Empire Rising: Spain

The end of the Russo-Turkish War did not bring long-lasting peace to the world, but rather intensified the competition between the two European powers, the United Kingdom and Russia.

In addition to fierce competition on the Balkan Peninsula, there was also significant tension between Russia and the United Kingdom in Central Asia.

Between the Ottoman Empire and the Indian Colony were the countries of Afghanistan and Iran, where the conflict between the United Kingdom and Russia was most intense.

Originally, there were indigenous countries like the Khiva Khanate and the Emirate of Bukhara more to the north, but they were annexed by the Russians a few years ago.

Although these indigenous countries still nominally existed, their administrative and military powers were controlled by the Russians. This also meant that Russia’s actual control extended to the borders of Afghanistan and Iran, with the potential to seize a coastal colony between the Ottoman Empire and the Indian Colony at any moment.

This was absolutely unacceptable to the British, as the British Indian Colony was dangerously close to this land.

If the Russians opened a seaport in Central Asia, they would inevitably expand further in this region. The Indian Colony would then face harassment from a great bear, and the British Empire did not want to lose its jewel; any topic regarding the Indian Colony was taboo for the British Empire.

With Russia seeking to expand its influence in Central Asia, the British naturally aimed to prevent this expansion.

Since the more northern indigenous countries had already been annexed by Russia, the British turned their focus to the last two remaining countries in Central Asia, namely Iran and Afghanistan.

Due to Afghanistan’s proximity to the Indian Colony, the British decided to first take control of Afghanistan and then extend their influence into Iran, ensuring that the Russians would not gain a seaport in Central Asia.

At this time, Afghanistan was merely a weak indigenous country, having been established only 55 years earlier.

The British had no qualms about such a weak indigenous nation.

In late 1878, the British Government first engaged with Afghanistan, requesting that the Afghan government receive a British delegation led by British General N. Chamberlain and allow a small British military contingent to accompany the delegation into Afghanistan.

This diplomatic request was, in fact, blatant intimidation, which the Afghan government naturally refused.

The Emir of Afghanistan, Hill Ali Khan, directly rejected the British Government’s proposal, declaring that in no circumstance would they allow British troops onto their soil.

The audacity of a small indigenous nation rejecting the demands of the mighty British Empire naturally incensed the British Government and even the general populace.

The British Government took this opportunity to declare war on Afghanistan, leading to the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Afghan War.

Almost 40 years earlier, the United Kingdom and the Emirate of Afghanistan had already engaged in a war. The reason for the conflict at that time was similar, primarily because the Emirate of Afghanistan had aligned with Russia, leading the British to wage war to secure their Indian Colony.

The so-called Anglo-Afghan War was not newsworthy in Europe, as it was seen as a complete mismatch between a powerful great power and an indigenous nation.

The only aspect worthy of attention was the possible Russian presence behind Afghanistan, for without Russian support, the Afghan Emir could not have so decisively rejected the British Government’s proposal.

In the eyes of other European countries, it was Russia that rapidly instructed the Emirate of Afghanistan to refuse the British proposal, aiming to embarrass the United Kingdom, which had suppressed Russia in the Russo-Turkish War.

However, the subsequent development of events quickly surprised the European nations.

As British troops continuously invaded from the Indian Colony border into their territory, the Afghan Emir soon sought assistance from Russia to the north.

Hill Ali Khan hoped that Russian troops would quickly arrive, allowing his nation to survive amidst the contest between two great powers.

But the refusal of the Russian Government was so cold that it brought more grief than despair to Hill Ali Khan, who soon died in anger, much like the betrayed Tsar Nicholas I.

After Hill Ali Khan’s death, his son Yaqub Khan became the new Emir of Afghanistan.

By this time, the situation in Afghanistan was already dire; British forces had occupied a significant portion of Afghan land, and Afghanistan’s own troops were too few to challenge the British in direct confrontation.

The Anglo-Afghan War was also the last major event of 1878. Before it ended, the year quickly turned to 1879.

At the beginning of 1879, the Anglo-Afghan War concluded with a comprehensive British victory. However, finalizing a treaty would take some time, as the British Government could not entirely annex Afghanistan; doing so would likely provoke more intense resistance from the Afghan natives and allow the Russians to exploit the situation to create trouble for the British.

The primary British goal was to integrate some Afghan land into India and strengthen control over Afghanistan, ensuring that the Russians were kept beyond Afghanistan’s border.

Afghanistan needed to remain, serving as a buffer zone between British and Russian spheres of influence.

Without Afghanistan, the British and Russian spheres of influence would directly border one another, leading to more intense military confrontations at the border, which the British were unwilling to witness.