-2 |page= 6 }}</ref> At age 18, his mother died and Lakhpat Rai was assassinated, and thereon he was helped by his mother-in-law from his first marriage.<ref name="Singh2008p7">{{cite book|author=Khushwant Singh|title=Ranjit Singh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D068dKeyGW4C  |year=2008|publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-306543-2 |pages=7–8 }}</ref>