Abdur Rahman Khan
![Abdur Rahman Khan in 1897](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Amir_Abdur_Rahman_Khan_of_Afghanistan-cropped.jpg)
Abdur Rahman Khan was the one and only son of Mohammad Afzal Khan, and grandson of Dost Mohammad Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty. Abdur Rahman Khan re-established the writ of the Afghan government after the disarray that followed the second Anglo-Afghan war. He became known as ''The Iron Amir'' because his government was a military despotism. This despotism rested upon a well-appointed army and was administered through officials subservient to an inflexible will and controlled by a widespread system of espionage.
The nickname, ''The Iron Amir'', is also associated due to his victory over a number of rebellions by various tribes who were led by his relatives. One source says that during his reign there were over 40 rebellions against his rule. Abdur Rahman Khan's rule was termed by one British official as a "reign of terror", as he was considered despotic and had up to 100,000 people judicially executed during his 21 years as Emir. Thousands more starved to death, caught deadly diseases and died, were massacred by his army, or were killed during his forceful migrations of tribes. However, he was perhaps the greatest military genius Afghanistan ever produced. Provided by Wikipedia
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