Herat campaign of 1862–1863
| Herat campaign of 1862–1863 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Illustrated London News | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Principality of Herat |
Supported by:  British Empire East India Company | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Sultan Jan | Dost Mohammad Khan | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 7,000 (March 1862) |
26,000 infantry 4,000 cavalry 12 cannons 4 mortars. (April 1862) | ||||||||
The Herat campaign of 1862–1863 was a conflict between the Principality of Herat and the Emirate of Afghanistan, from March 1862, when Sultan Jan captured Farah from the Muhammadzai Emirs[1] and continued through the 10-month long siege of Herat, ending on May 27, 1863, when the city fell to the Amir-i Kabir,[2][3][1][4] thus completing the unification of Afghanistan.
Background and causes of the war
Herat
Herat had been an independent state since 1818, after the Sadozais were expelled from Kabul and Kandahar by the Barakzais.
Sa'id Mohammad Khan was very unpopular among the people of Herat.[8] He had to rely more and more on Iranian aid just to stay in power. The Qandahar Sardars took advantage of this to attack Herat in 1852.
Emirate of Afghanistan
After the end of the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1842, Dost Mohammad Khan was now in a position to expand his state dramatically. This was in part due to the improving relationship between Dost Mohammad Khan and the British.[3][9][10] During his exile in Calcutta, he was treated warmly.
He took note of the technological superiority of the British and was convinced that constant wars with them would damage Afghanistan. Instead, Dost Mohammad would advocate for an alliance with the British as the only way to ensure the survival of the state.
In 1843, Dost Mohammad Khan subdued the
British involvement
Dost Mohammad Khan was confident that the British would not intervene to save Herat.[8]
Iranian involvement
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Course of the war
Herati Conquest of Farah
Sultan Ahmad Khan sent 7,000 infantry and cavalry and 5 cannons under the command of Shahnavaz Khan to capture Farah.[2] On March 11, 1862, Herati forces conquered the city of Farah in a battle where around 100 men on both sides were killed.[8] Shahnavaz Khan was reckless and became intoxicated. His forces committed atrocities in the area to the point where they assaulted some of Dost Mohammad Khan's female relations.[2] This was Sultan Ahmad Khan's biggest blunder, as it allowed Dost Mohammad Khan to have a cassus belli for an invasion of Herat. He believed that the Iranians backed Sultan Ahmad Khan's conquest of Farah, when in reality they never sanctioned such a move.[8]
Dost Mohammad Khan's invasion
When Dost Mohammad Khan got word of the capture of Farah, he prepared for war with Sultan Ahmad Khan. The Amir left his winter quarters at Jalalabad and began plans to march towards Herat.[11] He called up an army consisting of 26,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry, 12 cannons, and 4 mortars.[2] Dost Mohammad Khan left Kabul on April 18, and an advance party was led by his sons Sher 'Ali Khan, Mohammad Sharif Khan, and Mohammad 'Amin Khan.[11] On June 9, their forces reached the town of Gereshk. On June 16 they crossed the Helmand river.[12] On June 29[12] or July 6 the advance party seized Farah from Sultan Ahmad Khan's appointee, Mir Afzal Khan.[11][8] Dost Mohammad Khan, who had been leading a separate army, combined forces with his sons soon after. Together the two marched on the city of Sabzawar, and engaged the forces of Shah Navaz Khan.[11] On July 19, Sabzawar was taken by their combined forces.[8]
Siege of Herat
On July 27, the city of Herat was surrounded by Dost Mohammad Khan.[8][1] Kohzad gives August 10.[11] The people of Herat were determined to resist Dost Mohammad Khan and his army. Despite his failing health, Sultan Ahmad Khan did not show the slightest inclination to submit. For 5 days the Mohammadzais dug trenches around Herat, and for the next 6 months night raids, tunneling, and "sundry engagements" would be commonplace.[11] Sultan Ahmad Khan wrote to the shah, Naser al-Din Shah, for aid, but he did not want to break the 1857 treaty with the British and refused.
During the siege, Sultan Ahmad Khan relied on the support of Herat's Shi'a community and exclusively used Farsiwan and other Shi'a soldiers during the conflict. suspected Herat's Afghans of espionage and began to expel them from the city. In January 1863 Sultan Ahmad's wife, Nawab Dokhtar, died from grief.[11][6]
On May 27, 1863, the city was captured.[1]
Aftermath
The atrocities committed on the citizens of Herat by the Mohammadzais served to unite them, Shi'a and Sunni, against the Afghans.[1]
Sources
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References
- ^ ISBN 978-3-7001-7202-4.[page needed]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Patterson, Michael O'Rourke (1988). A partial translation of 'Ayn al-Vaqayi' (Wellspring of Events): The third of twelve works in 'Bahr al-Fava'id: Kuliyat-i Riyazi' (Unlimited Benefits: The Complete Works of Riyazi) of Muhammad Yusuf (Thesis).[page needed]
- ^ ISBN 978-1-136-60318-1.[page needed]
- ^ Balfour, Edward (1885). The Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, Commercial Industrial, and Scientific: Products of the Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures. Bernard Quaritch.
- ^ Nelson, John (1 May 1976). "The Siege of Herat: 1837-1838". Culminating Projects in History.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-23498-7.[page needed]
- JSTOR 4282525.
- ^ ProQuest 303041137.[page needed]
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-49176-2.[page needed]
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78914-010-1.[page needed]
- ^ ]
- ^ a b Branch, India Army Intelligence (1906). Military Report on Afghanistan. Division of the Chief of the Staff.