Habibullah Khan (Afghan king)

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His Majesty Habibu'llah Khan

Reign	October 1, 1901 - February 20, 1919
Predecessor	Abdur Rahman Khan
Successor	Amanullah Khan
Dynasty	Barakzai
Father	Abdur Rahman Khan
Mother	Asal Begum, Uzbek consort
Born	1872 Tashkent, Turkistan
Died	February 20, 1919 Kalagosh, Afghanistan

Habibullah Khan (1872 – February 20, 1919) was the King of Afghanistan from 1901 until 1919. He was born in Tashkent, 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 Western medicine and other technology to Afghanistan. In 1904, Habibullah founded the Habibia school as well as a military academy. He also published a weekly paper in Persian called Siraj-ul-Akhbar, which agitated for reform. He instituted various legal reforms and repealed many of the harshest criminal penalties. 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, spiritual ruler of Islam, to enlist Afghanistan on its side. He also greatly reduced tensions with India, signing a treaty of friendship in 1905 and paying an official state visit in 1907.

Habibullah was assassinated while on a hunting trip at Kalagosh on February 20, 1919.

Preceded by Abdur Rahman Khan

King of Afghanistan 1901 – 1919

Succeeded by Amanullah Khan