Durrani Empire

The Durrani Empire, also called the Kingdom of Afghanistan, was built by the Durrani tribe of Pashtuns. It started by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747. The empire covered parts of Central Asia, the Iranian plateau, and the Indian subcontinent. At its strongest, it included lands of today’s Afghanistan, much of Pakistan, parts of northeastern and southeastern Iran, eastern Turkmenistan, and northwestern India. It was an important Islamic empire of the 1700s, together with the Ottoman Empire.

Ahmad Shah Durrani was the son of a leader from the Abdali tribe. He had served under Nader Shah Afshar. After Nader Shah died in 1747, Ahmad took control of key cities such as Kandahar, Ghazni, Kabul, and Peshawar. He changed his tribe’s name from Abdali to Durrani and ruled as king. He led his forces to take areas in Iran and India, even attacking Delhi in 1757. Though he allowed the Mughal Empire’s ruler to stay, he made sure they recognized Afghan power over lands south of the Indus River.

After Ahmad’s death in 1772, his son Timur Shah Durrani took over. He made Kabul the capital, with Peshawar as the winter capital. However, the empire began to weaken and lost some areas to the Sikh Empire in the early 1800s. The Durrani rulers remained important in Afghanistan until another family, the Barakzai dynasty, took over. Today, the Durrani Empire is seen as the beginning of modern Afghanistan, with Ahmad Shah Durrani honored as the Father of the Nation.

History

Reign of Ahmad Shah Durrani (1747–1772)

Foundation of the Afghan state

In 1709, a leader named Mirwais Hotak became free from Persian rulers. His son, Mahmud Hotak, ruled parts of Iran for a short time but was later removed. In 1747, a big meeting chose Ahmad Shah Durrani as the new leader of the Afghans, starting the Durrani dynasty.

Early victories

Ahmad Shah captured many important cities and grew his empire. He took areas in modern-day Pakistan and parts of Iran. He also worked with rulers in India and Central Asia, gaining more land for his empire.

Relations with China

Ahmad Shah wanted to make friends with the Chinese empire but had some problems. There were disagreements, especially when an Afghan envoy did not follow a certain custom in front of the Chinese emperor.

Third Battle of Panipat

Ahmad Shah fought a big battle against a large group from India. His forces won, which was a major victory for him. After this, his empire began to face problems and lost some land.

Final years

Even though Ahmad Shah's victory was a high point, his empire started to get weaker before he died in 1772. He faced rebellions and needed to make deals with rulers nearby.

Other Durrani rulers in the Empire (1772–1823)

After Ahmad Shah’s death, his successors had trouble keeping control. The empire got weaker, and within fifty years, it ended with Afghanistan in civil war. By 1818, the rulers only controlled a small area around Kabul. Many tribes were unhappy with the leaders, and the empire lost much of the land Ahmad Shah had won.

Humayun Mirza (1772)

After Ahmad Shah’s death, there was a fight over who would be the next leader. Timur Shah, Ahmad Shah’s son, finally took control after some violence.

Timur Shah (1772–1793)

Timur Shah ruled for many years but faced problems from his brothers and other leaders.

Zaman Shah (1793–1801)

Zaman Shah took power but lost support by changing important leaders. His actions caused conflicts, and he was eventually removed and blinded by his brother Mahmud Shah.

Mahmud Shah (first reign, 1801–1803)

Mahmud Shah’s first rule was short and full of violence and conflict.

Shuja Shah (1803–1809 and 1839–1842)

Shuja Shah ruled for a short time and signed an important agreement with Britain. He was removed from power but came back with British help during the First Anglo-Afghan War.

Mahmud Shah (second reign, 1809–1818)

Mahmud Shah’s second rule also had disputes and challenges to his authority.

Abbas Mirza (1810)

During Mahmud Shah’s absence, Abbas Mirza briefly took control but was defeated when Mahmud returned.

Sultan Ali Shah (1818–1819)

Ali Shah, another son of Timur Shah, ruled for a short time before being killed by his brother.

Ayub Shah (1819–1823)

Ayub Shah was the last of Timur Shah’s sons to rule. During his time, the empire lost control of Kashmir, and he was later removed from power.

Durrani Herat (1793–1863)

Shah Shuja and the First Anglo Afghan War (1839–1842)

In the 19th century, Britain and Russia were trying to gain influence in South Asia. Britain wanted to put Shah Shuja Durrani back on the Afghan throne, which started the First Anglo-Afghan War. By March 1839, British forces had entered Afghanistan.

Military

The Durrani military used fast cavalry attacks with flintlock guns. Their main force had 10,000 mounted soldiers called sher-bacha. Most soldiers were Afghan tribal cavalry with lances and swords. Infantry and artillery were rarely used in battles.

List of monarchs

Empire (1747–1823; 1839–1842)

The Durrani Empire began in 1747. It lasted until 1823, and then again for a short time from 1839 to 1842. During this time, several leaders ruled the empire.

Kandahar (1793–1795)

From 1793 to 1795, the city of Kandahar had its own leaders. This was a small part of the larger Durrani Empire.

Herat (1793–1863)

Herat was another city that had its own leaders from 1793 to 1863. Like Kandahar, it was part of the Durrani Empire but had some local rule.