Mohammad Yaqub Khan

Mohammad Yaqub Khan
محمد يعقوب خان
Sardar
Commander of the Faithful
The Sword-Wielding Lion-Slaying Emir
Portrait by John Burke, 1879
Emir of Afghanistan
Reign21 February 1879 – 12 October 1879
CoronationNone
PredecessorSher Ali Khan
SuccessorMohammad Ayub Khan
Born1849 (1849)
Citadel of Ghazni, Ghazni, Emirate of Kabul
Died15 November 1923(1923-11-15) (aged 73–74)
Shimla, India
Spouse
14 wives
  • Bibi Siddiqa Begum
    Bibi Fatima Begum
    Bibi Ruqaiyah Begum
    A daughter of Nur Mohammad Khan
    A daughter of Haji Mohammad Yusuf Khan Ghilji
    Bibi Gulshan Begum
    Three unnamed wives
    A Hazara consort
    Bibi Gul Badan
    Bibi Shabho
    Bibi Maina
    Bibi Nastaran
Issue
16 sons and 13 daughters
  • Mohammad Musa Khan
    Mohammad Kazim Khan
    Mohammad Nabi Khan
    Mohammad Yunus Khan
    Abdul Karim Khan
    Mohammad Hasan Khan
    Abdul Ali Khan
    Mohammad Ismail Khan
    Abdul Karim Khan
    Abdul Rahim Khan
    Mohammad Muhsin Khan
    Mohammad Azim Khan
    Abdul Rahman Khan
    Abdullah Khan
    Abdul Hamid Khan
    Abdul Qayyum Khan
    Abdul Wahab Khan
    Bibi Zubaida Begum
    Bibi Ruh Afsar Begum
    Bibi Zainab Begum
    Bibi Humaira Begum
    Bibi Hajira Begum
    Bibi Nur Jahan Begum
    Bibi Zahra Begum
    Bibi Hawa Begum
    Bibi Zainab Begum
    Bibi Sultanat Begum
    Bibi Koko Jan
    Bibi Masuma Begum
    Bibi Mariam Begum
    Bibi Shireen Begum
DynastyBarakzai dynasty
FatherSher Ali Khan
MotherMaryam Begum

Mohammad Yaqub Khan Barakzai (1849 – 15 November 1923) was Emir of Afghanistan from 21 February to 12 October 1879. He was a Pashtun and the son of the previous ruler, Sher Ali Khan.

Mohammad Yaqub Khan was appointed as the governor of Herat province in 1863. In 1870, he decided to rebel against his father but failed and was imprisoned in 1874.

The Second Anglo-Afghan War erupted in 1878, leading Sher Ali Khan to flee the capital of Afghanistan, and eventually die in February 1879 in the north of the country. As Sher Ali's successor, Yaqub signed the Treaty of Gandamak with Britain in May 1879, relinquishing sole control of Afghanistan foreign affairs to the British Empire. An uprising against this agreement led by Ayub Khan in October of the same year, led to the abdication of Yaqub Khan. He was succeeded by the new ruler, Amir Ayub Khan.