The Kingdom of Lalitpur, also known as Patan, (Nepali: ललितपुर/पाटन) was a kingdom ruled by the Malla dynasty of Nepal established in 1482 after King Yaksha Malla's death. His sons divided the kingdom into four parts: Bhaktapur, Kantipur, Lalitpur, and Banepa.

In 1768, It became part of the Gorkha Kingdom―present day Kingdom of Nepal―after an aggressive unification campaign launched by Prithvi Narayan Shah.

Aridev Malla started the Malla dynasty and ruled over the entire Kathmandu Valley from 1202. The lineage of Aridev ended with Jayadeva Malla in 1258, thereafter Patan was ruled alternately from Bhadgaon, and Banepa by the Tripuras, and the Bhontas. The monarchs, however, held almost non-significant control over Patan and the local lords had much of the authority as evidenced by the failed seizure of Bhadgaon by the local lords. After Jayasthiti Malla imprisoned and killed fifty-three prominent leaders of Patan, the local lords surrendered their complete authority to the monarchy in 1372.

Patan had also been a victim of numerous invasions in the valley. The third invasion from the Khasa Kingdom had caused significant damage to the locals, and the Khasas also destroyed a royal castle before returning. The Tirhuts invaded the valley in 1311 and destroyed several temples in Patan, inflicted fines, and burnt houses. In 1334, Punya Malla, another King from the Khasa Kingdom, entered Patan killing forty men on their way and imposing fines upon the citizens.

After the Kathmandu Valley divided into four parts in 1482, the sons of Yakshya Malla ruled over separate areas of the valley. Ratna Malla ruled over Kantipur, Raya Malla over Bhadgaon, and Rana Malla over Banepa. The brothers ruled over Patan jointly for a brief period until it fell into the authority of Simha dynasty. Even before the division of the valley, the feudal lords held significant control over their territories and Jaya Simha was one of such lords.

The division led the successors of Yakshya Malla in a weak position and they gradually lost control of Patan. Before Vishnu Simha, the great-grandson of Jaya Simha, the Simhas shared their authority with other feudal lords and pledged their allegiance to the monarchy. There were three notable feudal houses before, but as early as 1519, Vishnu Simha had ousted the other two houses, ignored the monarchy, and made Patan an independent kingdom. Although the nature of the sovereignty of Patan is still a topic of discussion among scholars, it is clear from the inscriptions that the Simhas had absolute rule over Patan. Patan, however, had a significantly smaller area than it would later gain under the Mallas.

Vishnu Simha died around 1560 and his three sons ruled jointly over Patan. Two of his three sons died before 1580, and then onward Purandar Simha reigned as the sole ruler. In some time between 1597 and 1603, Shivasimha Malla of Kantipur raided Patan and brought it under his control, thus re-incorporating Patan under the reign of Kantipur. He then installed his first son Harihara Simha Malla as the governor of Patan.

Following is the family tree of the Simhas.