Mohammad Yaqub Khan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mohammad Yaqub Khanمحمد يعقوب خان |
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|---|---|
| Amir of Afghanistan | |
Mohammad Yaqub Khan
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| Emir of Afghanistan | |
| Reign | 21 February – 12 October 1879 |
| Coronation | None |
| Predecessor | Sher Ali Khan |
| Successor | Ayub Khan |
| Born | 1849 Kabul, Emirate of Afghanistan |
| Died | November 15, 1923 (aged 73–74) Shimla, British India |
| Issue | Abdul Shakur Khan Abdul Ali Khan Abdul Karim Khan Abdul Aziz Khan Nur Muhammad Khan |
| Dynasty | Barakzai dynasty |
| Father | Sher Ali Khan |
| Mother | Maryam Begum |
Mohammad Yaqub Khan (born 1849, died 1923) was a ruler of Afghanistan, known as the Emir. He ruled for a short time, from February to October in 1879. He was the son of the previous ruler, Sher Ali Khan.
Mohammad Yaqub Khan became the governor of Herat province in 1863. Later, in 1870, he tried to go against his father's rule. This attempt failed, and he was put in prison in 1874.
The Second Anglo-Afghan War started in 1878. Because of this war, his father, Sher Ali Khan, had to leave the capital city of Afghanistan. Sher Ali Khan passed away in February 1879. After his father's death, Yaqub Khan became the new ruler.
In May 1879, Yaqub Khan signed an important agreement called the Treaty of Gandamak with Britain. This treaty meant that Britain would control Afghanistan's foreign affairs. However, many people in Afghanistan did not like this agreement. An uprising against the treaty, led by Ayub Khan, happened in October of the same year. This led to Yaqub Khan giving up his rule. He was then replaced by Amir Ayub Khan.
The Treaty of Gandamak
During the Second Anglo-Afghan War, British forces defeated the army of Amir Sher Ali. The British then waited in a city called Jalalabad for the new ruler, Yaqub Khan, to agree to their terms. A key person in these talks was Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari. He was a British officer who later became an important diplomat.
In 1878, Cavagnari tried to go to Kabul as an envoy, but the Afghans did not let him. This refusal was one of the reasons the Second Afghan War began.
In May 1879, Yaqub Khan traveled to Gandamak, a village near Jalalabad. There, he met with Cavagnari to discuss peace. They signed the Treaty of Gandamak. With this treaty, the Amir gave some lands to the British. He also agreed to have a British representative live in Kabul.
Cavagnari became the British representative in Kabul in July 1879. Some people thought he was too bold and not careful enough. The situation in Kabul was very tense. In September 1879, some Afghan soldiers, who had not been paid, rebelled. They attacked the British office where Cavagnari and his team lived. Sadly, Cavagnari and his mission were killed during this attack.
Even after the treaty, the war was not over. British troops were called back to Kabul to take control and punish those who attacked. Yaqub Khan gave up his rule and sought safety with the British. He was later sent to India in December 1879.
A Famous Quote
I would rather work as your servant, cut grass and tend your garden than be the ruler of Afghanistan. – Yaqub Khan, to a British viceroy in the 19th century.
See also
- List of leaders of Afghanistan
