Battle of Miani
Miani, near Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan
What happened
A British East India Company army under General Charles Napier fought the army of the Talpur rulers (Mirs) of Sindh, led by Mir Nasir Khan Talpur, with commanders including Hoshu Sheedi. Napier's smaller army met the Talpur army near a canal at Miani. The Talpur cavalry charged again and again, but British rifles and cannons stopped them, and the Talpur army broke up.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Together with the Battle of Hyderabad a month later, it gave the East India Company its first territory in what is now Pakistan. Sindh was annexed, and its rulers were later exiled.
What came next
Napier won again at Hyderabad on 24 March 1843 and was knighted that July. Mir Sher Muhammad Talpur fought on for years before accepting an amnesty.
Did you know?
A famous joke said Napier reported his conquest with one Latin word, 'Peccavi' ('I have sinned' / 'I have Sindh'), but it was actually written by Catherine Winkworth for Punch magazine.
Timeline
- 17 February 1843The British win at Miani.
- 24 March 1843The British win at Hyderabad.
- 4 July 1843Napier is knighted for Miani and Hyderabad.
- 18 May 1844Punch prints the 'Peccavi' joke.