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Our Pasts I, II & III (Classes 6–8)
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Emirate of Afghanistan
Kingdom
Level 2
1823 – 1926
Barakzai emirate of Dost Mohammad and Abdur Rahman Khan; independent in foreign affairs from 1919.
- Capital
- Kabul
- Region
- Northwest
- Duration
- 103 years
- Main period
- British Crown Rule (Raj)
Approximate extent.
Rulers
- Dost Mohammad Khan Emir1826 – 1839
- Dost Mohammad Khan Emir1845 – 1863Restored after the First Anglo-Afghan War.
- Abdur Rahman Khan Emir1880 – 1901Accepted the Durand Line.
- Amanullah Khan Emir1919 – 1926Won independence in 1919.
Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1839 | First Anglo-Afghan War begins Shah Shuja was installed in Kabul, but British forces were destroyed in 1842. |
Kabul |
| 1842 | British retreat from Kabul Almost the entire retreating British column was annihilated. |
Gandamak |
| 1878 | Second Anglo-Afghan War | Kabul |
| 1893 | Durand Line agreed Boundary between British India and Afghanistan. The frontier between British India and Afghanistan was fixed. |
Khyber Pass |
| 1919 | Third Anglo-Afghan War; Afghan independence The Treaty of Rawalpindi recognised Afghanistan's control of its foreign affairs. |
Kabul |
📚 Recommended reading on the Emirate of Afghanistan
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Themes in Indian History, Parts I–III (Class 12)
Source-based chapters on Harappa, Vijayanagara, the Mughal court and 1857 — essential for UPSC.
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India and the Contemporary World I & II (Classes 9–10)
Nationalism in Europe and India, the French Revolution and the making of a global world.
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History of Modern India
The old-NCERT modern India classic, from the decline of the Mughals to independence.
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Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Emirate of Afghanistan for a significant part of its history.
Sultanate of the Maldives ★
Islands · c. 1153 – 1968
Mewar (Sisodia) ★
West · 1326 – 1949
Kingdom of Mysore ★
South · 1399 – 1950
Portuguese Estado da Índia ★
Coastal · 1505 – 1961
Mughal Empire ★
North · 1526 – 1857
British East India Company ★
Pan-Indian · 1600 – 1858
Hyderabad State (Nizams) ★
Deccan · 1724 – 1948
Sikh Empire ★
North · 1799 – 1849
Kingdom of Nepal ★
Himalaya · 1816 – 2008
British Raj (Crown Rule) ★
Pan-Indian · 1858 – 1947
Kachwahas of Amber (Jaipur)
West · c. 1128 – 1949
Marwar (Rathore)
West · c. 1226 – 1949
Koch Kingdom (Kamata / Cooch Behar)
Northeast · 1515 – 1949
Portuguese Diu
Coastal · 1535 – 1961
Portuguese Daman
Coastal · 1559 – 1961
Bhutan under the Zhabdrung (Druk Desi)
Himalaya · 1616 – 1907
Danish India
Coastal · 1620 – 1869
Fort St George, Madras
Coastal · 1639 – 1858
French India
Coastal · 1668 – 1954
Bombay (English East India Company)
Coastal · 1668 – 1858
Chandernagore
Coastal · 1673 – 1950
Pondichéry
Coastal · 1674 – 1954
Carnatic (Nawabs of Arcot)
South · 1692 – 1855
Gaekwad State (Baroda)
West · 1721 – 1949
Mahé
Coastal · 1721 – 1954
Jat Kingdom of Bharatpur
North · 1722 – 1947
Awadh (Nawabs of Oudh)
Gangetic Plain · 1722 – 1856
Travancore
South · 1729 – 1949
Holkar State (Indore)
Central · 1731 – 1948
Scindia State (Gwalior)
Central · 1731 – 1948
Yanam
Coastal · 1731 – 1954
Bhonsles of Nagpur
Central · 1739 – 1853
Karaikal
Coastal · 1739 – 1954
British Ceylon
Sri Lanka · 1796 – 1948