Anglo-Afghan wars
Topic: Europeans in India and the Rise of Company Rule · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Anglo-Afghan wars were three wars between British India and Afghanistan, fought in 1839–42, 1878–80 and 1919. The British fought mainly because they feared Russia would gain influence in Afghanistan and threaten India. The British wanted a friendly ruler in Kabul. Each time, Afghan resistance proved hard to defeat.
Example
In the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42), the British put Shah Shuja on the Kabul throne. In 1842 they were forced into a disastrous winter retreat from Kabul, and almost the whole army was destroyed. The Third Anglo-Afghan War of 1919 ended with the Treaty of Rawalpindi. Under it, Afghanistan won back control of its own foreign affairs.
Don't confuse with
- Anglo-Sikh wars (1845–46, 1848–49): these were fought against the Sikh kingdom of Punjab. They ended with Punjab being annexed, which means formally taken over and made part of British territory.
Related concepts
- Divide and rule
- Dastak
- Black Hole of Calcutta
- Siraj-ud-daulah
- Robert Clive
- Battle of Plassey
- Mir Jafar
- Mir Qasim
- Battle of Buxar 1764
- Treaty of Allahabad 1765