Mehr Dil Khan

Mehr Dil Khan
Mehr Dil Khan
مهردل خان
	A portrait of Mehr Dil Khan c. 1855
Governor of the Northern Frontier
	In office; 9 August 1826 – 8 May 1839
Monarch	Kohan Dil Khan
	In office; 9 August 1842 – 16 March 1855
Monarch	Kohan Dil Khan
Foreign Minister of the Durrani Empire
	In office; 3 May 1809 – September 1818
Monarch	Mahmud Shah Durrani
Prime Minister	Fateh Ali Khan
Personal details
Born	1796; Kandahar, Principality of Kandahar
Died	16 March 1855 (aged 58–59); Kandahar, Principality of Kandahar
Spouse	6 wives Sultan Jan; Khush Dil Khan; Ali Akbar Khan; Ali Asghar Khan; Sher Muhammad Khan; Mohammad Husain Khan; Sher Ali Khan; Hajji Munawar Dil Khan; Sultan Mohammad Khan; Gul Mohammad Khan; Murwarid Begum; Two unknown daughters;
Children	10 sons and 3 daughters A Nurzai lady; A Barakzai lady; A second Barakzai lady; An Ishaqzai lady; A Popalzai lady; A Babar lady;
Parent(s)	Payandah Khan; An Idu Khel Hotak lady

Mehr Dil Khan Barakzai^[a] (1796 – 16 March 1855) was the governor of the Northern Frontier bordering the Ghilji tribes' domains of the Hotak and Tokhi tribes during the reigns of Pur Dil Khan and Kohan Dil Khan until his death in 1855.^[1]

Early life

Mehr Dil was born in Kandahar into a Barakzai family, to his father Payandah Khan and to an Idu Khel Hotak lady, alongside his full-brothers, also known as the 'Dil Brothers': Sher Dil Khan, Pur Dil Khan, Rahim Dil Khan and Rahim Dil Khan.

Rise to power

Following the overthrow of Shuja Shah Durrani in 1809, Mehr Dil became the foreign minister of the Durrani Empire during the restored reign of Mahmud Shah Durrani, while his brothers were appointed as the governors of different major cities respectively.^[2] The Barakzais always supported Mahmud Shah in his campaigns, until his son Kamran Mirza Durrani murdered Fateh Khan Barakzai out of jealousy, which contributed to his downfall as the Barakzais united and overthrew Mahmud Shah a month later, replacing him with Ali Shah Durrani.^[3]

However, the Dil Brothers established their own domain in Kandahar, and later expanded, and Mehr Dil would be appointed as the governor of the Northern Frontier, following government improvements.^[4]

Notes

^
- Pashto: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Xān [meɾ d̪il xɑn, mehɾ d̪il xɑn]
- Persian: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Khān [meːɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn, me̞ɦɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn]

References

^ Malleson, George B. (1879). History of Afghanistan: From the Earliest Period to the Outbreak of the War of 1878. W. H. Allen & Company. ISBN 0343739771. Retrieved 31 July 2021. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^ Lee, Jonathan L. (2018). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. ISBN 9781789140101.
^ Hazārah, Fayż Muḥammad Kātib; McChesney, R. D.; Khorrami, Mohammad Mehdi (2013). The History of Afghanistan: Fayż Muḥammad Kātib Hazārah's Sirāj al-Tawārīkh. Brill. ISBN 9789004234925.
^ Dalrymple, William (2013). Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307958297.

[1] 
Pashto: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Xān [meɾ d̪il xɑn, mehɾ d̪il xɑn]
Persian: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Khān [meːɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn, me̞ɦɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn]

[2] Pashto: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Xān [meɾ d̪il xɑn, mehɾ d̪il xɑn]

[3] Persian: مهردل خان, romanized: Mehrdil Khān [meːɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn, me̞ɦɾ d̪ɪl xɑːn]

[Malleson-2] Malleson, George B. (1879). History of Afghanistan: From the Earliest Period to the Outbreak of the War of 1878. W. H. Allen & Company. ISBN 0343739771. Retrieved 31 July 2021. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

[Lee-3] Lee, Jonathan L. (2018). Afghanistan: A History from 1260 to the Present. Reaktion Books. ISBN 9781789140101.

[Hazarah-4] Hazārah, Fayż Muḥammad Kātib; McChesney, R. D.; Khorrami, Mohammad Mehdi (2013). The History of Afghanistan: Fayż Muḥammad Kātib Hazārah's Sirāj al-Tawārīkh. Brill. ISBN 9789004234925.

[:0-5] Dalrymple, William (2013). Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839-42. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307958297.

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