52-893: The Panjdeh Incident (spelled Penjdeh in older accounts, and known in Russian historiography as the Battle of the Kushka ) was an armed engagement between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Russian Empire in 1885 that led to a diplomatic crisis between Great Britain and the Russian Empire regarding the Russian expansion south-eastwards towards the Emirate of Afghanistan and the British Raj (India). After nearly completing
104-601: A fort at Kazyl Tepe (Red Hill) about 2 mi (3.2 km) south of Ak Tepe and a mile south of Pul-i-Khishty (Brick Bridge) across the Kushk . On 25 March, Komarov arrived at Kazyl Tepe with 1,500 men. Two days later, they advanced, apparently trying to provoke the Afghans into firing first. Captain Charles Yate was the most senior British officer present, with only two other Europeans, and they futilely attempted to defuse
156-692: A greater say in Afghanistan's foreign policy. Meanwhile, he signed the Treaty of Gandamak with the British on 26 May 1879, relinquishing solely the control of Afghanistan foreign affairs to the British Empire . However, when the British envoy Sir Louis Cavagnari was killed in Kabul on 3 September 1879, the British offered to accept Abdur Rahman Khan as Emir. The British concluded a peace treaty with
208-563: A tribe that had submitted to Russia. On 8 November, Lumsden arrived at Serakhs with 250 Sepoys and 200 Bengal Lancers , having crossed little-known country in Baluchistan . Komarov avoided meeting him, claiming he was "occupied with other affairs." In mid-November, Komarov made a move up the Murghab toward Panjdeh and more Afghan troops were shifted up to counter this. The Russians built an advanced post at Sanduk Kuchan (Sandykgachy?) on
260-572: Is a grassy region sometimes called Badghis which is bounded by the Hari-Rud river on the west and the Murghab River to the east. The Hari-Rud flows north along the modern Iranian border, enters Turkmenistan and spreads out forming the Tejend oasis before drying up in the desert. The Murghab flows north through what is now Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, reaches Yoloten and spreads out, forming
312-591: Is noted that the Afghans pursued the Russian rearguard and constantly insulted it with shouts of "get out of here, there are no Merv and Turkmens, there are only Afghans here, we defeated the British and we will defeat you" this greatly offended Komarov and he got involved in the battle. That's what he reported to St. Petersburg: "The complete victory once again covered the troops of the Sovereign Emperor in Central Asia with great glory. The insolence of
364-579: Is to the military genius of the French that we are indebted for the formation of the Indian army. Our warlike neighbours were the first to introduce into India the system of drilling native troops and converting them into a regularly disciplined force. Their example was copied by us, and the result is what we now behold. Sepoys were also recruited in Portuguese India . The term cipaio (sepoy)
416-655: The Battle of Wandewash in 1760, France continued to maintain a Military Corps of Indian Sepoys ( corps militaire des cipayes de l'Inde ) in Pondicherry until it was disbanded and replaced by a locally recruited gendarmerie in 1898. The 19th century diplomat Sir Justin Sheil commented about the British East India Company copying the French Indian army in raising an army of Indians: It
468-551: The British East India Company . The term "sipahi" (or sometimes "sepoy") continues in use in the modern Indian , Pakistan and Nepalese armies, where it denotes the rank of private . In Persian اسپ (Aspa) means horse and Ispahai is also the word for cavalrymen. The term sepoy is the anglicised -form of the Persian word sepāhī ( سپاهی ), meaning the traditional "infantry soldier" in
520-577: The British withdrawing ; unable to subjugate the country, they forged greater ties instead, allowing Dost Mohammad to move toward uniting the dis-united state of Afghanistan, which split from the Durrani Civil wars brought on by the sons of Timur Shah . Upon the death of Dost Mohammad in 1863, he was succeeded by his son, Sher Ali Khan . However, three years later, his older brother Mohammad Afzal Khan overthrew him . In 1868, Mohammad Afzal Khan
572-484: The First Anglo-Afghan War , fought between 1838 and 1842. During the war, Britain occupied the capital, Kabul, of the then called Emirate of Kabul, in an effort to prevent Afghanistan from coming under Russian control and curb Russian expansion , while also keeping Afghanistan in the British fold under a puppet leader, Shah Shujah Durrani . The war ended with Dost Mohammad returning to the throne, with
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#1732771749457624-933: The Kingdom of Afghanistan . 34°32′N 69°08′E / 34.533°N 69.133°E / 34.533; 69.133 Sepoy Sepoy ( / ˈ s iː p ɔɪ / ), related to sipahi , is a term denoting professional Indian infantryman , traditionally armed with a musket , in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha Army . In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its other European counterparts employed locally recruited soldiers within India, mainly consisting of infantry designated as "sepoys". The largest sepoy force, trained along European lines, served
676-577: The Kushk River , which they called Ak-Tepe (White Hill; probably the old fort visible from space at 36°02′14″N 62°44′54″E / 36.0371°N 62.7483°E / 36.0371; 62.7483 ). The Russians thought that the Afghans had done this with British connivance but the Afghans and the British claimed that the people of Panjdeh had always paid tribute to the Afghans or whoever controlled Herat. The Russians claimed that Panjdeh had never been garrisoned and that its people were part of
728-633: The Mughal Empire . In the Ottoman Empire the term sipahi was used to refer to cavalrymen. The term sepoy came into common use in the forces of the British East India Company in the eighteenth century, where it was one of a number of names, such as peons , gentoos , mestees and topasses , used for various categories of native soldier. Initially it referred to Hindu or Muslim soldiers without regular uniforms or discipline. It later generically referred to all native soldiers in
780-662: The Russian conquest of Central Asia ( Russian Turkestan ), the Russians captured an Afghan border fort, threatening British interests in the area. Seeing this as a threat to India, Britain prepared for war but both sides backed down and the matter was settled diplomatically, with the Russians and Afghans exchanging territories. The incident halted further Russian expansion in Asia, except for the Pamir Mountains , and resulted in
832-538: The Trans-Caspian Railway which would allow them to bring men and supplies to Merv and beyond. Most of Turkmenistan is desert but irrigation supports a fairly dense population on the north slope of the Kopet Dag (Geok Tepe and Ashgabat). East of this are the oases of Tejend and Merv, the latter being one of the great cities of central Asia. Tejend was much smaller and to the south of Tejend and Merv
884-555: The quarter guard and frequently paraded before the men. They formed a rallying point in battle. The oath of fealty by the sepoy was given to the East India Company and included a pledge of faithfulness to the salt that one has eaten. The salary of the sepoys employed by the East India Company, while not substantially greater than that paid by the rulers of Indian states, was usually paid regularly. Advances could be given and family allotments from pay due were permitted when
936-416: The "father and mother" of the sepoys making up the paltan (from "platoon"). There were many family and community ties amongst the troops and numerous instances where family members enlisted in the same battalion or regiment. The izzat ("honour") of the unit was represented by the regimental colours ; the new sepoy having to swear an oath in front of them on enlistment. These colours were stored in honour in
988-466: The Afghans forced me, in order to maintain the honor and dignity of Russia, to attack their heavily fortified positions on both banks of the Kushka River on March 18. The Afghan detachment of regular troops, with a force of 4 thousand people with 8 guns, was defeated and scattered, lost more than 500 people. killed, two banners, all the artillery, the convoy, supplies... The British officers directing
1040-533: The Afghans in 1880, and withdrew again in 1881 from Afghanistan. The British, in 1893, forced Afghanistan to consent to a new border, termed the Durand Line , which cuts right through the historic Pashtun settlement region. After the war, Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, who struck down the country reformed and repressed numerous uprisings. After his death in 1901 his son Habibullah Khan succeeded as emir and continued reforms. Habibullah Khan sought reconciliation with
1092-453: The Atak country north-west of Serakhs into which Russian patrols had penetrated. The conflict was finally settled only in 1887 and almost led to war, the Russian government was glad the result of the conflict, Russian sources defined it as a victory for Russia, including Mikhail Terent'yev [ ru ] . while some modern sources brings the result of the incident as a compromise despite
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#17327717494571144-472: The Bengal Army however, recruitment was only amongst high caste Brahmin and Rajput communities, mainly from the present day Uttar Pradesh and Bihar regions. Recruitment was undertaken locally by battalions or regiments often from the same community, village and even family. The commanding officer of a battalion became a form of substitute for the village chief or gaon bura . He was the mai-baap or
1196-591: The Emirate was dominated by the ' Great Game ' between the Russian Empire and the British Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. This period was characterized by European influence in Afghanistan . The Emirate of Afghanistan continued the Durrani Empire's war with the Sikh Empire , losing control of the former Afghan stronghold of the Valley of Peshawar at the Battle of Nowshera on 14 March 1823. This
1248-519: The Merv oasis. Where the Murghab crosses the current border, the irrigated area of Panjdeh (Five Villages) existed. Badghis was about 100 mi (160 km) wide and 75–150 mi (121–241 km) long from north to south, depending on where the boundaries are set. South of Badghis is the important Afghan city and border fort of Herat . At the time of the Panjdeh incident, it was generally agreed that
1300-596: The Mughal Empire during the Carnatic Wars and the Bengal War . After which the importance of the local sepoy diminished and were replaced by the "European hired Sepoy". The East India Company initially recruited sepoys from the local communities in the Madras and Bombay Presidencies . The emphasis here favored tall and soldierly recruits, broadly defined as being "of a proper caste and of sufficient size". In
1352-526: The Murghab. Alikhanov went to parley with the Ak Tepe commander but was driven away with threats. The Afghans then sent a detachment to occupy Sary Yazy 10 mi (16 km) south of the Russian outpost. For a few months there was a lull. Then in February 1885, the Russians occupied a post 3 mi (4.8 km) south of Sary Yazy. Lumsden advised the Afghans to withdraw further south. Russia next built
1404-583: The UK, where he graduated in 1905 with a peace treaty with Russia, stretching for defeat in the Russo-Japanese War had to withdraw from Afghanistan. In the First World War, Afghanistan remained neutral, despite German and Ottoman efforts ( Niedermayer–Hentig Expedition ). In 1919 Habibullah Khan was assassinated by political opponents. Habibullah Khan's son Amanullah Khan was in 1919 against
1456-550: The United Kingdom, the British very recognized the conquest of Panjdeh by Komarov, and the Russian government made concessions to Afghanistan. The absence of British aid to Afghanistan was seen as a violation of the Treaty of Gandamak . This led the Amir to believe that he could not rely on the British in the face of Russian aggression. Tensions between Russia and Britain eased when the Russian foreign minister Nikolay Girs and
1508-590: The actions of the Afghans asked for our protection; unfortunately, my convoy did not catch up with them: they were probably carried away by the fleeing Afghan cavalry..." The news reached England on 7 April and preparations for war began. On 27 April, William Gladstone asked the Commons for a credit of £11 million (£4.5 million for the Mahdist War in the Sudan (where Khartoum had fallen a few months earlier ) and
1560-403: The ambassador to London Baron de Staal set up an agreement in 1887 that established a buffer zone in Central Asia. Russian diplomacy thereby won grudging British acceptance of its expansionism. In 1886, a new agreement was concluded with the new Afghan emir, according to which the cities of Chardjui and Kerki transmitted to Russia. In 1890, Russia founded Kushka ( Serhetabat ) at the south end of
1612-741: The commissioners including Russian General Zelenoi and British General Sir Peter Lumsden . They were to meet at Serakhs in October but both were delayed. The Russians tried to push the border as far to the south as possible before it became fixed. General Komarov, governor of the Transcaspian Oblast , went south to Serakhs and expelled a Persian garrison on the east side of the Hari-Rud. The Russians then occupied Pul-i-Khatun 40 mi (64 km) south in Afghan territory. Later, they occupied
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1664-662: The condition that a subsidy be paid to the Afghans and the British military fully withdraw. Emir Amanullah Khan signed the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 following the Third Anglo-Afghan War , gaining full Afghan independence. In 1926, Amanullah Khan reformed the country as the Kingdom of Afghanistan , becoming its first King. Escalated a few years after the establishment of the emirate, the Russian and British interests were in conflict between Muhammad Shah of Iran and Dost Mohammad Khan , which led to
1716-619: The definition of the north-western border of Afghanistan. After the Battle of Geok Tepe in January 1881 and the annexation of Merv in March 1884, Russia held most of what is now Turkmenistan . To the south of Merv, towards Herat in Afghanistan, the border was not clearly defined. The British were concerned because the Merv–Herat– Kandahar – Quetta line was a natural invasion route to India. The Russians had commenced construction of
1768-404: The equivalent ranks were sowar or "trooper". Following the formation of the French East India Company ( Compagnie des Indes ) in 1719, companies of Indian sepoys ( cipayes ) were raised to augment the French regulars and Swiss mercenary troops available. By 1720 the sepoys in French service numbered about 10,000. Although much reduced in numbers after their decisive defeat in India at
1820-572: The mid to late 17th century they began to utilize more upgraded forms of muskets and even rockets . These sepoys also operated and mounted artillery pieces and sharpshooter upon war elephants which were also used for transport, hauling artillery and in combat. By the 18th century individual Nawabs employed their own sepoy units as did the European merchant companies established in parts of India. Sepoys became more visible when they gained European arms and fought for various fragmented polities of
1872-560: The new territory and, in 1901, connected Kushka by rail to Merv. Kushka remained the southernmost settlement in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union . The 1921 Afghan-Soviet Treaty of Friendship was one of the first international agreements made by Soviet Russia. Although "the Soviets agreed to return to Afghanistan, subject to plebiscites, territories in the Panjdeh area ceded under duress by Afghanistan to Russia or Bukhara in
1924-618: The nineteenth century," this was not done. Emirate of Afghanistan The Emirate of Afghanistan , known as the Emirate of Kabul until 1855, was an emirate in Central Asia and South Asia that encompassed present-day Afghanistan and parts of present-day Pakistan (before 1893). The emirate emerged from the Durrani Empire , when Dost Mohammad Khan , the founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Kabul , prevailed. The history of
1976-587: The northern frontier of Afghanistan began from the Persian border at Serakhs , running about 270 mi (430 km) east-north-east to meet the Oxus at Khoja Sale, an old name for the point where the Oxus now leaves Afghanistan. This border had never been properly defined. In 1882, Britain and Russia began discussions about the Afghan boundary. In the summer of 1884, they agreed to form an Afghan Boundary Commission ,
2028-566: The pass or canyon at Zulfikar and a place called Ak Robat about 50 mi (80 km) to the east. On the east side, the Sarik Turkomans of Yoloten submitted to the Russians in May 1884 but their kinsmen at Panjdeh refused, saying that they were subjects of the Amir of Kabul. The Afghans sent troops to Bala Murghab and in June began building a fort at the north end of Panjdeh at the mouth of
2080-678: The rank of private . The same Persian word reached English via another route in the forms of sipahi and spahi . Zipaio , the Basque version of the word, is used by leftist Basque nationalists as an insult for members of the Basque Police , implying that they are not a national police of the Basque region due to their connection with the Spanish government. In Hispanic American countries, especially in Argentina ,
2132-543: The rest for Russia). Alexander III of Russia suggested arbitration and negotiations which the British accepted. The crisis was partly averted by the initiative of Abdur Rahman Khan , the Amir of Afghanistan, who was then at Rawalpindi engaged in talks with the British. Having no desire to see two foreign armies fighting in his country, when told of Panjdeh, he pretended to regard it as a mere border skirmish. In mid-summer, Lord Salisbury replaced Gladstone, which may have made British threats more credible. By 10 September, it
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2184-446: The rightful heir apparent Nasrullah Khan , the then Emir of Afghanistan . Shortly afterwards another war broke which lasted for three months. This war was ended with the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 after which, the Afghans were able to resume the right to conduct their own foreign affairs as a fully independent state. Amanullah Khan began the reformation of the country and was crowned 1926 Padshah (king) of Afghanistan and founded
2236-424: The service of the European powers in India. Close to ninety-six percent of the British East India Company's army of 300,000 men were native to India and these sepoys played a crucial role in securing the subcontinent for the company. The earliest sepoys used matchlock muskets and operated bulky and inefficient cannons to a limited extent during the reigns of Babur Akbar when archery and fighting from horseback
2288-410: The situation by talking to the Russian officers. The Afghans also occupied the territory on the left bank of the Kushka, several Russian requests from here were rejected. On 30 (18) March 1885, Russians attacked the Afghans and defeated them, putting them to flight, the Russians got all the artillery, the convoy and they occupied Panjdeh. Komarov himself described his actions as a pre-emptive strike, It
2340-436: The troops served abroad. There was a commissariat and regular rations were provided. Weapons, clothing and ammunition were provided centrally, in contrast to the soldiers of local kings whose pay was often in arrears. In addition local rulers usually expected their sepoys to arm themselves and to sustain themselves through plunder. This combination of factors led to the development of a sense of shared honour and ethos amongst
2392-420: The victory of the Russians in the field battle. After the battle, Komarov was awarded a gold weapon with diamonds for "Bravery" and received a personal thanks from Alexander III . Russian soldiers also composed a song dedicated to the battle with the title "let's remember the 18th of March". The battle became the reason for the beginning of the short-term Afghan crisis [ ru ] between Russia and
2444-543: The well drilled and disciplined Indian soldiery who formed the key to the success of European feats of arms in India and abroad. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the surviving East India Company regiments were merged into a new Indian Army under the direct control of the British Crown. The designation of "sepoy" was retained for Indian soldiers below the rank of lance naik , except in cavalry where
2496-524: Was also applied by the Portuguese to African soldiers in Angola , Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea , plus African rural police officers. Cipaios from Angola provided part of the garrison of Goa during the final years of Portuguese rule of that Indian territory. The title of "sepoy" is still retained in the modern Nepalese Army , Indian Army and Pakistan Army . In each of these it designates
2548-479: Was followed in 1838 by the First Anglo-Afghan War with British forces. The war eventually resulted in victory for Afghans, with the British withdrawal in 1842 and Dost Mohammad being reinstalled to the throne. However, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–1880), the British and Afghans signed the Treaty of Gandamak , which allowed the British to assume control of the Afghan territories within modern-day Pakistan as well as of Afghanistan's foreign affairs, on
2600-448: Was himself overthrown and replaced as Emir by Sher Ali, who returned to the throne after spending few short years in exile in Russia. His return as Emir led to new conflicts with Britain. Subsequently, the British marched on 21 November 1878 into Afghanistan and Emir Sher Ali was forced to flee again to Russia, but he died in 1879 in Mazar-i-Sharif . His successor, Mohammad Yaqub Khan , sought solutions for peace with Russia and gave them
2652-492: Was more common. By the time of Aurangzeb the Mughal armies had advanced significantly and utilized a wider range of weapons to win battles. During the Carnatic Wars and Anglo-Mysore Wars the sepoys of the Mughal Empire employed more advanced types of musket, as well as blunderbuss and rocket weapons. A Sipahi or a sepoy was an infantryman armed with a musket in the army of the Mughal Empire . The earliest sepoys were armed with daggers, talwars and matchlocks . By
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#17327717494572704-437: Was roughly agreed that Russia would keep Panjdeh, give up Zulfikar, and that the border would be approximately where it is now. The border commissioners started at Zulfikar on 10 November, reached the Murghab by Christmas, and went into winter quarters. In 1886, the line was run from the Murghab to the Oxus. Some minor problems had to be resolved by diplomats and the final protocol was signed on 22 July 1887. Persia somehow retained
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