r/HistoryMemes • u/ssgt-k-stark • 9h ago
At least it looks cool
CONTEXT: In 1929, Afghanistan was in a civil war after a guy named Habibullah overthrew the king and proclaimed himself the new king but nobody really recognized his rule as legitimate. This guy named Ali Ahmad Khan twice managed to unite various tribes and had himself proclaimed the legitimate king but both times was defeated by Habibullah’s forces after less than a month. After the second time, Habibullah captured him and executed him by tying him to the front of a cannon and shooting him (or parts of him) out. Habibullah was overthrown and executed a few months later by another guy although he escaped the same grisly punishment.
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u/EpicAura99 9h ago
This was also a popular method from the British in India IIRC
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u/BrizzleBerserker 8h ago
It's older than that, the Mughals and Portuguese did it before the British did.
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u/Dominarion 8h ago
Yeah, but the Brits did do it on a massive scale.
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u/AndreasDasos 3h ago
Yes, all three used it on a massive scale too.
Though it’s more ‘sensational’, the Mughal tradition of flogging to death, older tradition of elephant trampling, and the traditional English execution method of hanging, drawing and quartering weren’t exactly nicer.
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u/Crafter235 8h ago
Really over the top there.
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u/ssgt-k-stark 7h ago edited 7h ago
Another over the top fact about him: when Habibullah was overthrown and executed, his body was buried in an unmarked grave. He remained a super politically charged figure for decades as some considered him a traitor, others a patriot. In 2016, his remains were found and his supporters wanted him buried with royal honors and at his re-burial ceremony a riot broke out between supporters and protesters that left one dead and four injured.
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u/Dieters_A_Dick 7h ago
Is this historical... canon?