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From Ramgarhia.Net

Misl refers to a fighting clan. The period from 1716 to 1799 in Punjab was a highly turbulent time politically and militarily. This was caused by the overall decline of the Mughal Empire, particularly in Punjab, caused by Sikh military action against it. This left a power vacuum that was eventually filled by the Sikh Confederacy. This Confederacy was made up of individual Sikh kingdoms that were ruled by Sikh barons. Each of these barons had his own army, which was commanded by and loyal to him. Each individual army had its own specific name, but the armies were referred to in general as misls.

Each Misl was made up of members of soldiers, whose loyalty was given to the Misl's Baron (Misldar). A Misl could be comprised of a few hundred to tens of thousands soldiers. Every soldier was free to join any Misl he chose and free to cancel his membership of the Misl to whom he belonged. He could, if he wanted, cancel his membership of his old Misl and join another (provided certain procedures were followed). The Barons would allow their armies to combine or coordinate their defences together against a hostile force if ordered by the Misldar Supreme Commander. These orders were only issued in military matters affecting the whole Sikh community. These orders would normally be related to defence against external threats, such as Afghan military attacks (typically initiated by Afghan Kings).

The head Barons of each kingdom, in a council, elected the Misldar Supreme Commander.

Previous Supreme Commanders include Nawab Kapur Singh Virk and Sultan Ul Quam Baba Jassa Singh Ahluwalia.