A first class order of the Durrani Empire, made for officers of the Bengal Army, 
Afghanistan,...

A first class order of the Durrani Empire, made for officers of the Bengal Army, 
Afghanistan, circa 1839-42, 

Presented by Maharaja Ranjit Singh to Sir Claude Martin Wade, comprising a medal and star, the star with an overlaid gilt eight-pointed Maltese cross on two crossed swords, set with white stones on each arm of the gold cross, fifteen imitation pearls (two missing) circling a blue and green enamelled centre inscribed in nasta'liq, the reverse fitted with a brooch-pin; the medal, a Maltese cross with 17 imitation pearls surrounding a similar enamelled centre, the reverse plain, on a red and green ribbon

The larger 9.5cm.

(2)

The enamelled central panels on both medal reads: ila min allah, sarkar shah shuja al-mulk dur duran, '[Nothing except Allah], His excellency Shah Shuja al-Mulk Dur Duran'

Provenance :
The collection of Colonel Sir Claude Martine Wade (3 April 1794-21 October 1861), thence by descent
Christie's London, 28 October 2020, lot 86

Shah Shujah Durrani (1785 –1842) was ruler of the Durrani Empire from 1803 to 1809. He then ruled from 1839 until his death in 1842. Son of Timur Shah Durrani, Shujah was of the Sadduzai line of the Abdali group of Pashtuns. He became the fifth King of the Durrani Empire. 

In June 1809, he was overthrown by his predecessor Mahmud Shah in the battle of Nimla, and went into exile in the Punjab, where he was captured by Jahandad Khan Bamizai and imprisoned at Attok (1811–1812) and then taken to Kashmir (1812–1813) by Atta Muhammad Khan. When Mahmud Shah's vizier Fateh Khan invaded Kashmir alongside Ranjit Singh's army, Shujah chose to leave with the Sikh army. He stayed in Lahore from 1813 to 1814. During his time in India, Shujah was imprisoned and forced to give up the Timur Ruby, Koh-i-Noor, and the sister diamond Dray-i-Nur to Ranjit Singh. He escaped from Ranjit's detention at the Mubarek Haveli Lahore for Ludhiana and the East India Company.

From 1818 onward, Shujah who liked to live in a lavish style with his wives and concubines had collected a pension from the East India Company, which thought Shujah might prove useful one day. Shujah stayed first in Ludhiana where he was joined by Zeman Shah in 1821. The place where he stayed in Ludhiana was occupied by the Main Post Office near Mata Rani Chowk and inside it there used to be a white marble stone commemorating his stay there