Sher Ali Khan (Persian: شیر علی خان; c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammed Khan,[2] founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan.
Sher Ali Khan was born into a PashtunBarakzai family, Initially he seized power when his father died, but was quickly ousted by his older brother, Mohammad Afzal Khan. Internecine warfare followed until Sher Ali Khan defeated his brother and regained the title of Emir.
Reformsedit
Sher Ali Khan's reign as Amir is often remembered for his attempts at reforming Barakzai rule in Afghanistan. Changes brought during the period of Sher Ali Khan's rule include the creation of governmental posts, military reform, the introduction of the first postal service in Afghanistan and the first attempts of an Afghan leader at promoting the Pashto language.
Sher Ali Khan tried to limit the power of the Barakzai sardars.[3] He didn't allow his sons to administer provinces and instead appointed governors loyal to him.[4] He also had a council of 12 members to advise him on matters of state. He created various ministerial offices like Prime Minister (Sadr-i Azam/صدر اعظم), minister of finance, minister of the interior, minister of war, minister of foreign affairs, and minister of the treasury.[4]
Under Sher Ali Khan's reign, Afghanistan was divided into 5 provinces: Kabul, Herat, Afghan Turkestan, Kandahar, and Farah.[5] Formerly Farah had been subject to Herat, but instead he made it a separate province and gave it to his cousin, Sardar Mohammad Afzal (not to be confused with Mohammad Afzal Khan).
During his reign, Sher Ali Khan embarked on a project to modernise his armed forces, standardising uniforms and equipment. After being gifted a battery of mountain guns and several howitzers by the British in 1868, Sher Ali realised the potential of breech-loading artillery and was determined to modernise Afghanistan's arsenal. Whilst his early attempts failed, Sher Ali's craftsmen had soon established new workshops at the Bala Hissar Arsenal and began to produce four to five modern breechloaders each month. Despite his successes in producing relatively modern weapons and equipment, a lack of competent officers and poor discipline meant the new cannons were quickly captured by the British during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. British forces captured more than 250 guns from the Afghans during their campaign.[6]
Sher Ali Khan's rule was hindered by pressure from both the British Empire and the Russian Empire, though Sher Ali Khan attempted to keep Afghanistan neutral during their conflict. His neutrality resulted in Afghanistan being invaded by the British which started the Second Anglo-Afghan War. This war resulted in a British victory and a devastating loss to Afghanistan as Sher Ali Khan was forced to give away a large amount of territory to British India including the city of Quetta. In 1878, the fragile neutrality fell apart with Sher Ali Khan's resisting of British demands for Afghanistan to accept a permanent envoy in Kabul. The British viewing this as confirmation of Sher Ali Khan's inclination towards Russia, gathered their forces and marched on Kabul. Sher Ali Khan opted to leave Kabul in order to seek political and military aid from the Russian Empire. He died in Mazar-e Sharif trying to reach the Russian border, leaving the throne to his son Mohammad Yaqub Khan.
^"Afghanistan, A Study in Internal Political Developments, 1880-1896 – Kakar History Foundation". Retrieved 4 December 2021.
^ abBizhan, Nematullah (14 August 2017). Aid Paradoxes in Afghanistan: Building and Undermining the State. Routledge. ISBN978-1-351-69265-6.
^"Government and Society in Afghanistan: The Reign of Amir Abd Al-Rahman Khan – Kakar History Foundation". Retrieved 4 December 2021.
^Jenzen-Jones, N.R.; Shanley, Jack (2021). "Hubris or haplessness? The modernisation and loss of Afghanistan's artillery, 1869–79". Journal of the Ordnance Society. 28: 90–96.
External linksedit
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Shir Ali Khan redirects here For the village in Iran see Shir Ali Khan Iran For the Khan of Kokand see Shir Ali Khan Kokand This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Sher Ali Khan news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Sher Ali Khan Persian شیر علی خان c 1825 21 February 1879 was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879 He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammed Khan 2 founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan Sher Ali Khanشیر علی خانEmir of AfghanistanAmir Sher Ali Khan in 1869Emir of AfghanistanReign9 June 1863 21 February 1879PredecessorDost Mohammad KhanSuccessorMohammad Yaqub KhanBorn1825Kabul Emirate of AfghanistanDied21 February 1879 age 53 or 54 Mazar e Sharif AfghanistanBurialBlue Mosque Mazar i Sharif AfghanistanSpouseMirmon AyeshaNamesSher Ali Khan BarakzaiDynastyBarakzai dynastyFatherDost Mohammed KhanMotherBibi Khadija Begum 1 ReligionSunni Islam Contents 1 Life 1 1 Reforms 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksLife editSher Ali Khan was born into a Pashtun Barakzai family Initially he seized power when his father died but was quickly ousted by his older brother Mohammad Afzal Khan Internecine warfare followed until Sher Ali Khan defeated his brother and regained the title of Emir Reforms edit Sher Ali Khan s reign as Amir is often remembered for his attempts at reforming Barakzai rule in Afghanistan Changes brought during the period of Sher Ali Khan s rule include the creation of governmental posts military reform the introduction of the first postal service in Afghanistan and the first attempts of an Afghan leader at promoting the Pashto language Sher Ali Khan tried to limit the power of the Barakzai sardars 3 He didn t allow his sons to administer provinces and instead appointed governors loyal to him 4 He also had a council of 12 members to advise him on matters of state He created various ministerial offices like Prime Minister Sadr i Azam صدر اعظم minister of finance minister of the interior minister of war minister of foreign affairs and minister of the treasury 4 Under Sher Ali Khan s reign Afghanistan was divided into 5 provinces Kabul Herat Afghan Turkestan Kandahar and Farah 5 Formerly Farah had been subject to Herat but instead he made it a separate province and gave it to his cousin Sardar Mohammad Afzal not to be confused with Mohammad Afzal Khan During his reign Sher Ali Khan embarked on a project to modernise his armed forces standardising uniforms and equipment After being gifted a battery of mountain guns and several howitzers by the British in 1868 Sher Ali realised the potential of breech loading artillery and was determined to modernise Afghanistan s arsenal Whilst his early attempts failed Sher Ali s craftsmen had soon established new workshops at the Bala Hissar Arsenal and began to produce four to five modern breechloaders each month Despite his successes in producing relatively modern weapons and equipment a lack of competent officers and poor discipline meant the new cannons were quickly captured by the British during the Second Anglo Afghan War British forces captured more than 250 guns from the Afghans during their campaign 6 Sher Ali Khan s rule was hindered by pressure from both the British Empire and the Russian Empire though Sher Ali Khan attempted to keep Afghanistan neutral during their conflict His neutrality resulted in Afghanistan being invaded by the British which started the Second Anglo Afghan War This war resulted in a British victory and a devastating loss to Afghanistan as Sher Ali Khan was forced to give away a large amount of territory to British India including the city of Quetta In 1878 the fragile neutrality fell apart with Sher Ali Khan s resisting of British demands for Afghanistan to accept a permanent envoy in Kabul The British viewing this as confirmation of Sher Ali Khan s inclination towards Russia gathered their forces and marched on Kabul Sher Ali Khan opted to leave Kabul in order to seek political and military aid from the Russian Empire He died in Mazar e Sharif trying to reach the Russian border leaving the throne to his son Mohammad Yaqub Khan See also editGreat GameReferences edit Vogelsang Willem 2002 16 War with Britain The Afghans London Wiley Blackwell John Wiley amp SOns Ltd UK p 257 ISBN 978 1 4051 8243 0 Dupree Louis 1997 Afghanistan 2nd ed Oxford Pakistan Paperbacks p 403 ISBN 978 0 19 577634 8 Afghanistan A Study in Internal Political Developments 1880 1896 Kakar History Foundation Retrieved 4 December 2021 a b Bizhan Nematullah 14 August 2017 Aid Paradoxes in Afghanistan Building and Undermining the State Routledge ISBN 978 1 351 69265 6 Government and Society in Afghanistan The Reign of Amir Abd Al Rahman Khan Kakar History Foundation Retrieved 4 December 2021 Jenzen Jones N R Shanley Jack 2021 Hubris or haplessness The modernisation and loss of Afghanistan s artillery 1869 79 Journal of the Ordnance Society 28 90 96 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sher Ali Khan Profile Amir Sher Ali KhanRegnal titlesPreceded byDost Mohammad Khan Barakzai dynastyEmir of Afghanistan9 June 1863 1866 Succeeded byMohammad Afzal KhanPreceded byMohammad Azam Khan Barakzai dynastyEmir of Afghanistan7 October 1868 21 February 1879 Succeeded byMohammad Yaqub Khan nbsp This Afghanistan biographical article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sher Ali Khan amp oldid 1175761263, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
