Mahmud Shah Durrani

Mahmud Shah Durrani was the half-brother of his predecessor, Zaman Shah. On July 25, 1801, Zaman Shah was deposed, and Mahmud Shah ascended to ruler-ship. He then had a chequered career; he was deposed in 1803, restored in 1809, and finally deposed again in 1818.

The elder brother of Dost Mohammad Khan, the chief of the Barakzai, Fateh Khan, took an important part in raising Mahmud Shah Durrani to the sovereignty of Afghanistan in 1800 and in restoring him to the throne in 1809. The son of Mahmud Shah Durrani, Shahzada Kamran Durrani, was always in trouble with Amir Fateh Khan Barakzai, the brother of Dost Muhammad Khan. Mahmud Shah repaid Fateh Khan's services by having him assassinated in 1818. After the assassination of Fateh Khan Barakzai, the fall of the Durrani Empires began, incurring the enmity of his tribe. After a bloody conflict, Mahmud Shah was deprived of all his possessions except Herat. The rest of his dominions were divided among Fateh Khan's brothers. King Mahmud Shah Durrani died in 1829. The country was then ruled by Shuja Shah Durrani; another of his half-brothers.

See attached an example of coinage produced in the first reign of Mahmud Shah, a gold Double Mohur, from Bahawalpur, dated AH 1217, year 1, weighing a total of 23.19g with its attached jeweller's mount, lightly gilt, otherwise very rare.

Photo credits to Sovereign Rarities Ltd., Auction 10, 26th September 2023, Lot 274. See it at this link: https://auctions.sovr.co.uk/index.php?option=com_timed_auction&view=lot_detail&low_estimate=0&high_estimate=55000&keyword=&exclude_keyword=&sort_by=lot_number&image_filter=0&box_filter=0&paper_filter=0&export_issue=0&arr=0&auction_id=20&list_type=list_view&lots_per_page=18&page_no=1&lot_id=755759&search_type=&year=&month=&department_id=&cat_id=

• Durrani Empire

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• The British Library – Chronology: from the emergence of the Afghan Kingdom to the Mission of Mountstuart Elphistone, 1747–1809