Dost Mahommed Khan (1793 - June 9, 1863) founded the Barakzai ruling dynasty in Afghanistan. 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

His elder brother, the chief of the Barakzai, Fatteh Khan, took an important part in raising Mahmud Shah to the sovereignty of Afghanistan in 1800 and in restoring him to the throne in 1809. Mahmud repaid Fatteh Khan's services by having him assassinated in 1818, thus incurring the enmity of his tribe. After a bloody conflict, Mahmud was deprived of all his possessions but Herat, the rest of his dominions being divided among Fatteh Khan's brothers. Of these, Dost Mahommed received Ghazni, to which in 1826 he added Kabul, the richest of the Afghan provinces. There are at least two significant Mahmud Shahs. ... --66. ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1818 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Herāt (Persian هرات) is a city in western Afghanistan, in the valley of the Hari Rud river in the province also known as Herat, and was traditionally known for wine. ... This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. ... Kabul (Kâbl, in Persian کابل) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan with a population variously estimated at 2 to 4 million. ...

From the commencement of his reign he found himself involved in disputes with Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler of the Punjab, who used the dethroned Saduzai prince, Shuja-ul-Mulk, as his instrument. In 1834 Shuja made a last attempt to recover his kingdom. He was defeated by Dost Mahommed under the walls of Kandahar, but Ranjit Singh seized the opportunity to annex Peshawar. The recovery of this fortress became the Afghan amir's great concern. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a Sikh ruler of the Punjab. ... A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism, a religious faith originating in the Punjab. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 The Punjab (also Panjab) is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... For the hamlet in Saskatchewan, Canada; see Kandahar, Saskatchewan. ... Peshāwar (known as Purushapura in the old days of South Asian history) is a city in Pakistans North-West Frontier Province (pop. ...

Rejecting overtures from Russia, he endeavoured to form an alliance with England, and welcomed Alexander Burnes to Kabul in 1837. Burnes, however, was unable to prevail on the governor-general, Lord Auckland, to respond to the amir's advances. Dost Mahommed was enjoined to abandon the attempt to recover Peshawar, and to place his foreign policy under British guidance. In return he was only promised protection from Ranjit Singh, of whom he had no fear. He replied by renewing his relations with Russia, and in 1838 Lord Auckland set the British troops in motion against him. Sir Alexander Burnes (1805 - November 2, 1841) was a British traveller and explorer. ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, 2nd Baron Auckland (1784 – January 1, 1849), served as a politician in the United Kingdom and as Governor-General of India. ... Peshāwar (known as Purushapura in the old days of South Asian history) is a city in Pakistans North-West Frontier Province (pop. ...

In March 1839 the British force under Sir Willoughby Cotton advanced through the Bolan Pass, and on April 26 it reached Kandahar. Shah Shuja was proclaimed amir, and entered Kabul on August 7, while Dost Mahommed sought refuge in the wilds of the Hindu Kush. Closely followed by the British, Dost was driven to extremities, and on November 4, 1840 surrendered as a prisoner. He remained in captivity during the British occupation, during the disastrous retreat of the army of occupation in January 1842, and until the recapture of Kabul in the autumn of 1842. The Bolan Pass is a gap in the Central Brahoi Range. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... The Hindu Kush or Hindukush (هندوکش in Persian) is a mountain range in Afghanistan as well as in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

He was then set at liberty, in consequence of the resolve of the British government to abandon the attempt to intervene in the internal politics of Afghanistan. On his return from Hindustan, Dost Mahommed was received in triumph at Kabul, and set himself to re-establish his authority on a firm basis. From 1846 he renewed his policy of hostility to the British and allied himself with the Sikhs. However, after the defeat of his allies at Gujarat on February 21, 1849, he abandoned his designs and led his troops back into Afghanistan. In 1850 he conquered Balkh, and in 1854 he acquired control over the southern Afghan tribes by the capture of Kandahar. 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Gujarat (ગુજરાત in Gujarati) is the most industrialized state in India after Maharashtra and is located in western India, bordered by Pakistan to the northwest and Rajasthan to the north. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Balkh is now a small town in the Province of Balkh, Afghanistan, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital. ...

On March 30, 1855 Dost Mahommed reversed his former policy by concluding an offensive and defensive alliance with the British government. In 1857 he declared war on Persia in conjunction with the British, and in July a treaty was concluded by which the province of Herat was placed under a Barakzai prince. During the Indian Mutiny, Dost Mahommed refrained from assisting the insurgents. His later years were disturbed by troubles at Herat and in Bokhara. These he composed for a time, but in 1862 a Persian army, acting in concert with Ahmad Khan, advanced against Kandahar. The old amir called the British to his aid, and, putting himself at the head of his warriors, drove the enemy from his frontiers. On May 26 1863 he captured Herat, but on the 9th of June he died suddenly in the midst of victory, after playing a great role in the history of Central Asia for forty years. He named as his successor his son, Shir Ali Khan. March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in Leap years). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Persian art is conscious of a great past, and monumental in many respects. ... An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from the British perspective. ... For other uses, see Bukhara (disambiguation). ... May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... Shir Ali Khan (1825-1879) was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death. ...

See Also

• European influence in Afghanistan

The Rise of Dost Mohammad It was not until 1826 that the energetic Dost Mohammad was able to exert sufficient control over his brothers to take over the throne in Kabul, where he proclaimed himself amir. ...

Reference

• This entry incorporates public domain text originally from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica.