Ahmad Shah Durrani (1720-4 June 1772) was Emir of the Durrani Empire from 1747 to 1772, preceding Timur Shah Durrani.
Biography[]
Ahmad Shah Abdali was born in Herat, Sadozai Sultanate of Herat, the son of Herat governor Mohammad Zaman Khan. Ahmad Shah was raised in Kandahar during a time of instability in Afghanistan as the Abdali clan rebelled against the Safavid rulers of Persia. In 1738, Ahmad Shah and his brother helped Afsharid ruler Nader Shah conquer Kandahar from the Hotaki dynasty, and hey were rewarded with leading careers in Nader Shah's administration. Ahmad Shah became Nader Shah's personal attendant, and he rose to command the 4,000-strong Abdali Regiment of cavalry during Nader Shah's 1738 invasion of the Mughal Empire In 1747, Nader Shah was assassinated by his own guards, causing Ahmad Shah to lead his contingent to save the shah. On seeing their leader's severed head, Ahmad Shah and his brother wept, and Ahmad Shah removed the royal seal from Nader Shah's finger and the Koh-i-Noor diamond tied around his arm, and the Abdali clan unanimously accepted Ahmad Shah as the sovereign ruler of Afghanistan.
Durrani in battle armor
Ahmad Shah Abdali adopted the epithet Shāh Durr-i-Durrān ("King, Peearl of Pearls") and changed the name of his Abdali tribe to "Durrani" after himself. Durrani founded an army led by Durrani clansmen and composed of Pashtuns, Qizilbash Turkmen, Hazaras, Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Balochs, and he proceeded to conquer the rest of Afghanistan from the Mughal Empire, taking Kabul and Peshawar in 1747, Herat in 1750, Balkh and Badakhshan in 1751, and Kashmir in 1752. Durrani also campaigned in Khorasan from 1750 to 1751 and from 1754 to 1755, capturing Mashhad, destroying Nishapur, and forcing the Persians to cede Torshiz, Bakharz, Jam, Khaf, and Turbat-e Haidari.
Durrani in India
From 1748 to 1767, Durrani invaded Hindustan eight times, sacking and absorbing Lahore in 1748 and conquering Lahore's surrounding areas in 1749. Durrani also forced the Mughals to cede Sindh and all of the Punjab to him that same year. However, the Marathi ruler Balaji Baji Rao emerged as a major threat to Durrani. Durrani sacked Delhi before being ousted from India by the Marathi general Raghunath Rao. Durrani returned to Kandahar in 1757, but, in 1759, Najib ad-Dawlah persuaded Durrani to reinvade India and expel the Marathas from Delhi in exchange for Durrani becoming Delhi's new ruler. In 1761, Durrani set out on his campaign to win back lost territories, defeating the Marathas at the Third Battle of Panipat. However, his heavy losses during the battle and a rebellion led by his cousin Sarfaraz Abdali back in Afghanistan persuaded Durrani to seek peace with the Marathas.
Durrani suffered a wound on his nose during a horse-riding accident in Kabul in 1768, and an ulcer he developed began eating into his brain. He died of his illness in 1772.