Editing Durrani Empire (section)

==History==

===Reign of Ahmad Shah Durrani (1747–1772)===
====Foundation of the Afghan state====
In 1709, [[Mirwais Hotak]] chief of the [[Ghilji]] tribe of [[Kandahar Province]], gained independence from the [[Safavid dynasty|Safavid]] Persians. From 1722 to 1725, his son [[Mahmud Hotak]] briefly ruled large parts of [[Iran]] and declared himself as ''Shah of Persia''. However, the [[Hotak dynasty]] came to a complete end in 1738 after being toppled and banished by the [[Afsharid dynasty|Afsharids]] who were led by [[Nader Shah Afshar]] of [[Persia]].

The year 1747 marks the definitive appearance of an Afghan political entity independent of both the Persian and [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] empires.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-x-political-history |title=Afghanistan: x. Political History |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |author=D. Balland |date=December 15, 1983 |access-date=2012-08-08 |archive-date=12 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212102354/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-x-political-history |url-status=live}}</ref> In June of that year a ''[[jirga|loya jirga]]'' (grand council) was called into session. The ''jirga'' lasted for nine days and two chief contestants emerged: Hajji Jamal Khan of the Mohammadzai lineage and Ahmad Khan of the Sadozai. Mohammad Sabir Khan, a noted ''darwish'' (holy man), who had earlier predicted that Ahmad Khan would be the leader of the Afghans, rose in the ''jirga'' and said

{{Blockquote|Why all this verbose talk? God has created Ahmad Khan a much greater man than any of you; his life is the most noble of all the Afghan families. Maintain, therefore, God's work, for His wrath will weigh heavily upon you if you destroy it.}}

Ahmad Khan reputedly hesitated to accept the open decision of the ''jirga'', so Sabir Khan again intervened. He placed some wheat or barley sheaves in Ahmad Khan's turban, and crowned him ''Badshah, Durr-i-Dauran'' (Shah, Pearl of the Age).<ref>{{cite book |last=Dupree |first=Louis |date=1980 |title=Afghanistan |publisher=Princeton University Press |page=333 |isbn=0-691-03006-5}}</ref> The ''jirga'' concluded near the city of Kandahar with [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] being selected as the new leader of the Afghans, thus the Durrani dynasty was founded. Despite being younger than the other contenders, Ahmad Shah had several overriding factors in his favor. He belonged to a respectable family of political background, especially since his father had served as [[list of governors of Herat|Governor of Herat]] who died in a battle defending the Afghans.

====Early victories====
[[File:Portrait of Ahmad-Shah Durrani. Mughal miniature. ca. 1757, Bibliothèque nationale de France.jpg|thumb|Portrait of [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]], c. 1757]]
One of Ahmad Shah's first military actions was to capture [[Qalati Ghilji]] and [[Ghazni]] from the [[Ghilji]], and wrest [[Kabul]] and [[Peshawar]] from Mughal-appointed governor Nasir Khan. In 1749, the Mughal Emperor [[Ahmad Shah Bahadur]] was induced to cede [[Sindh Province|Sindh]], the [[Punjab region]] and the important trans [[Indus River]] to Ahmad Shah Durrani in order to save his capital from Afghan attack.<ref name="Runion 2007">{{cite book |first=Meredith L. |last=Runion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aZk9XzqCFGUC&q=ahmad+shah+durrani+1749+sindh+and+punjab&pg=PA69 |title=The History of Afghanistan |page=69 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2007 |isbn=978-0313337987 |access-date=20 October 2021 |archive-date=13 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113202516/https://books.google.com/books?id=aZk9XzqCFGUC&q=ahmad%20shah%20durrani%201749%20sindh%20and%20punjab&pg=PA69 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|69}} Having thus gained substantial territories to the east without a fight, [[Durrani Campaign to Khorasan (1754-55)|Ahmad Shah turned westward]] to take possession of [[Mashhad]], which was ruled by Nader Shah Afshar's grandson, [[Shahrukh Afshar]]. Ahmad Shah next sent an army to subdue the areas north of the [[Hindu Kush]] mountains. In short order, the powerful army brought under its control the [[Tajik people|Tajik]], [[Hazara people|Hazara]], [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]], [[Turkmen people|Turkmen]], and other tribes of northern Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah invaded the remnants of the Mughal Empire a third time, and then a fourth, consolidating control over the Kashmir and Punjab regions, with [[Lahore]] being governed by Afghans. He sacked Delhi in 1757 but permitted the Mughal dynasty to remain in nominal control of the city as long as the ruler acknowledged Ahmad Shah's suzerainty over Punjab, Sindh, and Kashmir. Leaving his second son [[Timur Shah Durrani|Timur Shah]] to safeguard his interests, Ahmad Shah left India to return to Afghanistan.

====Relations with China====
Alarmed by the expansion of China's [[Qing dynasty]] up to the eastern border of Kazakhstan, Ahmad Shah attempted to rally neighboring Muslim khanates and the Kazakhs to unite and attack China, ostensibly to liberate its western Muslim subjects.<ref>{{cite book |title=Holy war in China: the Muslim rebellion and state in Chinese Central Asia, 1864–1877 |last1=Kim |first1=Ho-dong |year=2004 |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-0-8047-4884-1 |page=20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kfJ6MlMsJQC |access-date=2010-08-25 |archive-date=27 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427121934/https://books.google.com/books?id=9kfJ6MlMsJQC |url-status=live}}</ref> Ahmad Shah halted trade with Qing China and dispatched troops to [[Kokand]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Empire and the Khanate: a political history of Qing relations with Khoqand c. 1760–1860 |last1=Newby |first1=Laura J. |year=2005 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-14550-4 |page=34 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KTmO416hNQ8C |access-date=2010-08-25 |archive-date=17 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617141740/https://books.google.com/books?id=KTmO416hNQ8C |url-status=live}}</ref> However, with his campaigns in India exhausting the state treasury, and with his troops stretched thin throughout Central Asia, Ahmad Shah lacked sufficient resources to do anything except to send envoys to [[Beijing]] for unsuccessful talks.

====Third Battle of Panipat====
{{Main|Third Battle of Panipat}}
[[File:The Third battle of Panipat 13 January 1761.jpg|thumb|[[Ahmad Shah Durrani]] and his coalition decisively defeat the [[Maratha Confederacy]], during the [[Third Battle of Panipat]] and restored the [[Mughal Empire]] to [[Shah Alam II]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Ikram |first=S. M. |author-link=S. M. Ikram |year=1964 |chapter=XIX. A Century of Political Decline: 1707–1803 |editor-link=Ainslie Embree |editor-first=Ainslie T. |editor-last=Embree |title=Muslim Civilization in India |location=New York |publisher=Columbia University Press}}<!-- access-date is meaningless with no URL --></ref>]]

The [[Mughal power]] in northern India had been declining after the death of Emperor [[Aurangzeb]], who died in 1707. In 1751–52, the ''Ahamdiya'' treaty was signed between the [[Maratha Empire|Marathas]] and [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]], when [[Balaji Bajirao]] was the [[Peshwa]].<ref name="Panipat">Patil, Vishwas. ''Panipat''.</ref>{{full citation needed|date=August 2021}} Through this treaty, the Marathas controlled virtually the whole of India from their capital at [[Pune]] and the Mughal rule was restricted only to Delhi (the Mughals remained the nominal heads of Delhi). Marathas were now straining to expand their area of control towards the Northwest of India. Ahmad Shah [[Sack of Delhi (1757)|sacked the Mughal capital]] and withdrew with the booty he coveted. To counter the Afghans, Peshwa Balaji Bajirao sent [[Raghunathrao]]. He defeated the Rohillas and Afghan garrisons in Punjab and succeeded in ousting Timur Shah and his court from India and brought Lahore, Multan, Kashmir and other subahs on the Indian side of Attock under Maratha rule.<ref name=K.RoyIHB>{{cite book|last=Roy |first=Kaushik |title=India's Historic Battles: From Alexander the Great to Kargil |year=2004 |publisher=Permanent Black, India |pages=80–81 |isbn=978-81-7824-109-8}}</ref> Thus, upon his return to Kandahar in 1757, Ahmad was forced to return to India and face the formidable attacks of the Maratha Confederacy.

[[File:Huang Qing Zhigong Tu, 1769, Muslim from Afghanistan (愛烏罕回人).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Muslim man from Afghanistan (愛烏罕回人). [[Huang Qing Zhigong Tu]], 1769]]
Ahmad Shah declared a [[jihad]] (or [[Islam]]ic holy war) against the [[Maratha Empire|Marathas]], and warriors from various Afghan tribes joined his army, including the [[Baloch people]] under the command of [[Khan of Kalat]] Mir [[Nasir I of Kalat]]. [[Suba Khan Tanoli]] (Zabardast Khan) was selected as army chief of all military forces. Early skirmishes were followed by victory for the Afghans against the much larger Maratha garrisons in Northwest India and by 1759 Ahmad Shah and his army had reached Lahore and were poised to confront the Marathas. Ahmad Shah Durrani was famous for winning wars much larger than his army{{fact|date=February 2023}}. By 1760, the Maratha groups had coalesced into a big enough army under the command of Sadashivrao Bhau. Once again, [[Panipat]] was the scene of a confrontation between two warring contenders for control of northern India. The Third Battle of Panipat (14 January 1761), fought between largely Muslim and largely Hindu armies was waged along a twelve-kilometer front. There were rebellions in the north in the region of [[Bukhara]]. The Durranis decisively defeated the Marathas in the [[Third Battle of Panipat]] on 14 January 1761.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jpXijlqeRpIC&pg=PA84 |title=India's Historic Battles: From Alexander the Great to Kargil |first=Kaushik |last=Roy |publisher=Orient Blackswan |year=2004 |pages=84–94|isbn=9788178241098}}</ref> The defeat at Panipat resulted in heavy losses for the Marathas, and was a huge setback for Peshwa Balaji Rao. He received the news of the defeat of Panipat on 24 January 1761 at [[Bhilsa]], while leading a reinforcement force. Besides several important generals, he had lost his own son [[Vishwasrao]] in the Battle of Panipat. He died on 23 June 1761, and was succeeded by his younger son [[Madhavrao I|Madhav Rao I]].<ref name="GSC_2005">{{cite book |first=G. S. |last=Chhabra |title=Advance Study in the History of Modern India |at=Volume 1: 1707–1803, pp. 29–47 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UkDi6rVbckoC&pg=PA19 |date=1 January 2005 |publisher=Lotus Press |isbn=978-81-89093-06-8 |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=6 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106001415/https://books.google.com/books?id=UkDi6rVbckoC&pg=PA19%20 |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Final years====
[[File:Bala_Hisar_Fort.jpg|thumb|The [[Bala Hissar, Peshawar|Bala Hissar]] fort in [[Peshawar]] was one of the royal residences of the Durrani kings.]]

The victory at Panipat was the high point of Ahmad Shah's—and Afghan—power. However, even prior to his death, the empire began to unravel. In 1762, Ahmad Shah crossed the passes from Afghanistan for the sixth time to subdue the [[Sikh Empire|Sikhs]]. From this time and on, the domination and control of the Empire began to loosen, and by the time of Durrani's death he had lost parts of Punjab to the Sikhs, as well as earlier losses of northern territories to the Uzbeks, necessitating a compromise with them.<ref name="Runion 2007"/>{{rp|71}}

He assaulted Lahore and, after taking their holy city of [[Amritsar]], massacred thousands of [[Sikh]] inhabitants, destroyed their revered [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Purnima |last=Dhavan |title=When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |page=112}}</ref> Within two years, the Sikhs rebelled again and rebuilt their holy city of Amritsar. Ahmad Shah tried several more times to subjugate the Sikhs permanently, but failed. Durrani's forces instigated the [[Vaḍḍā Ghallūghārā]] when they killed thousands of Sikhs in the [[Punjab region|Punjab]] in 1762.<ref name="Singh 1978">{{cite book |first=Khushwant |last=Singh |title=A History of the Sikhs |volume=I: 1469–1839 |location=Delhi |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1978}}</ref>{{rp|144–45}}<ref>{{cite dictionary |dictionary=Punjabi–English Dictionary |editor1-first=S. S. |editor1-last=Joshi |editor2-first=Mukhtiar |editor2-last=Singh Gill |location=Patiala, India |publisher=Punjabi University Publication Bureau |year=1994 |title=Ghalughara |quote=holcaust, massacre, great destruction, deluge, genocide, slaughter, (historically) the great loss of life suffered by Sikhs at the hands of their rulers, particularly on 1 May 1746 and 5 February 1762 |page=293}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Latif|first=Syad Muhammad|title=The History of Punjab from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Time|publisher=Eurasia Publishing House|year=1964|location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref name="Singh 1978"/>{{rp|154}} Ahmad Shah also faced other 
rebellions in the north, and eventually he and the Uzbek Emir of [[Emirate of Bukhara|Bukhara]] agreed that the Amu Darya would mark the division of their lands. Ahmad Shah retired to his home in the mountains east of Kandahar, where he died in 1772.<ref>{{cite book |title=Inside Afghanistan: end of the Taliban era? |last1=Reddy |first1=L. R. |year=2002 |publisher=APH Publishing |isbn=978-81-7648-319-3 |page=65 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NubtDf2T3cAC |access-date=2010-08-25 |archive-date=4 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904113001/http://books.google.com/books?id=NubtDf2T3cAC |url-status=live}}</ref> He had succeeded to a remarkable degree in balancing tribal alliances and hostilities, and in directing tribal energies away from rebellion. He earned recognition as Ahmad Shah Baba, or "Father" of Afghanistan.<ref name="Singh"/>

===Other Durrani rulers in the Empire (1772–1823)===
[[Ahmed Shah Abdali|Ahmad Shah]]'s successors governed so ineptly during a period of profound unrest that within fifty years of his death, the Durrani empire ''per se'' was at an end, and Afghanistan was embroiled in civil war. Much of the territory conquered by Ahmad Shah fell to others in this half century. By 1818, the [[Sadozai (Pastun tribe)|Sadozai]] rulers who succeeded Ahmad Shah controlled little more than Kabul and the surrounding territory within a 160-kilometer radius. They not only lost the outlying territories but also alienated other tribes and lineages among the Durrani Pashtuns.

====Humayun Mirza (1772)====
[[File:Kandahar City during 1839-42.jpg|thumb|City of [[Kandahar]], its principal bazaar and citadel, as seen from the Nakkara Khauna]]
A few months before his death, [[Ahmad Shah Durrani|Ahmad Shah]] summoned Timur Shah from [[Herat]] and publicly declared him heir to the Durrani Empire. Ahmad Shah made this decision without consulting with his tribal council, as a result the authority of the Durrani Emperor was put into question and created a growing rift that would toil the Durrani empire for years to come, as the tribal council had in majority, supported Ahmad Shah's eldest son and Timur Shah's brother, Sulaiman, the governor of Kandahar. Prominent figures in court who supported the Sulaiman faction were Shah Wali Khan, Ahmad Shah's Wazir, and military chief [[Jahan Khan (Afghan general)|Sardar Jahan Khan]]. The court had attempted to urge Ahmad Shah to reconsider his decision, coinciding with the fact that the eldest son should ascend to the throne. Ahmad had ignored this, and quoted: "Timur Shah was infinitely more capable of governing you than his brother". As well as accusing Sulaiman of being "Violent without clemency", and out of favour with the Kandahari [[Durranis]]. Ahmad Shah's decision could have been influenced by his illness, which had affected his brain and his mental state. However, choosing Timur Shah as a successor was likely to restrict power of the Senior Generals and the Durrani Tribal Council, which he deemed as a threat to his dynasty in the future.<ref name="Lee">{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Jonathan|title=Afghanistan A History From 1260 To The Present |journal=AAF |date=2019 |page=144 |url=https://archive.org/details/Book_1094 |access-date=4 October 2021}}</ref>

When Ahmad Shah was on his death bed, Sardar Jahan Khan had capitalized on Timur Shah's far proximity with him ruling over Herat, and poisoned the ear of the Shah. This had worked as Timur Shah was denied an by Ahmad Shah on his deathbed, as a result, Timur Shah had begun mobilizing his forces for the inevitable conflict with his brother. Timur Shah's plans were stalled, however, as a rebellion by Darwish Ali Khan under the Sunni Hazaras, likely instigated by the Sulaiman faction had risen up. Timur Shah had crushed this revolt quickly and Darwish Khan was imprisoned; however, he later escaped. Timur Shah had then lured him into [[Herat]], offering pardon, where then Timur Shah had ordered his execution where his nephew, Muhammad Khan would be appointed in his place.{{sfn|Lee|2019|p=145}}

During the revolt of Darwish, Ahmad Shah had died of his illness in 1772. Shah Wali Khan and Sardar Jahan Khan kept the Shah's death a secret by placing the body on a palanquin covered by thick curtains.{{sfn|Lee|2019|p=145}} They had then left the King's mountain, taking as much treasure as they could and marched to Kandahar. Shah Wali Khan had also announced to everyone that the king was ill and had given orders to not disturb him except his trusted officials. To make the deception more believable, Ahmad Shah's chief eunuch, [[Yaqut Khan]] had brought food for the "Sick" Ruler. Shah wali Khan had then notified Sulaiman that Ahmad Shah was dead and proclaimed Sulaiman as king. However, many of the Amirs including Mahadad Khan had disliked Shah Wali's ambitions, and thus had fled to Timur's side, also notifying him of the ongoing situation at [[Kandahar]].<ref name="Fayz">{{cite journal |last1=Muhammad Katib Hazarah |first1=Fayz |title=The History Of Afghanistan Fayż Muḥammad Kātib Hazārah's Sirāj Al Tawārīkh By R. D. Mcchesney, M. M. Khorrami |journal=AAF |date=2012 |page=131 |url=https://archive.org/details/the-history-of-afghanistan-fayz-muhammad-katib-hazarahs-siraj-al-tawarikh-by-r.-/page/n255/mode/2up?view=theater |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref> Timur Shah had then marched toward [[Kandahar]] to face Shah Humayun.{{sfn|Muhammad Katib Hazarah|2012|p=55}} Shah Wali, fearing of Timur's march had consulted with Shah Humayun, and had agreed on him marching out to Prince Timur Shah to welcome him. He left [[Kandahar]] with over 150 horsemen and had arrived at Prince Timur's force at [[Farah, Afghanistan|Farah]]. Having not sent word, once Shah Wali had dismounted, Timur Shah ordered the killing of Shah Wali. Angu Khan Bamiza'i assassinated Shah Wali Khan and his two sons, including 2 of his sisters children.{{sfn|Muhammad Katib Hazarah|2012|p=56}} Shah Sulayman surrendered the throne to Timur Shah following this, and became a loyal follower of him according to the depiction of Amir Habibullah Khan.{{sfn|Muhammad Katib Hazarah|2012|p=56}} Timur Shah ascended the throne in November 1772.<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Khan Malik |first1=Ajmal |title=UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN |date=1993 |volume=01 |page=158 |publisher=University of Peshawar, Pakistan |url=http://prr.hec.gov.pk/jspui/handle/123456789/6261 |access-date=4 December 2021 |type=Thesis |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204040757/http://prr.hec.gov.pk/jspui/handle/123456789/6261 |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Timur Shah (1772–1793)====
{{main|Timur Shah Durrani|Battle of Rohtas (1779)|Siege of Multan (1780)}}
[[File:Coin of Timur Shah Durrani (as Nizam of the Punjab), minted in Lahore, dated 1757-1758.jpg|thumb|right|Coin of [[Timur Shah Durrani]] as ''Nizam of the Punjab'', minted in [[Lahore]], dated 1757/8]]
After his father, [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]]'s death, he fought his brother Humayun Mirza for the throne, with Humayun supported by Shah Wali Khan. Shah Wali was killed by Timur Shah as he attempted to ride into his camp and beg for peace and mercy. Timur Shah then marched to [[Kandahar]], forcing Humayun to either flee or stay as a devout supporter for Timur Shah. With his throne secured, he began consolidating his power, with efforts to drive power away from the Durrani Pashtuns, and more toward the growing influential [[Qizilbash]] and Mongol guards consisted in his army. Timur Shah would also move the capital of the Durrani Realm from [[Kandahar]] to [[Kabul]], as a better base of operation to combat any threat arriving from anywhere, as Kabul was essentially the heart of the empire. After consolidating his power, Timur Shah marched against the Sikh's in 1780 in a [[Jihad]], and decisively defeated the Sikhs, forcing them to return [[Multan]] toward Durrani Suzerainty after it was seized after the death of [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]]. Timur Shah, having secured [[Punjab]], also faced recurring rebellions against him, including an assassination attempt early in his reign at [[Peshawar]]. Timur Shah would encounter harsh resistance and rebellion, prominently those of Fayz Allah Khan, Azad Khan, and Arsalan Khan. Timur Shah in his reign also fought against [[Shah Murad]], the ruler of Bukhara who attempted raids into Afghan Turkestan and Khorasan, often harassing the Durrani vassal of the [[Afsharid dynasty]] centred in [[Mashhad]]. In conclusion, Timur Shah spent most of his reign consolidating the empire, while also fighting off rebellion, he prove himself as a competent leader from holding the unstable empire apart. Timur Shah died on 20 May 1793, succeeded by his son, [[Zaman Shah Durrani]]

====Zaman Shah (1793–1801)====
{{Main|Zaman Shah Durrani}}
[[File:Emperor Zaman Shah Durrani of Afghanistan.jpg|thumb|left|[[Zaman Shah Durrani]] being enthroned]]
After the death of Timur Shah, three of his sons, the governors of Kandahar, Herat and Kabul, contended for the succession. [[Zaman Shah]], governor of Kabul, held the field by virtue of being in control of the capital, and became shah at the age of twenty-three. Many of his half-brothers were imprisoned on their arrival in the capital for the purpose, ironically, of electing a new shah. The quarrels among Timur's descendants that threw Afghanistan into turmoil also provided the pretext for the interventions of outside forces.

The efforts of the Sadozai heirs of Timur to impose a true monarchy on the truculent Pashtun tribes, and their efforts to rule absolutely and without the advice of the other major Pashtun tribal leaders, were ultimately unsuccessful. The [[Sikhs]] started to rise under the command of Sikh chief, [[Ranjit Singh]], who succeeded in wresting power from Zaman's forces. Later, when Zaman was blinded by his brother, Ranjit Singh gave him asylum in Punjab.

Zaman's downfall was triggered by his attempts to consolidate power. Although it had been through the support of the Barakzai chief, Painda Khan Barakzai, that he had come to the throne, Zaman soon began to remove prominent Barakzai leaders from positions of power and replace them with men of his own lineage, the Sadozai. This upset the delicate balance of Durrani tribal politics that Ahmad Shah had established and may have prompted Painda Khan and other Durrani chiefs to plot against the shah. Painda Khan and the chiefs of the [[Nurzai]] and the [[Alizai tribe|Alizai]] Durrani clans were executed, as was the chief of the [[Qizilbash]] clan. Painda Khan's son fled to Iran and pledged the substantial support of his Barakzai followers to a rival claimant to the throne, Zaman's younger brother, [[Mahmud Shah Durrani|Mahmud Shah]]. The clans of the chiefs Zaman had executed joined forces with the rebels, and they took Kandahar without bloodshed. [[Mahmud Shah Durrani|Mahmud Shah]] had then proceeded to march to Kabul, where he met Zaman Shah and his army on the way from Ghanzi to Kabul, Zaman Shah was decisively defeated, including portions of his army fleeing to Mahmud Shah's cause. Mahmud Shah ordered the lancing of Zaman Shah's eyes, and had succeeded Zaman Shah on the throne of the Durrani Empire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Book_1094/page/n161/mode/2up|title=Afghanistan a History from 1260 to the Present}}</ref>

====Mahmud Shah (first reign, 1801–1803)====
{{main|Mahmud Shah Durrani}}
Zaman Shah's overthrow in 1801 was not the end of civil strife in Afghanistan, but the beginning of even greater violence. Mahmud Shah's first reign lasted for only two years before he was replaced by [[Shuja Shah Durrani|Shuja Shah]].

====Shuja Shah (1803–1809 and 1839–1842)====
{{Main|Shuja Shah Durrani}}
[[File:The main street in the bazaar at Caubul.jpg|thumb|The main street in the bazaar at [[Kabul]], 1842 James Atkinson watercolour painting.]]
[[File:Order of the Durrani Empire Afghanistan received by Sir Thomas Willshire 1789 1862.jpg|thumb|[[Order of the Durrani Empire]], founded by Shuja Shah in 1839.]]
Yet another of Timur Shah's sons, Shuja Shah (or Shah Shuja), ruled for only six years. On June 7, 1809, Shuja Shah signed a treaty with the [[British East India Company|British]], which included a clause stating that he would oppose the passage of foreign troops through his territories. This agreement, the first Afghan pact with a European power, stipulated joint action in case of [[France|Franco]]-Persian aggression against Afghan or British dominions. Only a few weeks after signing the agreement, Shuja was deposed by his predecessor, Mahmud. Much later, he was reinstated by the British, ruling during 1839–1842. Two of his sons also ruled for a brief period in 1842.

====Mahmud Shah (second reign, 1809–1818)====
{{main|Mahmud Shah Durrani}}
Mahmud's second reign lasted 9 years, where he had further attempted to consolidate power, but was deposed by his brother in 1818, Mahmud's reign was also disputed in 1810, while he was campaigning, another one of [[Timur Shah Durrani]]'s sons had seized the throne, but was defeated by Shah Mahmud in 1810.

====Abbas Mirza (1810)====
While Mahmud Shah was campaigning in 1810, another one of Timur Shah's sons placed himself in rule at Kabul. Abbas Mirza ruled for a short period of time before being defeated by Mahmud Shah once he returned from campaign.

====Sultan Ali Shah (1818–1819)====
{{Main|Ali Shah Durrani}}
Ali Shah was another son of [[Timur Shah Durrani|Timur Shah]]. He seized power for a brief period in 1818–1819. in 1818 or 1819, He was strangled by his brother, Isma'il.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Book_1094/page/n155/mode/2up|title=Afghanistan a History from 1260 to the Present}}</ref>

====Ayub Shah (1819–1823)====
{{Main|Ayub Shah Durrani}}
Ayub Shah was another son of Timur Shah, who took control of the Durrani Empire after the death of Ali Shah Durrani.{{cn|date=July 2024}} The Durrani Empire lost its control over [[Kashmir]] to the Sikh Empire in the [[Battle of Shopian]] in 1819.<ref name="Chopra 1928 26">{{cite book |title=The Panjab as a Sovereign State |last=Chopra |first=Gulshan Lall |year=1928 |publisher=Uttar Chand Kapur and Sons |location=Lahore |page=26}}</ref> Ayub Shah was himself later deposed, and presumably killed in 1823.<ref>{{cite web |title=Durranis |url=https://www.sbp.org.pk/Museum/coins_Durranis.htm}}</ref>

===Durrani Herat (1793–1863)===
{{main|Herat (1793-1863)}}
{{Expand section|date=October 2023}}

===Shah Shuja and the First Anglo Afghan War (1839–1842)===
{{main|First Anglo-Afghan War}}
In the 19th century as a whole, [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] and [[Russian Empire|Russia]] were interlocked in a battle for influence in South Asia. Russian advance was trudging through Central Asia, while the British were landing in the masses on the Indian subcontinent. The "Army of the Indus", full of both British and Indian infantrymen and cavalrymen, was intent on restoring [[Shah Shuja Durrani]], the deposed monarch to the throne of Afghanistan. By March 1839, the British had already crossed into the [[Emirate of Kabul|Emirate of Afghanistan]].