1919 in Afghanistan
overview of Afghanistan-related events during the year of 1919
The following lists events that happened during 1919 in Afghanistan.
Incumbents
Monarch – Habibullah Khan (until February 20), Nasrullah Khan (February 21-February 28), Amanullah Khan (starting February 28)
February 20, 1919
The amir Habibullah Khan, who was a loyal friend to Britain, is murdered whilst camping in the Laghman Valley, one of many river valleys located within Laghman Province, near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Following the murder, different contenders compete for the throne. At Jalalabad, a proclamation is issued that Nasrullah Khan has assumed the throne, but in Kabul power is seized by Amanullah Khan, the third son of the late amir. Amanullah's mother was Habibullah's chief wife; but the late amir's eldest son, Inayatullah, appears to have supported the claims of Nasrullah. Amanullah soon shows, however, that he has control of the situation and the rival claimant withdraws. There is more than a suspicion that Nasrullah (a brother of the late sovereign) was not unduly disturbed at Habibullah's assassination. The new amir, Amanullah, begins his reign by announcing that he will punish those who are guilty of the assassination of his father, that he will institute reforms in the country, including the abolition of virtual slavery, which exists in a disguised form, and that he will preserve the tradition of friendship with India. On April 13, a durbar is held at Kabul to investigate the assassination of the late amir. A colonel is found guilty of committing the murder and executed, and the new amir's uncle, Nasrullah, is found guilty of complicity in the crime, and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
The public source identifies “1919 in Afghanistan” as overview of Afghanistan-related events during the year of 1919. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Afghanistan, overview and Afghanistan-related.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “1919 in Afghanistan”, the useful work is to connect “overview of Afghanistan-related events during the year of 1919” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 19, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4560704. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1919.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “1919 in Afghanistan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 1919 in Afghanistan primary sources, 1919 in Afghanistan archive and Afghanistan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “1919 in Afghanistan”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “1919 in Afghanistan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.