Background
He was born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by right of primogeniture in October 1901.
He was born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by right of primogeniture in October 1901.
Habibullah was a relatively secular, reform-minded ruler who attempted to modernize his country. During his reign he worked to bring modern medicine and other technology to Afghanistan. In 1903, Habibullah founded the Habibia school as well as a military academy.
He also worked to put in place progressive reforms in his country.
He instituted various legal reforms and repealed many of the harshest criminal penalties. But one of his chief advisors Abdul Lateef was sentenced to death in 1903 for apostasy.
He was stoned to death in Kabul. Other reforms included the dismantling of the repressive internal intelligence organization that had been put in place by his father.
He strictly maintained the country"s neutrality in World War I, despite strenuous efforts by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a German military mission to enlist Afghanistan on its side.
Habibullah was assassinated while on a hunting trip at Laghman Province on February 20, 1919.
