Afzalids

Afzalids
افضليان افضلی ها
Leader	Mohammad Afzal Khan (1863–1866) Mohammad Azam Khan (1866–1867) Abdur Rahman Khan (1867–1880 in exile; 1880–1901)
Foundation	Afghan Civil War (1863–1869)
Dates of operation	June 9, 1863 (1863-06-09) – October 1, 1901 (1901-10-01)
Dissolved	1 October 1901
Country	Emirate of Afghanistan
Headquarters	Takhtapul (1863–1869) Samarkand (1869–1880) Kabul (1880–1901)
Slogan	Oh, Four Friends! [a]
Allies	Emirate of Bukhara (1863–1869) Russian Empire (1869–1878) British Empire (1878–1880)
Opponents	Sher Ali Khan (1863–1879) Mohammad Yaqub Khan (1879) Mohammad Ayub Khan (1879–1880)
Designated as a terrorist group by	Emirate of Afghanistan (1863–1866; 1868–1880)

The Afzalids, ^[1] also known as the Afzalid dynasty, were a significant political group in Afghanistan primarily founded on the belief that Mohammad Afzal Khan was the successor of Dost Mohammad Khan after his death on 9 June 1863. It lasted until the death of the last Afzalid ruler Abdur Rahman Khan on 1 October 1901. ^[2]

Background

Mohammad Afzal Khan was the eldest son of Dost Mohammad Khan, but was not chosen as the heir-apparent during his father's reign, nor as the chosen successor during his father's death. Instead, his younger brother Sher Ali Khan succeeded him as Emir of Afghanistan, and the absence of primogeniture infuriated Afzal, who later declared war on Sher Ali with his son Abdur Rahman Khan and uterine brother Mohammad Azam Khan. ^[3]

Rise to power

The Afzalids rose to fame during the Afghan Civil War after Abdur Rahman Khan captured Kabul and Sheikhabad, which deposed Sher Ali Khan during his third year of rule, freeing Mohammad Afzal Khan from prison and installing him onto the throne. ^[4]

Exile

Mohammad Afzal Khan was succeeded by Mohammad Azam Khan after he succumbed to cholera on 7 October 1867. But towards the end of 1868, Sher Ali Khan's return and a general rising in his favor resulted in Abdur Rahman Khan and Mohammad Azam Khan's defeat at Tinah Khan on 3 January 1869. Both sought refuge to the east in Central Asia, where Abdur Rahman placed himself under Russian protection at Samarkand. ^[5] Mohammad Azam Khan died in Bastam in October 1869. ^[6]

Restored reign

After Sher Ali Khan's death, the Afzalids once again were able to consolidate their power in Afghanistan after their alliance with the British to overthrow the former rival regime in the Second Anglo-Afghan War, which granted the new government a de jure ^{[1] : 395–397} British protected state status with annual subsidy. ^[7]

The last Afzalid ruler Abdur Rahman Khan died on 1 October 1901, and there were no longer any movements dedicated to enthroning Mohammad Afzal Khan.

Notes

1. Persian: یا چهار یار, romanized: Yā Chahār Yār ^{[1] : 704}

References

1. Lee, Jonathan L. (2018). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. ISBN   9781789140101.
2. "'Masterly inactivity': Lord Lawrence, Britain and Afghanistan, 1864–1879 – Research Portal, King's College, London". kclpure.kcl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
3. Kakar, M. Hasan (2006). A Political and Diplomatic History of Afghanistan, 1863–1901. Brill. ISBN   978-90-04-15185-7.
4. Christine Noelle-Karimi. State And Tribe In Nineteenth Century Afghanistan The Reign Of Amir Dost Muhammad Khan ( 1826 1863) By Christine Noelle-Karimi.
5. "'Abdor Rahman Khan" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. I: A-Ak – Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, IL: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2010. pp.  20. ISBN   978-1-59339-837-8.
6. Chisholm 1911, p. 37. sfn error: no target: CITEREFChisholm1911 (help)
7. "The Raj Reconsidered: British India's Informal Empire and Spheres of Influence in Asia and Africa" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2023.