Durrani Empire

An Afghan empire founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, it ruled parts of Central and South Asia before fragmenting in the early 19th century.

Ahmad Shah Durrani: The Afghan ruler who founded the Durrani Empire in 1747 and became its first monarch. His election as king at Kandahar established the dynasty and empire.
Durrani dynasty: The Afghan royal house founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani and descended from the Abdali tribal confederation. Its rulers inherited the throne and governed the empire’s changing territories.
Kashmir: A Himalayan region whose political control shifted among local rulers and larger South Asian powers. Durrani rule incorporated Kashmir, a valuable but difficult-to-govern province.
Sikh Empire: A South Asian empire centered in Punjab, founded by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century. Its expansion into Punjab and Kashmir displaced Durrani authority in the east.
Afsharid dynasty: An Iranian dynasty that ruled Persia from 1736 to 1796 under Nader Shah and his successors. The empire arose after Nader Shah’s death weakened Afsharid authority in the east.
Pashtun tribal confederacies: Alliances among Pashtun tribes that coordinated political or military action while retaining local identities. Tribal alliances supplied much of the empire’s military and political support.
Herat: A historic city in western Afghanistan and a crossroads between Iran, Central Asia, and South Asia. Herat anchored the empire’s western territories and later became a contested center.
Barakzai dynasty: An Afghan ruling dynasty descended from the Barakzai clan that governed Afghanistan for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. It rose after the Durrani monarchy weakened and displaced its Sadozai rulers.
Loya jirga: A traditional Afghan grand assembly convened to deliberate on major political and national matters. An assembly at Kandahar selected Ahmad Shah as ruler in 1747.
Durrani Empire military campaigns in India: The campaigns by Ahmad Shah Durrani and his successors across the Indus into northern India. Repeated expeditions extended imperial power and extracted resources beyond Afghanistan.

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