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Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan

Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan

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  • Create Date：2021-08-08 05:51:33
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  • Author：William Dalrymple
  • ISBN：1408831597
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Summary

In the spring of 1839 British forces invaded Afghanistan for the first time， re-establishing Shah Shuja on the throne， in reality as their puppet， and ushering in a period of conflict over the territory still unresolved today。 In 1842， the Afghan people rose in answer to the call for jihad against the foreign occupiers， and the country exploded into violent rebellion。 In what is arguably the greatest military humiliation ever suffered by the West in the East， more than eighteen thousand cold and hungry British troops， Indian sepoys and camp followers retreated through the icy mountain passes， and of the last survivors who made their final stand at the village of Gandamak， only one man， Dr Brydon， made it through to the British garrison at Jellalabad。 An entire army of what was then the most powerful military nation in the world was utterly routed by poorly equipped tribesmen。 The West's first disastrous entanglement in Afghanistan has clear and relevant parallels with the current deepening crisis today， with extraordinary similarities between what NATO faces in cities like Kabul and Kandahar， and that faced by the British in the very same cities， fighting the very same tribes， nearly two centuries ago。 History at its most urgent， The Return of a King is the definitive analysis of the first Afghan war。 With access to a whole range of previously undiscovered sources， including crucial new material in Russian， Urdu and Persian， and contemporary Afghan accounts including the autobiography of Shah Shuja himself， prize-winning and bestselling historian William Dalrymple's masterful retelling of Britain's greatest imperial disaster is a powerful and important parable of neo-colonial ambition and cultural collision， folly and hubris， for our times。

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Reviews

Ovi Buciu ，

An incisive look at the tragedy of the First Anglo-Afghan War， replete with timeless depictions of human failure and timely warnings against continued foolishness。Also serves as wonderful complementary reading to Cole Wehrle’s Pax Pamir， bringing to life the complexities of this era’s characters， politics， and conflicts。

Barun Ghosh ，

Was an absolute delight to learn about the political history of the northwest of India during this very turbulent time and how the famous Kohinoor diamond played its part amidst all the murder and mayhem。 Sad to know about so many British soldiers how lost their lives so far away from home and were never repatriated。

Tony Cavicchi ，

This book is fantastic。 Dalrymple brings the characters of both Russia and Britain， Khorasan and India， to life。 The book is 200 years removed from the action， so it's free of any political angle toward the British side's hubris and failures--but Dalyrmple also conducted his own research in Afghanistan and accessed Afghan primary sources。 The result is a book that elucidates the complex politics of Khorasan--rather than just giving sympathetic treatment to the Durrani royals and Afghan tribes， t This book is fantastic。 Dalrymple brings the characters of both Russia and Britain， Khorasan and India， to life。 The book is 200 years removed from the action， so it's free of any political angle toward the British side's hubris and failures--but Dalyrmple also conducted his own research in Afghanistan and accessed Afghan primary sources。 The result is a book that elucidates the complex politics of Khorasan--rather than just giving sympathetic treatment to the Durrani royals and Afghan tribes， this book actually shows their perspective。 。。。more

Victor Brand ，

A tome of a book showing all decisions and activities of the British incursion into Afghanistan the mistakes and errors until they were driven out。 This was the great game between Britain and Russia。 Possibly high-lights the future events in this country

Ramin ，

A brilliant book。 Beautifully written and very well researched。

Atif Sayyed ，

It is a wonderful and detailed account of the First Anglo Afghan War。One must read this to understand why Afghanistan is called a troubled country which the west tries to occupy but fails every time。It also shows that we still haven't learned from our mistakes in the past。As one Afghan historian has put aptly， summing the things after the First Afghan war of 1839-42， that "It is certainly no easy thing to invade or govern the Kingdom Of Khurasan（Afghanistan）。 It is a wonderful and detailed account of the First Anglo Afghan War。One must read this to understand why Afghanistan is called a troubled country which the west tries to occupy but fails every time。It also shows that we still haven't learned from our mistakes in the past。As one Afghan historian has put aptly， summing the things after the First Afghan war of 1839-42， that "It is certainly no easy thing to invade or govern the Kingdom Of Khurasan（Afghanistan）。 。。。more

Pete Stimpson ，

'As so often in international affairs， hawkish paranoia about distant threats can create the very monster that is most feared。'Despite starting with the threat of Napoleon， replaced in the 1820s by Russia's eastern expansion， we establish early on the biggest threat to the British Empire - incompetents in its own bureaucracy。 Cleverly weaving together memoirs from Afghan & British protagonists， epic poetry and source texts， he doesn't get bogged down in the military side， focusing on the politic 'As so often in international affairs， hawkish paranoia about distant threats can create the very monster that is most feared。'Despite starting with the threat of Napoleon， replaced in the 1820s by Russia's eastern expansion， we establish early on the biggest threat to the British Empire - incompetents in its own bureaucracy。 Cleverly weaving together memoirs from Afghan & British protagonists， epic poetry and source texts， he doesn't get bogged down in the military side， focusing on the politics， the intrigue， the characters and the key decisions。 There's a playfulness to the language until the stark brutality of the British retreat。History at its best， the set pieces read like an adventure novel but without over-dramatisation。 A great skill making for a hugely enjoyable read。 。。。more

Siddharth Gupta ，

A detailed history of the 'graveyard of the empires' from a very specific period of colonial dominance in the Indian subcontinent。 Written in the trademark Dalrymple anecdotal style with colourful characters， divine yet acrid justice and thrilling sub-plots， in abundance。 The British， the mighty British， who brought this largely scattered subcontinent under their thumb through cunning and brute violence， are given a bloody nose by a clutch of tribal fighters in their backyard。 For those who live A detailed history of the 'graveyard of the empires' from a very specific period of colonial dominance in the Indian subcontinent。 Written in the trademark Dalrymple anecdotal style with colourful characters， divine yet acrid justice and thrilling sub-plots， in abundance。 The British， the mighty British， who brought this largely scattered subcontinent under their thumb through cunning and brute violence， are given a bloody nose by a clutch of tribal fighters in their backyard。 For those who lived the period， this was amusing in the least and exciting at best。 But in retrospect， it was neither。 It was a premonition。 Two centuries later， the British under the NATO flag were whooped once again by the descendants of the same tribals。Could have given it more stars， but the relevance of the book itself - the topic so to speak - was unappealing。 The setting of Afghanistan unfortunately， lacks the cohesive warmth that makes up any story relatable。 Cold and aloof leaders followed by opportunistic henchmen fighting the white man far far away from his base of operations， does betray a tight-plotted storyline。 Perhaps， this is because the history has not been adequately recalled from the Afghan side。 All in all， the book is a refresher for a foreign policy analyst trying to find the moorings of the modern day Afghanistan in the Anglo-Afghan Wars。 But for a lay reader， the book is a bed-time read。 Or even passable。 。。。more

Steve ，

I actually set this one down a few times because it was covering ground I had read in other books （one of them being an old "Flashman" novel）。 Well， that was wrong。 Dalrymple is a superb writer， and he really fleshes out quite a cast of characters and events。 The British retreat from Kabul is the center piece of the book， and it is as harrowing as anything I've read in history。 What brought it about was an incredible sequence of stupid decisions and arrogant assumptions by the British。 Dalrymple I actually set this one down a few times because it was covering ground I had read in other books （one of them being an old "Flashman" novel）。 Well， that was wrong。 Dalrymple is a superb writer， and he really fleshes out quite a cast of characters and events。 The British retreat from Kabul is the center piece of the book， and it is as harrowing as anything I've read in history。 What brought it about was an incredible sequence of stupid decisions and arrogant assumptions by the British。 Dalrymple， in describing the disaster， also plants seeds for the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857。 I had not seen that connection before， but he makes a good case for it。 Something as bad as the Afghanistan debacle would have cast long ripples into the historical current。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Sally O'wheel ，

What a great book！ So relevant to the story of Afghanistan today。 It tells of the hopelessly stupid and wrong headed British efforts at regime change in the 19th century。 You can hardly believe they could have been so stupid。。。。wait a minute！ Aren't our own governments equally stupid today？ When I look at pictures of Kabul on telly today， death and destruction in every frame， I weep for the tragedy that goes all the way back hundreds of years and seems to have been unrelenting。 What a great book！ So relevant to the story of Afghanistan today。 It tells of the hopelessly stupid and wrong headed British efforts at regime change in the 19th century。 You can hardly believe they could have been so stupid。。。。wait a minute！ Aren't our own governments equally stupid today？ When I look at pictures of Kabul on telly today， death and destruction in every frame， I weep for the tragedy that goes all the way back hundreds of years and seems to have been unrelenting。 。。。more

Dmitri ，

"You have brought an army into the country， but how do you propose to take it out？" - An Afghan Tribal Chief"I cannot understand why the rulers of so vast an empire should have gone across the Indus to deprive me of my poor and barren country。" - Dost Mohammad Khan， Deposed and Restored Ruler of AfghanistanWilliam Dalrymple begins this account of the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1808 as the British approach Kabul offering gifts and alliance with Shah Shuja， the ruler of Afghanistan。 The dynasty was "You have brought an army into the country， but how do you propose to take it out？" - An Afghan Tribal Chief"I cannot understand why the rulers of so vast an empire should have gone across the Indus to deprive me of my poor and barren country。" - Dost Mohammad Khan， Deposed and Restored Ruler of AfghanistanWilliam Dalrymple begins this account of the First Anglo-Afghan War in 1808 as the British approach Kabul offering gifts and alliance with Shah Shuja， the ruler of Afghanistan。 The dynasty was founded by his grandfather who seized Delhi's plunder from the Persian warlord Nader Shah。 Britain learned of a treaty between Napoleon and the Tsar of Russia to attack India over the Hindu Kush。 France had planned an invasion through Suez but it's fleet was sunk by Nelson at the Nile in 1798。 The embassy was sent by Lord Wellington who would go on to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815。Shuja became a pawn in the East India Company's 'Great Game'。 Persians were promised his lands by the French for passage through Iran。 His rule in decline， tribal intrigues forced him to flee to British Punjab。 After Napoleon's death in 1821 Russia became a concern and spy networks were set up in central Asia。 Threats of a joint Russian and Persian invasion gave a pretense to restore Shuja to the throne of Afghanistan。 Britain secretly funded Shuja's army。 Joined by Ranjit Singh， Maharajah of the Sikhs， he set out to retake Kabul in 1834 from Afghan usurper Dost Mohammad Khan。 Shuja's plan failed and now aware of British complicity Dost prevailed。 Britain and Russia vied for influence in Persia。 Russian plots prompted Persia to attack Herat in 1837 with troops armed and trained by the British。 Spies Alexander Burnes and Ivan Vitkevitch competed for alliance with Dost。 Lord Auckland， the new Governor General of India guided by hawkish bureaucrats， insisted Dost be deposed and replaced by Shuja， sabotaging Burnes efforts。 Vitkevitch offered men and money to reclaim Kashmir from Ranjit Singh。 After the events in Herat and Kabul Auckland fell into a state of panic。As British prepared to invade there were warnings from local leaders and old hands alike that the terrain was formidable and people fierce。 Where diplomacy might have succeeded war was now chosen。 Twenty thousand Indian soldiers and their British officers were on the march。 Before starting out the siege of Herat was lifted and Vitkevitch recalled to Russia ending any purpose for the expedition。 Regardless the plan commenced in 1839。 Searing deserts， mountain passes， tribal ambushes， brigand gangs， dying animals， low rations and lack of water took their toll until Kandahar was reached。In Kandahar Shuja was hailed as a hero by defectors from Dost。 Flowers were thrown before his elephants feet and he rained British rupees upon his subjects。 But when a soldier raped a girl opinion turned。 Shuja became despised as he had come with a foreign infidel army。 Ranjit Singh was to have approached Kabul with Muslim troops but reneged on his pledge。 In Ghazni the British were astounded to find fifty meter high fortifications。 A desperate night attack was made and the Afghan army defeated。 Dost sued for peace but was forced to flee before the British army approached Kabul。Dost was imprisoned in Bukhara as Russians invaded Khiva。 British alarm was raised but the Opium War of 1840 diverted troops from Afghanistan to China。 Requisitions for defensive construction were denied and five thousand soldiers slept in a large cantonment with low walls。 Afghans were offended by foreigners openly drinking and whoring。 Seen as a figure head for British rule the clergy excluded Shuja's name from the Friday prayers。 Nobles chafed at patronage reforms and hyperinflation arose from the foreign occupation。 When Dost escaped from jail he returned to raise the flag of holy war。 Dost's jihad failed and he surrendered to be exiled in India。 Singh's death caused civil war in Punjab threatening supply and communication lines to Afghanistan。 Herat made allies with Persia against Britain as rebellions arose in the country。 Occupation was draining the East India Company treasury。 Feudal protection money was reduced and nobility left the court to prepare insurrections。 British forces were recalled to India to lessen the payroll as Afghan muskets fired from the cliffs above。 Their infantry and cavalry weren't suitable for the guerrilla warfare the natives were accustomed to use。Jihad was sworn upon the Quran。 A mob set fire to Burnes house in Kabul and cut him to pieces。 Militia rode in from the mountains。 Foreigners were attacked in their forts and homes without reprisal in a popular uprising。 Sheltered in the cantonment， ringed by hostile hill stations， ammunition and provision depots were captured。 Shuja refused to join the rebels and was declared an infidel。 Akbar Khan， the son of Dost， became leader of the resistance。 Freezing and famine followed， and a treaty was negotiated for the British retreat。 Seventeen thousand soldiers and civilians left for India。For a week they marched through the snow dying from cold and bullets shot by Akbar's militia。 Only several reached Jalalabad and two thousand survived as hostages or slaves。 As Shuja manoeuvred with Kabul nobles to retain the throne Akbar waged a political campaign claiming he was unwilling to fight the infidels。 Forced to come out of his citadel he was slain in the street。 Akbar laid siege to Jalalabad but was routed by the defenders。 In 1842 the Army of Retribution burned and killed their way to Kabul。 Dost Mohammad Khan was restored to rule by the empire that had deposed him。All manner of military and political pitfalls are told in this tale; cold war fears， espionage， regime changes， puppet rulers， leadership lapses and military quagmires。 Americans and Russians would have done well to review the war before embarking on their later fiascos。 Dalrymple is expansive reflecting the deep research done。 The events are clearly conveyed for the period and conflict。 Afghans and English are covered well but Indian troops from Bombay and Bengal are given less notice。 This is surprising as Dalrymple is a scholar， writer and long time resident of northern India。 。。。more

Aleks ，

Uninteresting。

Elizabeth Suli ，

Really interesting as his sources are from Afghan， British， Russian and Persian so you get all sides of the story。 Written really well too， easy to read and imagine。

Marilyn Brodeur ，

Thank you William Dalrymple for doing the work of history and bringing to light this history。 Fascinating。 4。5 - it was hard to read simply because so many of the locations and characters were unfamiliar。 Yet rather important given western entanglements in Afghanistan。

Ahmad Wali Ahmad Yar ，

The book gives a great account of the bravery of Afghan warriors， treason of Afghan leaders and more than anything the role of knowledge， culture poetry in the court of the Afghan king， Shah Shuja ul-Mulk。

Sandeep Madadi ，

Dalrymple at his best who weaves his magic and transports the reader into the rugged landscape of Afghanistan and offers a vigorous description of fascinating Afghan History。 Set in the backdrop of first Anglo-Afghan war in 1839 which ended in a humiliating defeat for British， after reading this one gets to realize why Afghanistan as a country is impossible to conquer。

Mahendra Rathod ，

William Dalrymple is a genius author。 His books are well researched， detailed and with amazing narrative。 I read his first book， The Rise of Anarchy， and I was drawn to his other books。Return of a King is an amazing story of greed， stupidity， valor， horror， grit and crimes of the first Afghan war from 1839 to 1842。 After conquering almost entire India， the East India Company tries to capture Afghanistan。 The excuse or pretext was the "Great Game" of supremacy between the British and the Russians William Dalrymple is a genius author。 His books are well researched， detailed and with amazing narrative。 I read his first book， The Rise of Anarchy， and I was drawn to his other books。Return of a King is an amazing story of greed， stupidity， valor， horror， grit and crimes of the first Afghan war from 1839 to 1842。 After conquering almost entire India， the East India Company tries to capture Afghanistan。 The excuse or pretext was the "Great Game" of supremacy between the British and the Russians。 The British convinced themselves （and their masters） on why they should conquer Afghanistan and make Afghanistan into a buffer state between India and Russia。 Little did they know the futility of this mission。The book covers almost all the details of this great （and horrific） war。 It writes various accounts of key people who played their part in this war。 The book talks about how the British （and their Indian Sepoys and their families）， were massacred by the Afghans in 1842。 This war cost around US$ 20 Bn （in current PPP） and around 14，000+ lives in total。The book also briefly talks about the current situation of the Afghans and why most of the larger powers have failed here。 （British， Russians and Americans - now Chinese）。This is a must-read book and introspect。 。。。more

Georgi Banishki ，

This was an unexpectedly good read and well worth the time。 The author gives a very good overview of the First Anglo-Afghan war and does so by using not only English sources， but Afghan and Indian which is a truly impressive feat。 By doing so he is able to provide a much better understanding of not only this conflict， but also Afghanistan and give a better understanding of why the current Afghan war is following the same path of pointlessness and waste of life。 I definitely recommend this to any This was an unexpectedly good read and well worth the time。 The author gives a very good overview of the First Anglo-Afghan war and does so by using not only English sources， but Afghan and Indian which is a truly impressive feat。 By doing so he is able to provide a much better understanding of not only this conflict， but also Afghanistan and give a better understanding of why the current Afghan war is following the same path of pointlessness and waste of life。 I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in learning about the region and getting a better perspective of why it is such a quagmire。 。。。more

Xiang Li ，

读最后一章的后半段和后记 显然作者是一个靠谱的史学家 但遗憾的是 至少从这本书看 他也是一个极其糟糕的历史通俗读物作家。一部书 无论如何 不能70%都是原封不动的引用资料和四六不着的景色描写。然后二位译者更是。。。浓妆艳抹的小丑。我以后肯定是绕着走的 宁可慢一点读英文。最后是评论中叫好捧臭脚的。你们就圈内人自high吧。

Mark ，

The pattern of the story is familiar to students of contemporary history。 A Western power invades Afghanistan。 Their army easily overcomes the forces of the local government and occupies the country。 The victory soon turns sour， however， as missteps in dealing with the complex tribal politics of the region soon engender an uprising in the mountainous countryside。 Eventually， exhausted by the drain on their resources， the army withdraws， leaving the victorious survivors to squabble over the remai The pattern of the story is familiar to students of contemporary history。 A Western power invades Afghanistan。 Their army easily overcomes the forces of the local government and occupies the country。 The victory soon turns sour， however， as missteps in dealing with the complex tribal politics of the region soon engender an uprising in the mountainous countryside。 Eventually， exhausted by the drain on their resources， the army withdraws， leaving the victorious survivors to squabble over the remains and rebuild their country。This is a narrative that could easily describe the decade-long Soviet occupation of Afghanistan， and increasingly it looks to be the inevitable outcome of the ongoing U。S。-led operation as well。 But it is also one that could also serve as a summary of the British invasion of Afghanistan in the late 1830s。 It was those parallels which inspired William Dalrymple to write a history of the first Anglo-Afghan War， one that spotlights the folly of such an effort and the disastrous consequences for all involved。To tell the story of the invasion， Dalrymple begins not with the British but with the Afghans， specifically with the Afghan ruler Shah Shuja。 A member of the Durrani dynasty， he was overthrown in 1809 by his half-brother and predecessor， Shah Mahmoud， and forced into exile。 Over the next 29 years Shuja mounted three attempts to reclaim his throne by force， all of which were thwarted by his successors。 In between these attempts Shuja languished in Ludhiana， where he and his entourage subsisted on a pension provided by the British East India Company on the off chance that they might need an Afghan monarch at some point。Shuja’s fourth opportunity to reclaim the throne came about as a result of the growing Anglo-Russian competition in the region。 As Russia advanced into central Asia， securing the northwestern frontier of India became an increasing anxiety for both East India Company officials and British politicians。 Fearing that Russia would ally with the current ruler of Afghanistan， Dost Mohammad Khan， the company’s governor-general， Lord Auckland， decided to remove Dost Mohammad and reinstall Shah Shuja on the throne。 Allying with the neighboring Sikh kingdom， Auckland used the Sikhs’ war with Afghanistan over the Peshawar Valley as the pretext for a joint invasion of the country， which began in December 1838。Over the next eight months the British forces gradually occupied Afghanistan。 Dalrymple’s account of the invasion stresses the arrogance of the British， who brought with them a massive train of camp followers and camels carrying luxury goods。 Though their march though the rough terrain took a toll on their ranks the Afghan tribal levies proved a poor match against British-trained sepoys on the open battlefield， and Dost Mohammad fled Kabul ahead of its capture in August 1839。 With Shah Shuja restored to the throne the British withdrew the bulk of their forces， but the remaining British presence soon alienated the Afghan population。 This was exacerbated by the company’s parsimony， as efforts to curtail the massive financial drain of the occupation on the company’s coffers by reducing payments to tribal leaders soon turned them against Shah Shuja’s reign。 The result was an uprising in November 1841 that forced the British out of Kabul。Despite the growing signs of Afghan disaffection， the British were unprepared for the scale of the attack on their forces。 Dalrymple’s description of the fighting underscores the poor decisions made by British leaders throughout the period， particularly those of the company’s pompous political officer， William Hay Macnaghten， and the ailing commanding general， William Elphinstone， whose disregard for the deteriorating situation left British personnel vulnerable to the rising。 While an agreement to withdraw was reached at the start of 1842， the retreating British forces came under constant attack as they withdrew under punishing winter weather， with many of those who survived subsequently enslaved by Afghan tribesmen。Though the newly-elected Tory government under Robert Peel wanted to end the British intervention， news of the uprising was greeted with a determination for vengeance。 An “Army of Retribution” was quickly gathered to relieve other besieged garrisons and to punish the Afghans。 Dalrymple does not minimize the atrocities committed by British forces， who gutted whole villages during their march on the Afghan capital。 After retaking Kabul in September 1842， however， the British withdrew just a month later， leaving a ravaged kingdom to be ruled a restored Dost Mohammad， who over the next two decades confirmed his dynasty’s hold on the throne and established the borders of the country as it is known today。Given the epic fate of Britain’s intervention of Afghanistan there have been no shortage of books written about it。 Yet Dalrymple’s account surpasses them all， thanks to his lucid writing and incorporation of Afghan and Persian sources ignored by previous authors。 These he uses to create an account that provides a wealth of insight into the Afghan perspective of the conflict， one all too often lacking in most English language chronicles。 Using them he spins an engrossing account of a war which produced no winners but cast a shadow in the region that stretches down to the present day。 It is difficult to imagine a better book ever being written about the first Anglo-Afghan War， nor one that is more necessary reading for anyone who thinks that a war in the region could produce a positive outcome。 As Dalrymple so powerfully demonstrates， the Afghans have more than enough experience with invasion to thwart the will of any conqueror。 。。。more

Qaim ，

Any one interested in understanding the dynamics of Afghans must read it 。Money ， bribery ， betrayal ， inter tribal jealousy and the end product is losing 40k souls by the British empire 。 It’s true in today’s context also “IT IS CERTAINLY NOT EASY THING TO INVADE OR GOVERN THE KINGDOM OF KHURASAN”A expedition taken to move dost Muhamamd out ended in placing him back on the throne 。 The credit will go to akbar khan son of dost Muhamamd who took his chances and read the writing on walls 。

Ian Murray ，

Wonderful book， a absolute eyeopener on the complex nature of Afghanistan Really wonderful book， I vote it his best。 While being a real eyeopener on the complex nature of Afghanistan， it also highlights absolute folly of thinking that the west can influence this wild， violent， dislocated Muslim country that history shows simply cannot be corralled。

Stanley Xue ，

Satisfying account of the major events， players， and motivations involved in the pretense， events of， and aftermath of the First Anglo-Afghan War - a humiliating defeat of the British at the peak of their colonial power。 Leave with a better understanding of the poor communication and decision-making， hawkishness， ignorance of local politics and customs， and indecision in crisis on behalf of the British - as well as the diversity and shifting coalitions of allegiences， beliefs， and loyalties of t Satisfying account of the major events， players， and motivations involved in the pretense， events of， and aftermath of the First Anglo-Afghan War - a humiliating defeat of the British at the peak of their colonial power。 Leave with a better understanding of the poor communication and decision-making， hawkishness， ignorance of local politics and customs， and indecision in crisis on behalf of the British - as well as the diversity and shifting coalitions of allegiences， beliefs， and loyalties of the occupied Afghans。 Many "substantive parallels" to be drawn with regards to "getting in without having any real idea of how to get out， wilful misdiagnosis of the nature of the challenges， no coherent or consistent plan， poor choice of local allies， and weak political leadership" that has led to the modern failure in the exercise of nation-building in Afghanistan。 。。。more

David Quijano ，

I saw a friend's review of Return of a King on Goodreads and it immediately caught my attention。 For one， I was going through a bit of an Afghan history run on my reading list and I assumed this book would be a slightly more detailed history of the First Anglo-Afghan War。 But I have to admit， I loved the Lord of the Rings vibe I got from the title。The other book I read that covered the First Anglo-Afghan War was The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk。 The book gets its title from the Great Game， the na I saw a friend's review of Return of a King on Goodreads and it immediately caught my attention。 For one， I was going through a bit of an Afghan history run on my reading list and I assumed this book would be a slightly more detailed history of the First Anglo-Afghan War。 But I have to admit， I loved the Lord of the Rings vibe I got from the title。The other book I read that covered the First Anglo-Afghan War was The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk。 The book gets its title from the Great Game， the name assigned to the mostly political confrontation between the UK and Russian Empire between the years of 1830 and 1895。 This time period includes the First Anglo-Afghan War in which the British invaded Afghanistan with the hope of setting up a puppet state to act as a buffer from a potential invasion of British India by the Russian Empire。 The Great Game covers a lot more than the First Anglo-Afghan War， though。 What I was hoping for in Return of a King was a more focused story and hopefully some new information considering it was published 23 years after The Great Game。One of the main things I hoped for was a better representation of the Afghan and Russian perspectives （although there is very little in this book about Russia since its main focus is the war rather than the Great Game itself）。 While Hopkirk made an admirable effort to stay objective， there was no doubt the narrative favored the British。 The thing I appreciate most about Return of a King was the acknowledgement of other perspectives and the serious attempt by its author， William Dalrymple， to sort through conflicting information。 The inclusion of Afghan sources into this book manifested itself in a couple different ways。 For one， Dalrymple quotes and references Afghan poets from the time。 This adds a depth and understanding that would be difficult without these sources。 I think it is easy to think of Afghanistan as a shithole。 We assume it is one and has always been that way。 But it is clear from the sources that Dalrymple found while traveling to Afghanistan in 2010， that the society that existed at the time of the First Anglo-Afghan War was sophisticated enough to have multiple poets and historians。 It is only since the British invasion that they have fallen to the point they are at to day。 For sure some of this has nothing to do with British intervention there， but some of it certainly does （the fact that the Silk Road was destined to be replaced by modern shipping and railroads is a much bigger factor）。 I think the inclusion of poets was great positive for this book in humanizing the Afghans and helped show that they weren't in desperate need of British-style 19th century civilization。Another voice that Dalrymple's book used often was that of Lady Sale， wife of Major-General Robert Sale of the British Army。 She traveled with her husband to India and subsequently Afghanistan during the war。 Her comprehensive diary， which included the nine months she was a POW during the war， is a great addition to the narrative。 Lady Sale gives real-time criticisms of the passivity of the British military at very crucial points after what seemed like a quick British victory。 Dalrymple combines her accounts with criticisms and warnings given by Afghans to the British about their some of their alienating actions and policies。The overall impression I got of the British excursion into Afghanistan was much different after reading this book because of the additional perspectives。 The Afghan tribes didn't simply turn against the British for random reasons， but because the British stopped paying them to keep the peace along vital mountain passes。 The locals didn't just hate the British because they were conquerors。 They hated them because they flaunted their sexuality among the Afghan women。 Afghan sources specifically mention a rape case that turned popular opinion against the British。 Dalrymple says every Afghan source mentions the incident and none of the British sources。The last anecdote I will mention， which literally made me laugh out loud when I came across it， was the case of Eldred Pottinger。 The British called him the "Hero of Herat" after he was present in said city during a siege by the Persian army and supposedly lead a ragtag group of Afghans to victory over a mighty Persian army。 According to Afghanistan sources， however， he was not meaningfully involved in the defense of the city。 All these disparities in the stories between the British and Afghan sources interest me because it really shows that the victors write history。 You can have a history that agrees on almost all the big points， but the details， like the heros， villians， and their motivations can all be significantly changed or distorted to feed a false narrative。 In an alternative reality where Afghanistan is a major world power， we might remember Dost Mohammad Khan as a great ruler that overcame incredible odds to defeat a superior military force。 Instead， he remains a rather obscure historical figure from an American perspective。 Return of a King is a good book， but I am not sure I would say it was great。 I think the long chapters made digesting the material more difficult than necessary。 I think the appeal of this book would be limited to people interested in the history of Afghanistan， the British Empire， or colonialism。 For anyone really into the subject， I would recommend reading both Return of a King and The Great Game close together to get the different perspectives。 I will give it four stars。 。。。more

Jazz Singh ，

Like reading history in technicolour。

Graham Busby ，

Quite simply， excellent。 I thought I knew something of the first Afghan War but this comprehensive historical work should be a must read for anyone wanting to comment on Afghanistan today。

Jake S ，

I normally live William Dalrymple's work。 This book wasn't bad， but it lacked the charm and originality that he normally has。 The book reads like many other Imperial histories written by aristocratic British men， in his other work this is what Dalrymple does so well to avoid。 It is not a work of imperial apologism by any stretch of the imagination， but is not as intelligent as his other books like White Mughals。 I normally live William Dalrymple's work。 This book wasn't bad， but it lacked the charm and originality that he normally has。 The book reads like many other Imperial histories written by aristocratic British men， in his other work this is what Dalrymple does so well to avoid。 It is not a work of imperial apologism by any stretch of the imagination， but is not as intelligent as his other books like White Mughals。 。。。more

Naveen ，

Afghanistan rightly called as graveyard of empires remains unconquered first by british then soviet and now the motley of countries behind it。 This book is a great narration of events around first anglo afghan war of 1850s， main characters being Shah Shuja， Dost Mohamed and Akbar Khan along with the retinue of now long forgotten british army officers。 One cant deny that William Darylmple story writing is of highest calibre。 One should read it to understand Afghanistan more。

Katharine Harding ，

This was an interesting and important read。 William Dalrymple writes so well， and even though the events he was describing were pretty complex， he narrates so clearly that I didn't ever lose track of what was going on。 The use of Afghan sources was fascinating。 I was horrified at the incompetence and stupidity of the British side on a number of occasions。 It is a chunky book， and so although I have a hardcover copy I rather extravagantly also bought the e-book version to actually read。 I can hig This was an interesting and important read。 William Dalrymple writes so well， and even though the events he was describing were pretty complex， he narrates so clearly that I didn't ever lose track of what was going on。 The use of Afghan sources was fascinating。 I was horrified at the incompetence and stupidity of the British side on a number of occasions。 It is a chunky book， and so although I have a hardcover copy I rather extravagantly also bought the e-book version to actually read。 I can highly recommend this if only to save your wrists。 Highly worth reading。 。。。more

Christabel Britto ，

Absolutely FABULOUS！ History described in story-telling form that grips one as if a thriller。 What's even more baffling is how what is happening today in Afghanistan is uncannily identical to what took place 200 years ago！ Absolutely FABULOUS！ History described in story-telling form that grips one as if a thriller。 What's even more baffling is how what is happening today in Afghanistan is uncannily identical to what took place 200 years ago！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0