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The palace of the emir in 1839
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ThePrincipality of Kandahar^[1] (Persian:شاهزاده قندهار) was a state that existed inKandahar from 1818 to 1855. It was ruled by the Dil brothers, members of theBarakzai dynasty, as a confederation.^[2] In 1855 theprincipality was conquered by theKabul-based half-brother of the Kandahari Dil brothers,^[3]Dost Mohammad Khan.^[4][2][5]

In 1818, the Dil brothers seized Kandahar and its surroundings and declared independence. Sher Dil Khan was in charge of the military in the principality.^[2] The rule of the four brothers was very unpopular. Sher Dil Khan was supposed to be in charge of Kandahar's walls but after his death in 1826, the brothers fought each other and allowed the city's walls to fall into decay.^[6]

In 1842 Kohan Dil Khan, Mehr Dil Khan, and Rahim Dil Khan left their exile in Kerman and set out towards Kandahar. They occupied Kandahar and re-established the principality.^[7] In the aftermath of the First Anglo-Afghan War, Kohan Dil Khan aimed to expand his influence into Sistan, which had fractured into a number of tribal fiefdoms. As part of this move, Kohan Dil Khan expanded his sphere of influence up to the district ofRudbar, controlled by theSanjarani Baluch.^[8]Herat underYar Mohammad Khan Alakozai also claimed Sistan as part of his domain, and this would cause clashes between both powers.

in 1855, Kohan Dil Khan died, sparking a succession crisis between Rahim Dil Khan, and the sons of Kohan Dil.Dost Mohammad Khan capitalized off of this period of anarchy andconquered the Principality in 1855.^[9]

Initially, in the 1820s and 1830s, the territories under the control of the Principality consisted ofZamindawar,Deh Rawood,Garmsir,Shorawak,Pishin, andSibi.^[2] TheHazaras ofUruzgan paid tribute to the principality.Sindh andBalochistan were also dependent on the principality, but were able to break away in August 1826.^[2] The territory of the principality seems to have been split among the various brothers. At the time ofCharles Masson's visit to Kandahar during the reign of Pur Dil Khan, the division of the principality seems to have been as follows:

• Pur Dil Khan (in possession of the district ofKandahar and its surroundings)
• Kohan Dil Khan (controlled the frontier withHerat and the lands ofGarmsir,Zamindawar,Deh Rawood,Uruzgan, and theAlizais,Nurzais, andHazaras living there)
• Mehr Dil Khan (controlled the frontier bordering on the domains of theTokhi andHotak tribes)
• Rahim Dil Khan (controlled the districts ofSibi,Pishin, andShorawak)

1. Sher Dil Khan (1818 – July 1826)^[2]
2. Pur Dil Khan (July 1826 – 1830)
3. Kohan Dil Khan (1830 – 25 April 1839)
4. Shuja ul-Mulk (1839 – 5 April 1842)
5. Kohan Dil Khan (5 April 1842 – August 1855)
6. Civil War (August – November 1855) (seeConquest of Kandahar)

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