Sher Ali Khan

Sher Ali Khan Barakzai (c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Emir of Afghanistan after the death of his father Dost Mohammad Khan on 9 June 1863, until his overthrow during the Battle of Sheikhabad on 10 May 1866, and was restored to the throne on 8 September 1868, ruling until his death on 21 February 1879. He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammad Khan.

Sher Ali Khan was born into a Barakzai Pashtun family. At the time of his father Emir Dost Mohammad Khan’s death, Sher Ali Khan, was recognised as the heir-apparent. The Emir had appointed him to this position after the earlier heirs-designate— Mohammad Akbar Khan and Ghulam Haidar Khan—had died in 1847 and 1859, respectively.

In Kakar's book:

"Just before his own death the amir “. . . pulled himself together to don the turban [of rulership] on the head of our hero, the “Lion of 'Ali” after which he was called Amir Sher 'Ali Khan."

He was later ousted by his older half-brother, Mohammad Afzal Khan due to inter-family rivalry driven from a succession crisis, as their father had chosen his younger son to succeed him over his older son, and so the Afghan Civil War followed and ended after Sher Ali Khan defeated his half-brother and regained the title of Emir.

This inter-family rivalry would play out again towards the end of his reign into another conflict when Emir Sher Ali Khan made his favourite and youngest son, Abdullah heir-apparent at age 7 in 1873, over his adult half-brother, Mohammad Yaqub Khan who helped Sher Ali Khan reclaim the throne from Mohammad Afzal Khan.

Crown prince Abdullah never reached adulthood and died of illness at age 12 in 1878, just a few months before the start of the Second Anglo-Afghan War and one year before the death of his father.

Sher Ali Khan's reign as Emir is often remembered for his attempts at reforming Barakzai rule in Afghanistan. Changes brought during his rule included the creation of government posts, military reform, the introduction of the first postal service in Afghanistan, opening the first school and the first attempts by an Afghan leader at promoting the Pashto language.