Sikh Warrior Maharaja Ranjit Singh Named Greatest World Leader in BBC Poll

The founder and ruler of the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been voted as the greatest leader in world history by 38 per cent readers of BBC World Histories Magazine. The leader who had defeated Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln during the early 19th century, Singh was nominated by historian Matthew Lockwood, an assistant professor of history at the University of Alabama for establishing “modern empire of toleration”. 

The magazine had asked its readers to vote for the greatest leader from the names that had been nominated by several renowned historians. They had to choose a leader who had “exercised power and had a positive impact on humanity and to explore their achievements and legacy”. It was Maharaja Ranjit Singh who topped the poll and was described by Lockwood as a uniting force whose reign “marked a golden age for Punjab and northwest India”.

Ranjit Singh was praised for creating a new tolerant empire."And, at a time of global political tensions, it's telling that Singh's rule is interpreted as representing ideals of tolerance, freedom and cooperation, said Matt Elton, Editor of BBC World History Magazine' of leading historians.

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