[7] Due to the decline of the Mughal and Afghan empires in the Punjab, the cis-Sutlej chiefs were de facto ruling independently, yet were often engaged in localized conflicts.

[14] After Mahadji's death in 1794, Daulat Rao was made his replacement, under whom the unstable conditions continued against the chiefs till the Second Anglo-Maratha War from 1803-1805, losing any influence over Cis-Sutlej state and parts of Uttar Pradesh, which he administered on behalf of the Mughal Emperor.

[8]: 539  In the aftermath, the Maratha leader Yashwantrao Holkar sought refuge in Amritsar but Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire refused to offer him assistance against the British commanded under Gerard Lake.

[21] Following the Second Anglo-Maratha War, in 1806, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington drafted a treaty granting independence to the Sikh clans east of the Sutlej River in exchange for their allegiance to the British General Gerard Lake acting on his dispatch.

[24][25] The subsequent Treaty of Lahore of 1 January 1806 agreed that the Marathas would not remain in Punjab, secured a Sikh-British alliance, and guaranteed Sikh autonomy from the British north of the Sutlej river.

The Sikh Empire led three expeditions into Cis-Sutlej states in 1806, 1807 and 1808, seizing many territories, particularly 45 district subdivisions or administrative units (parganas) and then distributed them among different chiefs who would pay annual tributes of certain amount as recognition of Ranjit Singh's supremacy.

[26]: 540 The casus belli for Ranjit Singh to expand into the cis-Sutlej region was an internal conflict between the states of Nabha and Patiala, with the Sikh Empire using it as a cause for its military crossing over the Sutlej river on 26 July 1806.

[28]: 540  Then, Ranjit Singh's army crossed the cis-Sutlej river a third time, where they took-control of Ambala and Faridkot, yet stopping short of capturing Patiala due to concerns of British retribution.

[26] On 29 July 1809, David Ochterlony recognized large territory along river Sutlej from Chamkaur to Harikepatan and Kot Kapura as directly under Ranjit Singh's control.

[30] As per the treaty of 1809, Ranjit Singh was not allowed to maintain more troops than were required for the internal duties of the territory on the left bank of river Sutlej, nor commit or suffer any encroachments on the possession or rights of the chiefs in its vicinity.

[28]: 541  The treaty was successfully at halting the southern expansion of the Sikh Empire south of the Sutlej river, with Ranjit Singh instead turning his immediate focus to the Gurkha occupation in the Punjab Hills and internal conflict in Afghanistan shortly thereafter.

[28]: 542  Friendly relations between the Sikh Empire and the British was reaffirmed in a meeting between Ranjit Singh and William Bentick at Ropar in October 1831, where it was mutually agreed that the Sutlej river should be opened-up for trade.

[30] They were: Anandpur, Makhowal, Mattewala, Bajr, Goewal, Howab, Karesh, Sujarwala, Sohera, Sailbah, Khai, Muedkoh, Wazirpur, Kunki, Saholi, Basi, Bharog, Jagraon, Kot Isa Khan, Mahani, Khaspura, Molanwala, Naraingarh, Sadar Khan, Tohra, Mari, Machhiwara, Kotari, Puwa, Want, part of Kotlah, Kot Guru Har Sahe, Dharamkot, Rajwana, Fatahgarh, Kala Majri, Chuhar Chak, Dhilwan, Talwandi Sayyidan, Jhandianah, Buthor, Ranian, Baholpur, Bharatgarh, Chanelgarh, Lohangarh, Phillaur district, Firozpur, Nurpur, Khaira, Sohala, Todarpur, Tughal, part of Kotlah, Ghungrana, Rumanwala, Mamdot, Sanehwal, Rasulpur, Aitiana, Himmatpur, Pattoki, Wadni, Moga, Mohlan, Zira, Behekbodia, Bhagra, Hitawat, Jinwar, Kot Kapura, Muktsar, Kenoan, Singhanwala, Suhewaron, Chamkaur and Molwal.

[28]: 552 Before 1846 the greater part of this territory was relatively independent, the chiefs being subject to supervision from a political officer stationed at Umballa, and styled the agent of the British Governor-General of India for the Cis-Sutlej states.

The rest of the Bist Doab including districts of Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, and Jalandhar were merged and made a new Trans-Sutlej States in 1846 after the First Anglo-Sikh War.