Ahmad Shah Durrani vs Leopold III of Belgium

Ahmad Shah Durrani was elected as the leader of the Pashtun tribes at a loya jirga in Kandahar, following the assassination of Nadir Shah of Persia. He was crowned as the first King of Afghanistan, founding the Durrani Empire and the modern Afghan state.

Ahmad Shah Durrani made Kandahar the capital of his new empire. He built a new city, including the famous mausoleum of the Prophet Muhammad's cloak, and established it as the political and cultural center of the Durrani Empire.

Ahmad Shah Durrani captured the cities of Herat and Mashhad from the declining Persian Empire. These conquests expanded the Durrani Empire's territory into modern-day Iran and secured control over key trade routes and religious centers.

Ahmad Shah Durrani led Afghan forces to a decisive victory against the Maratha Empire at the Third Battle of Panipat in India. The battle halted Maratha expansion in northern India and established Afghan influence in the region, but also weakened both empires.

Leopold III became king of Belgium after his father Albert I's death. He inherited a country facing economic depression and rising political tensions between Flemish and French-speaking communities.

Germany invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940. Leopold III took personal command of the Belgian army, which fought for 18 days before being overwhelmed by the German blitzkrieg.

Leopold III surrendered the Belgian army to Germany on May 28, 1940, without consulting his government. This decision was condemned by the Belgian government in exile, which declared him unable to reign.

Leopold III remained in Belgium under German house arrest at the Royal Palace of Laeken. He was later deported to Germany in 1944 and then to Austria, where he was liberated by American forces in 1945.

After World War II, a referendum on Leopold III's return to the throne divided Belgium. Violence erupted between supporters and opponents, leading to his abdication on July 16, 1951, in favor of his son Baudouin.