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Maharajah Duleep Singh (Lahore, 6 September 1838 - Paris, 22 October 1893) was a Sikh ruler of the sovereign state of Punjab, and the Sikh Empire. He was the last Maharaja of Lahore during the Sikh Raj of Punjab. He was the youngest son of the legendary Lion of the Punjab (Maharaja Ranjit Singh) and the Messalina of the Punjab (Maharani Jind Kaur). He was also known as the Black Prince of Perthshire. He was born on September 6, 1838.
After the deaths of his brothers and nephew all of whom were Maharaja Ranjit Singh's brief successors to the Khalsa kingdom's throne. The early years of the life of Duleep Singh, the new and last Maharaja of the Punjab, were played out against the rich background of his grandfather's court and the lavish palaces and gardens of Lahore.
As a child he enjoyed falconry and had the best horses and elephants to ride. He received a royal education with two tutors, one for Persian and one for Gurmukhi. He was taught to shoot guns and bows and trained to command. The love of his mother surrounded him. It must have seemed a kind of heaven, a place full of magical enchantment for the boy, but the brutalities of politics soon invaded. .....More
