Members of the dynasty ruled the states of Badrukhan, Bhadaur, Faridkot, Jind, Malaudh, Nabha, and Patiala, allying themselves with the British Empire according to the terms of the Cis-Sutlej treaty of 1809.

[2] Members of the Phulkian dynasty claimed descent through migration to the present-day Malwa region in Punjab,[8][9][10] from Rawal Jaisal Singh, the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer from 1156 to 1168,[11][12] and further to Rao Bhati, a 3rd-century Hindu monarch.

[21] Phulkian leaders did not attend Sarbat Khalsa meetings or distribute loot and territory among their followers, instead adopting Mughal practices of appropriating resources for themselves and rewarding their men with payments and Jagirs.

[25] In the early 19th century, the Phulkian states, concerned about the rising power of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, sought protection from the East India Company.

[26] The delegation pledged their loyalty to the British and sought their protection, leading to a treaty on 25 April 1809, where Ranjit Singh agreed not to extend his military campaigns into the Cis-Sutlej territories.

[26] The Maharajas of the three largest Phulkian states (Patiala, Nabha and Jind) supported the East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, both with military forces and supplies, as well as by offering protection for European people in affected areas.

[28] The matter was eventually taken up by the government in Britain, who demanded that the Raj authorities should grant the petition in recognition of the considerable loyalty that had been demonstrated during the rebellion.

[28] During the British Raj, the Phulkian states of Patiala, Nabha, and Jind were noted for their patronage of North Indian artists, musicians, and scholars at their court.

According to historian Barbara Ramusack, the pair were "ambitious, arrogant, energetic, and jealous" and "shared the hypersensitivity on matters of izzat or honor and status common to most Indian princes".

Newspapers in the region, with the support of the SGPC, pointed to his past favouring of the views of nationalists such as Gopal Krishna Gokhale, noted that he had spurned some rituals at his coronation, and alleged he sympathised with the Akalis.

[30] Patiala was considered to be the most important of the Sikh states and his prime minister, Daya Kishan Kaul, attempted to mobilise its supporters among the SGPC as well as those citizens of Nabha who had been ill-treated by Ripudaman.