Sher Ali Khan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sher Ali Khanشیر علی خان |
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| Emir of Afghanistan | |||||
Amir Sher Ali Khan in 1869
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| Emir of Afghanistan | |||||
| Reign | 9 June 1863 – 21 February 1879 | ||||
| Predecessor | Dost Mohammad Khan | ||||
| Successor | Mohammad Yaqub Khan | ||||
| Born | 1825 Kabul, Emirate of Afghanistan |
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| Died | 21 February 1879 (age 53 or 54) Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan |
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| Burial | Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan | ||||
| Spouse | Mirmon Ayesha | ||||
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| Dynasty | Barakzai dynasty | ||||
| Father | Dost Mohammed Khan | ||||
| Mother | Bibi Khadija Begum | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Sher Ali Khan (Persian: شیر علی خان), born around 1825, was a powerful leader of Afghanistan. He was the Amir (ruler) of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and again from 1868 until he passed away in 1879. He was a son of Dost Mohammad Khan, who started the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan.
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Sher Ali Khan's Life
Sher Ali Khan was born into a Pashtun family called Barakzai. When his father died, Sher Ali Khan first became the ruler. However, his older brother, Mohammad Afzal Khan, quickly took over. A civil war then broke out between the brothers. Sher Ali Khan eventually won and became the Amir again.
Making Afghanistan Modern
Sher Ali Khan is well-known for trying to make Afghanistan more modern. During his time as Amir, he brought many important changes.
- He created new government jobs and departments.
- He worked to make the army stronger and more organized.
- He started the first postal service in Afghanistan.
- He was also the first Afghan leader to encourage the use of the Pashto language.
Sher Ali Khan wanted to reduce the power of the powerful local leaders, called sardars. He chose loyal governors to run the different regions instead of letting his own sons do it. He also had a group of 12 advisors to help him make decisions for the country. He created important government roles like Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Minister of War.
Under Sher Ali Khan, Afghanistan was divided into five main regions: Kabul, Herat, Afghan Turkestan, Kandahar, and Farah. He made Farah a separate region, giving it to his cousin.
Modernizing the Army
Sher Ali Khan worked hard to modernize his army. He made sure soldiers had standard uniforms and equipment. In 1868, the British gave him some modern mountain guns and howitzers. This made Sher Ali Khan realize how important modern weapons were.
He set up new workshops at the Bala Hissar Arsenal in Kabul. Here, his skilled workers began to make modern guns. They could produce several new guns each month. Even with these new weapons, the Afghan army faced challenges. They lacked experienced officers and good discipline. Because of this, many of their new cannons were captured by the British during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The British took more than 250 guns from the Afghans during their campaign.
Challenges and the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Sher Ali Khan's rule was difficult because of pressure from two big empires: the British Empire and the Russian Empire. He tried to keep Afghanistan neutral, meaning he didn't want to pick a side in their conflicts.
However, his neutrality eventually led to the British invading Afghanistan. This started the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The British won this war, and Afghanistan suffered a big loss. Sher Ali Khan was forced to give up a large area of land to British India, including the city of Quetta.
In 1878, the peace broke down. Sher Ali Khan refused the British demand to have a permanent representative in Kabul. The British saw this as a sign that Sher Ali Khan was favoring Russia. So, they gathered their forces and marched towards Kabul. Sher Ali Khan decided to leave Kabul. He hoped to get help from the Russian Empire. He died in Mazar-e Sharif while trying to reach the Russian border. His son, Mohammad Yaqub Khan, then became the new ruler.
See also
