| Mohammad Akbar Khan محمد اکبر خان | |
|---|---|
| Ghazi | |
 A drawing of Akbar Khan byVincent Eyre | |
| Emir of Kabul | |
| Reign | December 1842 – April 1843 |
| Predecessor | Sultan Shahpur Durrani |
| Successor | Dost Mohammad Khan |
| Born | (1817-11-11)11 November 1817 Mazar-i-Sharif,Durrani Empire |
| Died | 10 December 1847(1847-12-10) (aged 30) Jalalabad,Emirate of Kabul |
| Burial | Blue Mosque,Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan |
| Spouse | 5 wives
|
| Issue | 2 sons and 2 daughters
|
| House | Barakzai |
| Father | Dost Mohammad Khan |
| Mother | Merman Khadija Popalzai |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Military career | |
| Conflicts | Dost Mohammad's Campaign to Jalalabad (1834) |
Mohammad Akbar Khan Barakzai,[a] (11 November 1817 – 10 December 1847) famously known asWazir Akbar Khan, was aBarakzai prince and military commander who served asEmir of Afghanistan from December 1842 to April 1843. He also served asvizier and heir apparent to his father, EmirDost Mohammad Khan, until his death in 1847.
Wazir Akbar Khan's fame began with the 1837Battle of Jamrud.[1][2] He was militarily active in theFirst Anglo-Afghan War, which lasted from 1839 to 1842. He is prominent for his leadership of the national party inKabul from 1841 to 1842, and hismassacre of Elphinstone's army at theGandamak pass before the only survivor, the assistant surgeonWilliam Brydon, reached the besieged garrison at Jalalabad on 13 January 1842. Wazir Akbar Khan became the emir of Afghanistan in May 1842, and ruled until Dost Mohammad Khan's return in 1843. In 1847 Wazir Akbar Khan died ofcholera.[3]
Akbar Khan was born to an AfghanBarakzaiPashtun family as Mohammad Akbar Khan in 1816 toDost Mohammad Khan, the futureruler ofAfghanistan.[4] His mother was Mermən KhadijaPopalzai. Dost Mohammad Barakzai had 16 wives, 27 sons (including Wazir Akbar Khan) and 25 daughters.[5]
in 1834, Akbar Khan partook in thecampaign to Jalalabad, led by his father,Dost Mohammad Khan.[6] Following this, in December 1834,he advanced into the Khyber pass, skirmishing with different Sikh outposts on a number of occasions before meetingHari Singh Nalwa in battle. The Sikhs were defeated, suffering around 150 dead and wounded, forcing their withdrawal toPeshawar.[7]
In 1837 Dost Mohammad Barakzai's Muslim forces, under the command of his son Wazir Akbar Khan, fought the Sikhs at theBattle of Jamrud, fifteen kilometers west of present-dayPeshawar.[1][8] With the result of the battle being inconclusive,Dost Mohammad Khan did not follow up by retaking Peshawar, but instead contactedLord Auckland, the new BritishGovernor-General of India (at the timeunder company rule) for help in fighting theSikh Empire. With this letter, Dost Mohammad formally set the stage for British intervention inAfghanistan, which would lead to the so-called "Great Game" withImperial Russia for control over influence in Afghanistan.[2]
Akbar Khan led a revolt in Kabul against theBritish Indian mission ofWilliam McNaughten,Alexander Burnes and their garrison of 4,500 men. In November 1841, he besiegedMajor-GeneralWilliam Elphinstone's force in Kabul.
Elphinstone accepted a safe-conduct for hisBritish force and about 12,000 Indiancamp followers toPeshawar; they were ambushed andannihilated in January 1842. At least one set of British war memoirs bore witness to Akbar Khan’s double dealing, saying that, during the retreat, Akbar Khan could be heard alternately commanding his men, inPersian to desist from, and inPashto to continue, firing.[9]
In May 1842, Akbar Khan captured theBala Hissar in Kabul and became the new emir of Afghanistan.[1] When Dost Mohammad Khan returned and became the emir in 1843, Akbar Khan was in such a powerful position that he managed to become thewazir and heir apparent to Dost Mohammad. In September 1847 there was a cholera outbreak in Kabul. Akbar Khan contracted the disease and died shortly after.[3]
Akbar Khan married, and had a son, Jalaluddin Khan, who in 1882, became an Honorary-Magistrate inRawalpindi.[10]
The historical figure Akbar Khan plays a major role inGeorge MacDonald Fraser's novelFlashman.
 Hotak Empire | |
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 Durrani Empire | |
 Barakzai Emirate | |
 Barakzai Kingdom | |
 Saqqawist Emirate(unrecognized) | |
| Barakzai Kingdom(restored) | |
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