Ahmed Shah Abdul was the first emperor of the Durrani Empire. He is considered the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan. He was awarded the titles Padishah-i-Ghazi (Victorious Emperor) and Durr-i-Durrani (Pearl of Pearls or Pearl of the Ages). Afghans know him as “Ahmed Shah Baba”.
Wiki/Biography
Ahmed Shah Abdulli is also known as Ahmed Shah Durrani or Ahmed Shah Abduli Durr-i-Durani. He was born in 1722 (age 50-51 when he died) in Herat (then Hotak Empire, present-day Afghanistan) or Multan (then Mughal Empire, present-day Pakistan).
family, caste and wife
Ahmed Shah was born into the Saldozei tribe (Abdul tribe) of Afghanistan. His father’s name is Mohammad Zaman Khan Abdali, who comes from the Sadoz tribe, and his mother’s name is Zarguna Begum, who comes from the Alakozai tribe. Ahmed Shah Abdali’s father, Mohammad Zaman Khan, was imprisoned by the Persian army and released in 1715. After his release, Zaman traveled to Multan to meet relatives and, according to some sources, Abdul was born in Multan (now a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina). Pakistan). He had a brother, Zulfiqar, who later became the governor of Mazandaran, Iran. Abdul was married three times. Ahmed’s first wife was Mimtta, his second wife was Iffat-un-Nissa Begum, and his third wife was Hazrat Begum, whom they married in 1757. One of his children was Timur Shah Durrani, born in 1748. The second child and eldest son of Ahmed and Mimta.
Timur Shah
Ahmed Shah Abdulli’s early life
In 1738, Ahmed and his brother Zulfiqar were released from imprisonment by Hussein Hotak, the ruler of the Kandahar region, and they both joined the Shah of Nadar (the Afsharid dynasty of Iran). (or) army.
The fortress where Abdul and his brother Zulfiqar were imprisoned
Zulfikar was appointed governor of Mazandaran and Ahmed Shah served as Nadar’s personal attendant. Later, Ahmed was promoted to commander of Abdulli’s cavalry of 4,000 soldiers, and later assisted Nader Shah’s army in the invasion of the Mughal Empire in 1738. According to Pashtun legend, when Nader Shah was in Delhi, he said:
Ahmed Abdulli stepped up. Remember Ahmed Khan Abdulli, after me the kingship will pass to you. “
Nader Shah
take power
In 1747, Nader Shah was assassinated by his own guards. The guards planned the murder so secretly that Abdulli’s regiment was unable to rescue him. One of Ahmed Shah’s wives told him that Nader had been killed. Ahmed and his troops rushed to save him, but by the time they arrived, their leader Nader was already dead. The loyal regiments of Abdul wept for the sacrifice of their leader and they returned to Kandahar. Before leaving, Ahmed removed the royal seal from Nader Shah’s finger and removed the Koh-i-Noor diamond from his late owner’s arm. After Nader Shah’s death, the Durrani family unanimously accepted Ahmed as the new leader, making Abdul the sovereign ruler of Afghanistan.
Ahmed Shah Abdali
Invasion of India
After Nader Shah’s death, Abdul married his widow Ifat-en-Nisa Begum. He assembled a trustworthy army composed of his fellow Durrani and other Pashtuns, Tajiks, Qizirbash and other Muslims.
Coronation of Ahmed Shah Abdul
He began his military conquests by capturing Ghazni from the Kyrgyz and then Kabul from the local rulers. Between 1747 and 1753, he invaded the Punjab region three times. In 1750, he successfully captured Herat (a city in present-day Afghanistan).
Afghan Empire 1762
From 1748 to 1767, Ahmed Shah invaded India eight times. The main purpose of these invasions was to plunder the wealth of India; because India was a rich country. It invaded India for the first time in 1748 and suffered a disastrous defeat at the Battle of Manuppur. The second invasion took place in 1749, and they succeeded in taking control of the territory west of the Indus River. The third invasion was the Battle of Lahore (1752), in which Ahmed Shah won the support of Mir Manu (the Mughal Governor of the Punjab). In the fourth invasion, his army succeeded in plundering the cities of Lahore, Sirhind, Delhi, Mathura and Vrindavan.
Mirmanu
The fifth invasion was one of the most important eras in Indian history. Because it consisted of many battles, including the Battle of Lahore (1759), the Second Battle of Sikandarabad (1760), the Siege of Kunchipura (1760), the Third Battle of Panipat (1761 year) and the Battle of Sialkot (1761). The last three invasions occurred between 1762 and 1767.
Flag of Ahmed Shah Abdulli’s army
Third Battle of Panipat (1761)
In 1758, the Marathas drove Timur Shah Durrani, son of Abdul, from Punjab and Kashmir. In 1759, Abdul led a counterattack that reached Lahore and Delhi. According to sources, this is considered to be one of the reasons for the “Third Battle of Panipat”. On January 14, 1761, the Marathas led by Sadashivrao Bhau and the Afghan forces led by Ahmad Shah Abdali fought at Pani This battle took place in Pat (present-day Haryana). It is considered one of the most important battles of the 18th century in India. Abdul’s army was supported by three Indian allies – Afghan Rohilath Najib Ud Daula of Doab district and Nawab Shuja Ud of Awadh Daura. Because they are all Muslim leaders.
Sadashv Rao Buu
The main body of the Maratha army was stationed in the Deccan along with the Peshwas. The Maratha leader Sadashivrao Bhau led an army of 100,000 people and marched north. In an initial battle, Abdul’s troops killed the Maratha warrior Dattaji Shinde or Dattaji Rao Scindia. This battle was followed by several more that lasted for several days.
Dattaji Rao Scindia
Picture depicting the third battle of Panipat
The Marathas repulsed the Rohillas who were supporting the Afghans, but soon the Marathas were left weak. The Afghan army was more numerous than the Marathas and the Afghan allies were stronger than the Marathas. The battle started on January 14, 1761, initially the Marathas won, but when the Afghans killed Vishwasrao (Bhau’s nephew) and Sadashivrao Bhau, the war ended and the Afghans emerged victorious.
aftermath of battle
According to the Bakhar (a historical narrative written in Marathi prose) by Diwan Kashi Raj of Shuja-ud-Daula, about 40,000 Maratha prisoners were massacred the day after the Afghans won the battle. Children and women of the Maratha tribe were imprisoned by the Afghans. After the battle, Abdul wrote to Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao on February 10, 1761, appealing:
There is no reason for any animosity between us. It was a great misfortune that your son Vishwasrao and your brother Sadashivrao were killed in battle. Bau started the fight and I had to fight back reluctantly. But I regret his death. Please continue to protect Delhi as before, I have no objection to this. Let only Punjab till Sutraj remain with us. It is my fervent wish to restore Shah Alam to the throne of Delhi as before and let there be peace and friendship between us. Please grant me this wish. “
Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao
die
Ahmed Shah Abdali had a tumor on his nose that led to cancer. He died in Murga, Herat Province, Afghanistan, in June 1773, after battling cancer for several years.
Facts/Trivia
- His remains are buried in Kandahar, Afghanistan (known as the Tomb of Ahmed Shah Durrani). The tomb contains a sacred cloak worn by the Prophet Muhammad.
Tomb of Ahmed Shah Abdul
- After Abdul’s death, his empire was succeeded by his son Timur Shah Durrani.
- His tombstone is engraved with this epitaph:
The high king, Ahmad Shah Durrani, was equal to Kisra in managing the affairs of the state. In his day, the lioness fed the stag with her milk out of awe of his glory and greatness. From the ears of his enemies on every side a thousand reproaches came from his dagger’s tongue. The date of his departure from the House of Death is Hijra 1186 (1772 AD)”
- He was a great poet and wrote many poems in his native language “Pashto”. His famous poem is “The Love of Nations”:
By blood we are drowned in our love for you. Young people are losing their minds for you. I come to you and my heart finds rest. Leaving you, sadness wraps around my heart like a snake. I forgot about the Throne of Delhi. Remember the mountaintops of my beautiful Pakhtunkhwa province. “If I had to choose between the world and you, I wouldn’t hesitate to claim your barren desert for myself.”
- A park was built in Kala Ambu, Panipat, Haryana to commemorate the “Third Battle of Panipat (1761)”.
Third Battle of Panipat Memorial Museum
- In 2019, a Hindi film was released about the “Third Battle of Panipat”; titled “Panipat – The Great Betrayal”, in which Sanjay Dutt played “Ahmed Shah Abdali” and Arjun Kapoor plays “Sadashiv Rao Bhau”.
Sanjay Dutt as Ahmad Shah Abdali
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education