The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought during:

The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire of Punjab and the English East India Company from December 1845 to March 1846.

Background:

• After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839, the Sikh kingdom was weakened by power struggles, murders of rulers, and instability.
• The Khalsa army became very powerful and independent.
• The British moved troops towards the Sutlej river, the border with the Sikh kingdom, which alarmed the Sikhs.
• The Sikh army crossed the Sutlej in December 1845, and war began.

Main battles:

• Mudki (December 1845).
• Ferozeshah (December 1845).
• A third major battle in January 1846.
• Sobraon (February 1846), the decisive battle.
• Treachery by some Sikh leaders, such as Lal Singh and Tej Singh, contributed to the Sikh defeat.

The peace terms:

• The Sikhs had to cede the Jalandhar Doab (the land between the Beas and the Sutlej) to the British.
• They had to pay a large war indemnity.
• Because they could not pay all of it, Kashmir was sold to Gulab Singh of Jammu, who became its ruler (Treaty of Amritsar, 1846).
• The size of the Sikh army was reduced.
• A British Resident was stationed at Lahore.
• The minor Maharaja Duleep Singh remained on the throne, with his mother, Rani Jind Kaur, as regent.
• The Governor-General was Lord Hardinge.

Later:

A second war was fought a few years later, after which Punjab was annexed to British India.

Why not the other options?

• ✗1839-1842 was the period of the First Anglo-Afghan War.
• ✗1848-1849 was the period of the Second Anglo-Sikh War.
• ✗1857-1858 was the period of the Revolt.