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Aston Martin
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1987–2007: Ford Motor Company
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1987–2007: Ford Motor Company
As Aston Martin needed funds to survive in the long term, Ford bought a 75% stake in the company in 1987, and bought the rest later. In May of that year, Victor Gauntlett and Prince Michael of Kent were staying at the home of Contessa Maggi, the wife of the founder of the original Mille Miglia, while watching the revival event. Another house guest was Walter Hayes, vice-president of Ford of Europe. Despite problems over the previous acquisition of AC Cars, Hayes saw the potential of the brand and the discussion resulted in Ford taking a share holding in September 1987. In 1988, having produced some 5,000 cars in 20 years, a revived economy and successful sales of limited edition Vantage, and 52 Volante Zagato coupés at £86,000 each; Aston Martin finally retired the ancient V8 and introduced the Virage range.
Although Gauntlett was contractually to stay as chairman for two years, his racing interests took the company back into sports car racing in 1989 with limited European success. However, with engine rule changes for the 1990 season and the launch of the new Volante model, Ford provided the limited supply of Cosworth engines to the Jaguar cars racing team. As the entry-level DB7 would require a large engineering input, Ford agreed to take full control of Aston Martin, and Gauntlett handed over Aston Martin's chairmanship to Hayes in 1991. In 1992, the high-performance variant of the Virage called the Vantage was announced, and the following year Aston Martin renewed the DB range by announcing the DB7.
By 1993, Ford had fully acquired the company after having built a stake in 1987. Ford placed Aston Martin in the Premier Automotive Group, invested in new manufacturing and ramped up production. In 1994, Ford opened a new factory at Banbury Road in Bloxham to manufacture the DB7. In 1995, Aston Martin produced a record 700 cars. Until the Ford era, cars had been produced by hand coachbuilding craft methods, such as the English wheel. During the mid-1990s, the Special Projects Group, a secretive unit with Works Service at Newport Pagnell, created an array of special coach-built vehicles for the Brunei royal family.David Dowsey (2007). Aston Martin: Power, Beauty and Soul. Peleus Press. . In 1998, the 2,000th DB7 was built, and in 2002, the 6,000th, exceeding production of all of the previous DB series models. The DB7 range was revamped by the addition of more powerful V12 Vantage models in 1999, and in 2001, Aston Martin introduced the V12-engined flagship model called the Vanquish which succeeded the aging Virage (now called the V8 Coupé).
thumb|right|The DB9 was the first car to use the "vertical/horizontal" platform.
At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan in 2003, Aston Martin introduced the V8 Vantage concept car. Expected to have few changes before its introduction in 2005, the Vantage brought back the classic V8 engine to allow Aston Martin to compete in a larger market. 2003 also saw the opening of the Gaydon factory, the first purpose-built factory in Aston Martin's history. The facility is situated on a site of a former RAF V Bomber airbase, with an front building for offices, meeting rooms and customer reception, and a production building. Also introduced in 2003 was the DB9 coupé, which replaced the ten-year-old DB7. A convertible version of the DB9, the DB9 Volante, was introduced at the 2004 Detroit auto show.
In October 2004, Aston Martin set up the dedicated Aston Martin Engine Plant (AMEP) within the Ford Germany plant in Niehl, Cologne. With the capacity to produce up to 5,000 engines a year by 100 specially trained personnel, like traditional Aston Martin engine production from Newport Pagnell, assembly of each unit was entrusted to a single technician from a pool of 30, with V8 and V12 variants assembled in under 20 hours. By bringing engine production back to within Aston Martin, the promise was that Aston Martin would be able to produce small runs of higher performance variants' engines. This expanded engine capacity allowed the entry-level V8 Vantage sports car to enter production at the Gaydon factory in 2006, joining the DB9 and DB9 Volante.
In December 2003, Aston Martin announced it would return to motor racing in 2005. A new division was created, called Aston Martin Racing, which became responsible, together with Prodrive, for the design, development, and management of the DBR9 program. The DBR9 competes in the GT class in sports car races, including the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 2006, an internal audit led Ford to consider divesting itself of parts of its Premier Automotive Group. After suggestions of selling Jaguar Cars, Land Rover, or Volvo Cars were weighed, Ford announced in August 2006 it had engaged UBS AG to sell all or part of Aston Martin at auction.
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Aston Martin
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2007–2018: Private Limited Company
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2007–2018: Private Limited Company
On 12 March 2007, a consortium led by Prodrive chairman David Richards purchased Aston Martin for £475 million (US$848 million). The group included American investment banker John Sinders and two Kuwaiti companies namely Investment Dar and Adeem Investment. Prodrive had no financial involvement in the deal. Ford kept a stake in Aston Martin valued at £40 million (US$70 million).
To demonstrate the V8 Vantage's durability across hazardous terrain and promote the car in China, the first east–west crossing of the Asian Highway was undertaken between June and August 2007. A pair of Britons drove from Tokyo to Istanbul before joining the European motorway network for another to London. The promotion was so successful Aston Martin opened dealerships in Shanghai and Beijing within three months.
On 19 July 2007, the Newport Pagnell plant rolled out the last of nearly 13,000 cars made there since 1955, a Vanquish S. The Tickford Street facility was converted and became the home of the Aston Martin Works classic car department which focuses on heritage sales, service, spares and restoration operations. UK production was subsequently concentrated on the facility in Gaydon on the former RAF V Bomber airbase.Aston Martin Gaydon at Tim Cottingham's Aston Martins (non-official) site In March 2008, Aston Martin announced a partnership with Magna Steyr to outsource manufacture of over 2,000 cars annually to Graz, Austria, reassuringly stating: "The continuing growth and success of Aston Martin is based upon Gaydon as the focal point and heart of the business, with the design and engineering of all Aston Martin products continuing to be carried out there."Statement by Aston Martin's CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez Official site, 4 March 2008
More dealers in Europe and the new pair in China brought the total to 120 in 28 countries. On 1 September 2008, Aston Martin announced the revival of the Lagonda marque, proposing a concept car to be shown in 2009 to coincide with the brand's 100th anniversary. The first production cars were slated for production in 2012. In December 2008, Aston Martin announced it would cut its workforce from 1,850 to 1,250 due to the economic recession.
The first four-door Rapide grand tourers rolled out of the Magna Steyr factory in Graz, Austria, in 2010.Media announcement on official website, 7 May 2010 The contract manufacturer provides dedicated facilities to ensure compliance with the exacting standards of Aston Martin and other marques, including Mercedes-Benz. Then CEO of the company, Ulrich Bez had publicly speculated about outsourcing all of Aston Martin's operations with the exception of marketing. In September 2011, it was announced that production of the Rapide would be returned to Gaydon in the second half of 2012, restoring all of the company's automobile manufacture there.
Italian private equity fund Investindustrial signed a deal on 6 December 2012 to buy a 37.5% stake in Aston Martin, investing £150 million as a capital increase. This was confirmed by Aston Martin in a press release on 7 December 2012. David Richards left Aston Martin in 2013, returning to concentrate on Prodrive.
right|thumb|2012 Aston Martin Vanquish
In April 2013, it was reported that Bez would be leaving his role as the chief executive officer to take up a more ambassadorial position. On 2 September 2014, Aston Martin announced it had appointed the Nissan executive Andy Palmer as the new CEO with Bez retaining a position as non-executive chairman. As sales had been declining from 2015, Aston Martin sought new customers (particularly wealthy female buyers) with introducing concept cars like the DBX SUV along with track focused cars like the Vulcan. According to Palmer, the troubles started when sales of the DB9 failed to generate sufficient fund to develop next-generation models which led to a downward spiral of declining sales and profitability.
Palmer outlined that the company plans to develop two new platforms, add a crossover, refresh its supercar lineup and leverage its technology alliance with Daimler as part of its six-year plan to make the 100-year-old British brand consistently profitable. He stated, "In the first century we went bankrupt seven times. The second century is about making sure that is not the case." In preparation for its next-generation of sports cars, the company invested £20 million ($33.4 million) to expand its manufacturing plant in Gaydon. The expansion at the Gaydon plant includes a new chassis and pilot build facility, as well as an extension of the parts and logistics storage area, and new offices. In total, Aston Martin will add approximately to the plant.
280px|thumb|Aston Martin Lagonda Production & Technology Centre St Athan, Wales
In 2014, Aston Martin suffered a pre-tax loss of £72 million, almost triple of the amount of 2013 selling 3,500 cars during the year, well below the 7,300 cars sold in 2007 and 4,200 sold in 2013 respectively. In March 2014, Aston Martin issued "payment in kind" notes of US$165 million, at 10.25% interest, in addition to the £304 million of senior secured notes at 9.25% issued in 2011. Aston Martin also had to secure an additional investment of £200 million from its shareholders to fund development of new models. It was reported that Aston Martin's pre-tax losses for 2016 increased by 27% to £162.8 million, the sixth year it continued to suffer a loss.
In February 2016, the company selected a site in St Athan, South Wales for its new factory. The Welsh facility was unanimously chosen by Aston's board despite fierce competition from other locations as far afield as the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, as well as other sites in the UK believed to be Bridgend, Birmingham, and Coventry. The facility featured three existing 'super-hangars' of MOD St Athan. Construction work of converting the hangars commenced in April 2017. Aston Martin returned to profit in 2017 after selling over 5,000 cars. The company made a pre-tax profit of £87 million compared with a £163 million loss in 2016. 2017 also marked the return of production of the Newport Pagnell facility ten years after it originally ceased.
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Aston Martin
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2013–present: Partnership with Mercedes-Benz Group
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2013–present: Partnership with Mercedes-Benz Group
In December 2013, Aston Martin signed a deal with Mercedes-Benz Group (at the time known as Daimler) to supply the next generation of Aston Martin cars with Mercedes-AMG engines. Mercedes-AMG also was to supply Aston Martin with electrical systems. This technical partnership was intended to support Aston Martin's launch of a new generation of models that would incorporate new technology and engines. In exchange, Mercedes will get as much as 5% equity in Aston Martin and a non-voting seat on its board. The first model to sport the Mercedes-Benz technology was the DB11, announced at the 86th Geneva Motor Show in March 2016. It featured Mercedes-Benz electronics for the entertainment, navigation and other systems. It was also the first model to use Mercedes-AMG V8 engines. In October 2020, Mercedes confirmed it will increase its holding "in stages" from 5% to 20%. In return, Aston Martin will have access to Mercedes-Benz hybrid and electric drivetrain technologies for its future models.
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Aston Martin
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2018–present: Listed on the London Stock Exchange
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2018–present: Listed on the London Stock Exchange
After "completing a turnaround for the once perennially loss-making company that could now be valued at up to 5 billion pounds ($6.4 billion)," and now reporting a full-year pre-tax profit of £87 million (compared with a £163 million loss in 2016) Aston Martin in August 2018 announced plans to float the company at the London Stock Exchange as Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc. The company was the subject of an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange on 3 October 2018. In the same year, Aston Martin opened a new vehicle dynamics test and development centre at Silverstone's Stowe Circuit alongside a new HQ in London. In June 2019, the company opened its new factory in St Athan for the production of its first-ever SUV the DBX. The factory was finally completed and officially opened on 6 December 2019. When full production begins in the second quarter of 2020, around 600 people will be employed at the factory, rising to 750 when peak production is reached.
On 31 January 2020 it was announced that Canadian billionaire and investor Lawrence Stroll was leading a consortium, Yew Tree Overseas Limited, who will pay £182 million in return for 16.7% stake in the company. The re-structuring includes a £318 million cash infusion through a new rights issue, generating a total of £500 million for the company. Stroll will also be named as chairman, replacing Penny Hughes. Swiss pharmaceutical magnate Ernesto Bertarelli and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team principal and CEO Toto Wolff have also joined the consortium, acquiring 3.4% and 4.8% stakes, respectively. In March 2020, Stroll increased his stake in the company to 25%.
On 26 May 2020, Aston Martin announced that Andy Palmer had stepped down as CEO. Tobias Moers of Mercedes-AMG will succeed him starting 1 August, with Keith Stanton as interim chief operating officer. In June 2020, the company announced that it cut out 500 jobs as a result of the poor sales, an outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. In March 2021, executive chairman Lawrence Stroll stated that the company plans on building electric vehicles by 2025. In May 2022, Aston Martin named 76-year-old Amedeo Felisa as the new chief executive officer, replacing Tobias Moers. Roberto Fedeli was also announced as the new chief technical officer.
In late 2020, Aston Martin was involved in a controversy in which it was accused of using a report to spread disputed information about electric vehicles in the wake of the UK's declaration to end the sale of combustion engine vehicles by 2030, with some in the media dubbing the controversy as "Astongate". In November 2020, a communications agency called Clarendon Communications published a report comparing the environmental impact of various powertrain options for cars. After the report received coverage from The Sunday Times and other publications, it emerged that the company had been set up in February that year and was registered under the name of Rebecca Stephens – the wife of James Stephens, who is the government affairs director of Aston Martin Lagonda. Citing a study by Polestar, the report stated that electric vehicles would need to be driven before they would have lower overall emissions than a petrol car. This statement was disputed by electric vehicle researcher Auke Hoekstra, who argued that the report underestimated the emissions from combustion engine vehicles and did not consider the emissions from creating petrol. According to him, a typical EV would need to drive 16,000–18,000 miles (25,700–30,000 km) to offset the emissions from manufacture. Bosch and a number of other companies were also involved with the report.
In July 2022, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will take a stake in the company through a £78 million equity placing as well as a £575 million separate rights issue, giving it two board seats in the company. After the rights issue, the Saudi fund will have a 16.7% stake in Aston Martin, behind the 18.3% holding by Stroll's Yew Tree consortium while the Mercedes-Benz Group will own 9.7%. In September 2022, Chinese automaker Geely acquired a 7.6% stake in the company. In December 2022, Stroll and the Yew Tree consortium increased their stake in the company to 28.29%. In May 2023, Geely increased its stake to 17%, becoming the third-largest shareholder after the Yew Tree consortium and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
In June 2023, Aston Martin signed an agreement with Lucid Motors after selecting it to help supply electric motors, powertrains, and battery systems for its upcoming range of fully electric cars. In return, Aston Martin will make cash payments and issue a 3.7percent stake in its company to Lucid, worth $232million in total. In September 2023, the Yew Tree consortium increased their stake by 3.27% to 26.23%. In October 2023, Aston Martin announced that it would compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2025. In April 2024, the company said it would push back production of its first electric vehicle to 2027. In March 2024, Aston Martin announced Adrian Hallmark as its new CEO beginning 1 October 2024, replacing Amedeo Felisa.
In September 2024, Aston Martin issued a profit warning, saying it had been hit by a fall in demand in China. In November 2024, Aston Martin issued another warning following a minor delay in the deliveries of their Valiant model. In response, they said they would issue new shares and debt totalling £210 million. In February 2025, CEO Adrian Hallmark announced the company would again push back production of its first electric vehicle to 2030. On 31 March 2025, the Yew Tree Consortium is set to inject an additional £52.5 million into the marque by purchasing 75 million shares at 70 pence per share, increasing its stake to 33%. The company will also sell shares in the Formula One racing team that it sponsors. In total, the two transactions will raise £125 million.
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Aston Martin
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Sales at auction
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Sales at auction
In August 2017, a 1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1 sold at a Sotheby's auction at the Pebble Beach, California Concours d'Elegance for US$22,550,000, which made it the most expensive British car ever sold at an auction, according to Sotheby's. The car had previously been driven by Carroll Shelby and Stirling Moss.
In 2015 a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato for US$14,300,000 in New York, and a 1963 Aston Martin DP215 for US$21,455,000 in August 2018.
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Aston Martin
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Models
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Models
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Aston Martin
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Pre-war cars
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Pre-war cars
1921–1925 Aston Martin Standard Sports
1927–1932 Aston Martin First Series
1929–1932 Aston Martin International
1932–1932 Aston Martin International Le Mans
1932–1934 Aston Martin Le Mans
1933–1934 Aston Martin 12/50 Standard
1934–1936 Aston Martin Mk II
1934–1936 Aston Martin Ulster
1936–1940 Aston Martin 2-litre Speed Models (23 built; the last 8 were fitted with C-type bodywork)
1937–1939 Aston Martin 15/98
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Aston Martin
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Post-war cars
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Post-war cars
1948–1950 Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports (DB1)
1950–1953 Aston Martin DB2
1953–1957 Aston Martin DB2/4
1957–1959 Aston Martin DB Mark III
1958–1963 Aston Martin DB4
1961–1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato
1963–1965 Aston Martin DB5
1965–1966 Aston Martin Short Chassis Volante
1965–1969 Aston Martin DB6
1967–1972 Aston Martin DBS
1969–1989 Aston Martin V8
1977–1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage
1986–1990 Aston Martin V8 Zagato
1989–1996 Aston Martin Virage
1989–2000 Aston Martin Virage
1993–2000 Aston Martin Vantage
1996–2000 Aston Martin V8 Coupe/V8 Volante
1993–2003 Aston Martin DB7
2001–2007 Aston Martin Vanquish
2002–2003 Aston Martin DB7 Zagato
2002–2004 Aston Martin DB AR1
2004–2016 Aston Martin DB9
2005–2018 Aston Martin V8 and V12 Vantage
2007–2012 Aston Martin DBS
2009–2012 Aston Martin One-77
2010–2020 Aston Martin Rapide
2011–2012 Aston Martin Virage
2011–2013 Aston Martin Cygnet (based on the Toyota iQ)
2012–2018 Aston Martin Vanquish
2015–2016 Aston Martin Vulcan
2016–2023 Aston Martin DB11
2018–2024 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
2021–2024 Aston Martin Valkyrie
2018–present Aston Martin Vantage
2020–present Aston Martin DBX
2023–present Aston Martin DB12
2024–present Aston Martin Vanquish
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Aston Martin
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Other
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Other
1944 Aston Martin Atom (concept)
1961–1964 Lagonda Rapide
1976–1989 Aston Martin Lagonda
1980 Aston Martin Bulldog (concept)
1993 Lagonda Vignale (concept)
2001 Aston Martin Twenty Twenty (Italdesign concept)
2007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS (concept)
2009 Aston Martin Lagonda SUV (concept)
2011–2013 Aston Martin V12 Zagato
2013 Aston Martin Rapide Bertone Jet 2+2 (concept)
2013 Aston Martin CC100 Speedster (concept)
2015 Aston Martin DB10 (concept)
2015–2016 Lagonda Taraf
2019 Aston Martin Lagonda All-Terrain (concept)
2019 Aston Martin Vanquish Vision (concept)
2019 Aston Martin DBS GT Zagato
2020 Aston Martin V12 Speedster
2021 Aston Martin Victor
2022 Aston Martin DBR22
2023 Aston Martin Valour
2024 Aston Martin Valiant
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Aston Martin
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Current models
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Current models
Aston Martin Vantage
Aston Martin DB12
Aston Martin Vanquish
Aston Martin DBX
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Aston Martin
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Upcoming models
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Upcoming models
Aston Martin Valhalla
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Aston Martin
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Gallery
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Gallery
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Aston Martin
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Brand expansion
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Brand expansion
thumb|Aston Martin DBS Superleggera pictured in 2017
Since 2015, Aston Martin has sought to increase its appeal to women as a luxury lifestyle brand. A female advisory panel was established to adapt the design of the cars to the taste of women. In September 2016, a 37-foot-long Aston Martin speedboat was unveiled called the Aston Martin AM37 powerboat. In May 2018, Aston Martin launched a submersible called Project Neptune in partnership with submarine building company Triton Submarines. Aston Martin has collaborated with the luxury clothing company Hackett London to deliver items of clothing. In November 2017, Aston Martin unveiled a special limited edition bicycle after collaborating with bicycle manufacturer Storck.
Aston Martin and global property developer G&G Business Developments constructed a 66-storey luxury condominium tower called Aston Martin Residences at 300 Biscayne Boulevard Way in Miami, Florida, which opened in 2024.
In July 2018, Aston Martin unveiled the Volante Vision Concept, a luxury concept aircraft with vertical take-off and landing capabilities. Also in July, a Lego version of James Bond's DB5 car was put on sale, and an Aston Martin-branded watch was released in collaboration with TAG Heuer.
In October 2018, Aston Martin announced it was opening a design and brand studio in Shanghai.
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Aston Martin
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Motorsport
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Motorsport
thumb|Aston Martin Vantage F1 Edition at the 2021 United States Grand Prix
Aston Martin is currently associated with two different racing organisations. The Aston Martin Formula One team which competes in the Formula One Championship and Aston Martin Racing which currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Both racing organisations use the Aston Martin brand, but are not directly owned by Aston Martin. The Aston Martin Formula One team is owned by major Aston Martin shareholder Lawrence Stroll and operated by his company AMR GP, while Aston Martin Racing is operated by racing company Prodrive as part of an agreement with Aston Martin.
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Aston Martin
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Formula One
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Formula One
thumb|Aston Martin AMR23 at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix
Aston Martin participated as a Formula One constructor in and entering six races over the two years but failing to score any points. In January 2020, it was announced that the Racing Point F1 Team is due to be rebranded as Aston Martin for the 2021 season, as a result of a funding investment led by Racing Point owner Lawrence Stroll. As part of the rebrand, the team switched their racing colour of BWT pink to a modern iteration of Aston Martin's British racing green. The Aston Martin AMR21 was unveiled in March 2021 and became Aston Martin's first Formula One car after a 61-year absence from the sport.
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Aston Martin
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Racing cars (post-war)
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Racing cars (post-war)
thumb|right|DBR1/2 at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009
thumb|right|Part of Aston Martin's most recent racing program, Charouz Racing System competed with sports prototypes powered by an Aston Martin V12.
thumb|Aston Martin DBR9
Aston Martin DB3 (1950–1953)
Aston Martin DB3S (1953–1956)
Aston Martin DBR1 (1956–1959)
Aston Martin DBR2 (1957–1958)
Aston Martin DBR3 (1958)
Aston Martin DBR4 (1959)
Aston Martin DBR5 (1960)
Aston Martin DP212 (1962)
Aston Martin DP214 (1963)
Aston Martin DP215 (1963)
Aston Martin RHAM/1 (1976–1979)
Aston Martin AMR1 (1989)
Aston Martin AMR2 (never raced)
Aston Martin DBR9 (2005–2008)
Aston Martin DBRS9 (2005–2008)
Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24 (2006–2008)
Aston Martin V8 Vantage Rally GT (2006–2010)
Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 (2008–2017)
Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 (2008–2018)
Aston Martin DBR1-2 (2009)
Aston Martin AMR-One (2011)
Aston Martin Vantage GTE (2018–2023)
Aston Martin Vantage DTM (2019)
Aston Martin Vantage GT3 (2019–)
Aston Martin Vantage GT4 (2019–)
Aston Martin AMR21 (2021)
Aston Martin AMR22 (2022)
Aston Martin AMR23 (2023)
Aston Martin AMR24 (2024)
Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH (2025)
Aston Martin AMR25 (2025)
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Aston Martin
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Aston Martin-powered racing cars
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Aston Martin-powered racing cars
Cooper-Aston Martin (1963)
Lola T70-Aston Martin (1967)
Aston Martin DPLM (1980–1982)
Nimrod NRA/C2-Aston Martin (1982–1984)
Aston Martin EMKA C83/1 and C84/1 (1983–1985)
Cheetah G604-Aston Martin
Lola B08/60-Aston Martin (2008–2011)
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Aston Martin
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Racecars
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Racecars
YearCarImageCategory1950Aston Martin DB3framelessSports Car1953Aston Martin DB3SframelessSports Car1956Aston Martin DBR1framelessSports Car1957Aston Martin DBR2framelessSports Car1958Aston Martin DBR3framelessSports Car1959Aston Martin DBR4framelessFormula One1960Aston Martin DBR5Formula One1962Aston Martin DP212framelessSports Car1963Aston Martin DP214framelessSports CarAston Martin DP215framelessSports Car1974Aston Martin RHAM/1framelessGroup 51982Aston Martin DPLMframelessSports CarNimrod NRA/C2frameless1983EMKA Aston MartinframelessGroup CNimrod NRA/C2BGroup C1989Aston Martin AMR1framelessGroup C12006Aston Martin DBRS9framelessGroup GT3Aston Martin Vantage N24framelessSRO GT4Aston Martin Vantage V8 R-GTframelessGroup R-GT2008Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2framelessLM GTEAston Martin V8 Vantage GT4framelessSRO GT42009Aston Martin DBR1-2framelessLMP1Aston Martin DBR9framelessGroup GT2011Aston Martin AMR-OneframelessLMP12012Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTEframelessLM GTE2018Aston Martin V8 Vantage AMR GTEframelessLM GTE2019Aston Martin Vantage DTMframelessClass 1Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3framelessGroup GT3Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4framelessSRO GT42021Aston Martin AMR21framelessFormula One2022Aston Martin AMR22framelessFormula One2023Aston Martin AMR23framelessFormula One2024Aston Martin AMR24framelessFormula One2025Aston Martin AMR25framelessFormula OneAston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMHLMH
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Aston Martin
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24 Hours of Le Mans finishes
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24 Hours of Le Mans finishes
Year Pos Class No Team Drivers Chassis Engine Laps 1931 5 1.5 25 Aston Martin A.C. Bertelli Maurice Harvey Aston Martin 1½-litre International Aston Martin 1.5L I4 139 1932 5 1.5 20 Aston Martin Ltd. Sammy Newsome Henken Widengren Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans Aston Martin 1.5L I4 174 7 1.5 21 Aston Martin Ltd. A.C. Bertelli Pat Driscoll Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans Aston Martin 1.5L I4 168 1933 5 1.5 25 Aston Martin Ltd. Pat Driscoll Clifton Penn-Hughes Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans Aston Martin 1.5L I4 188 7 1.5 24 Aston Martin Ltd. A.C. Bertelli Sammy Davis Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans Aston Martin 1.5L I4 174 1934 10 1.5 20 M.R.E. Tongue Reggie Tongue Maurice Faulkner Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans Aston Martin 1.5L I4 188 11 1.5 24 John Cecil Noël John Cecil Noël Jen Wheeler Aston Martin 1½-litre Le Mans Aston Martin 1.5L I4 180 1935 3 1.5 29 Roy Eccles Charles E.C. Martin Charles Brackenbury Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster Aston Martin 1.5L I4 215 8 1.5 33 Maurice Faulkner Maurice Faulkner Tom Clarke Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster Aston Martin 1.5L I4 202 10 1.5 32 C.T. Thomas C.T. Thomas M. Kenyon Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster Aston Martin 1.5L I4 199 11 1.5 31 P.L. Donkin Peter Donkin Lord Malcolm Douglas-Hamilton Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster Aston Martin 1.5L I4 199 12 1.5 27 John Cecil Noël Jim Elwes Mortimer Morris-Goodall Aston Martin 1½-litre Aston Martin 1.5L I4 196 15 1.5 30 R.P. Gardner R.P. Gardner A.C. Beloë Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster Aston Martin 1.5L I4 190 1937 5 1.5 37 J.M. Skeffington J.M. Skeffington R.C. Murton-Neale Aston Martin 1½-litre Ulster Aston Martin 1.5L I4 205 11 2.0 31 C.T. Thomas Mortimer Morris-Goodall Robert P. Hichens Aston Martin Speed Model Aston Martin 2.0L I4 193 1939 12 2.0 29 Robert Peverell Hichens Robert P. Hichens Mortimer Morris-Goodall Aston Martin Speed Model Aston Martin 2.0L I4 199 1949 7 S2.0 27 Arthur Jones Arthur Jones Nick Haines Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports (DB1) Aston Martin 2.0L I4 207 11 S2.0 29 Robert Lawrie Robert Lawrie Robert W. Walke Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports (DB1) Aston Martin 2.0L I4 193 1950 5 S3.0 19 Aston Martin Ltd. George Abecassis Lance Macklin Aston Martin DB2 Aston Martin 2.6L I6 249 6 S3.0 21 Aston Martin Ltd. Charles Brackenbury Reg Parnell Aston Martin DB2 Aston Martin 2.6L I6 244 1951 3 S3.0 26 Aston Martin Ltd. Lance Macklin Eric Thompson Aston Martin DB2 Aston Martin 2.6L I6 257 5 S3.0 25 Aston Martin Ltd. George Abecassis Brian Shawe-Taylor Aston Martin DB2 Aston Martin 2.6L I6 255 7 S3.0 24 Aston Martin Ltd. Reg Parnell David Hampshire Aston Martin DB2 Aston Martin 2.6L I6 252 10 S3.0 28 N.H. Mann Nigel Mann Mortimer Morris-Goodall Aston Martin DB2 Aston Martin 2.6L I6 236 13 S3.0 27 P.T.C. Clark Peter Clark James Scott Douglas Aston Martin DB2 Aston Martin 2.6L I6 233 1952 7 S3.0 32 Peter C.T. Clark Peter Clark Mike Keen Aston Martin DB2 Aston Martin 2.6L I6 248 1955 2 S3.0 23 Aston Martin Ltd. Peter Collins Paul Frère Aston Martin DB3S Aston Martin 2.9L I6 302 1956 2 S3.0 8 Aston Martin Ltd. Stirling Moss Peter Collins Aston Martin DB3S Aston Martin 2.9L I6 299 1957 11 S3000 21 David Brown Jean-Paul Colas Jean Kerguen Aston Martin DB3S Aston Martin 3.0L I6 272 1958 2 S3000 5 P & A.G. Whitehead Graham Whitehead Peter Whitehead Aston Martin DB3S Aston Martin 3.0L I6 293 1959 1 S3.0 5 David Brown Racing Dept. Carroll Shelby Roy Salvadori Aston Martin DBR1/300 Aston Martin 3.0L I6 323 2 S3.0 6 David Brown Racing Dept. Maurice Trintignant Paul Frère Aston Martin DBR1/300 Aston Martin 3.0L I6 322 1960 3 S3.0 7 Border Reivers Roy Salvadori Jim Clark Aston Martin DBR1/300 Aston Martin 3.0L I6 306 9 S3.0 8 Major Ian B. Baillie Ian B. Baillie Jack Fairman Aston Martin DBR1/300 Aston Martin 3.0L I6 281 1977 17 GTP 83 SAS Robin Hamilton Robin Hamilton David Preece Mike Salmon Aston Martin DBS V8 RHAM/1 Aston Martin 5.3L V8 260 1982 7 C 32 Viscount Downe Pace Petroleum Ray Mallock Simon Phillips Mike Salmon Nimrod NRA/C2 Aston Martin-Tickford DP1229 5.3L V8 317 1983 17 C 41 EMKA Productions Ltd. Tiff Needell Steve O'Rourke Nick Faure EMKA C83/1 Aston Martin-Tickford 5.3L V8 275 1985 11 C1 66 EMKA Productions, Ltd. Tiff Needell Steve O'Rourke Nick Faure EMKA C84/1 Aston Martin-Tickford 5.3L V8 338 1989 11 C1 18 Aston Martin Ecurie Ecosse Brian Redman Michael Roe Costas Los Aston Martin AMR1 Aston Martin (Callaway) RDP87 6.0L V8 340 2005 9 GT1 59 Aston Martin Racing David Brabham Stéphane Sarrazin Darren Turner Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 333 2006 6 GT1 007 Aston Martin Racing Tomáš Enge Darren Turner Andrea Piccini Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 350 9 GT1 62 Russian Age Racing Team Modena Antonio García David Brabham Nelson Piquet Jr. Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 343 10 GT1 009 Aston Martin Racing Pedro Lamy Stéphane Sarrazin Stéphane Ortelli Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 342 2007 1 GT1 009 Aston Martin Racing David BrabhamDarren Turner Rickard Rydell Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 343 3 GT1 008 AMR Larbre Compétition Casper Elgaard Johnny Herbert Fabrizio Gollin Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 341 4 GT1 007 Aston Martin Racing Tomáš Enge Johnny Herbert Peter Kox Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 337 2008 1 GT1 009 Aston Martin Racing David BrabhamDarren Turner Antonio Garcia Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 344 4 GT1 007 Aston Martin Racing Heinz-Harald Frentzen Andrea Piccini Karl Wendlinger Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 339 2009 4 LMP1 007 AMR Eastern Europe Tomáš EngeJan Charouz Stefan Mücke Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 373 13 LMP1 008 Aston Martin Racing Anthony DavidsonDarren Turner Jos Verstappen Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 342 3 GT1 66 Jetalliance Racing Lukas Lichtner-Hoyer Thomas Gruber Alex Müller Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 294 2010 6 LMP1 007 Aston Martin Racing Harold PrimatAdrián Fernández Stefan Mücke Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 365 3 GT1 52 Young Driver AMR Tomáš EngeChristoffer Nygaard Peter Kox Aston Martin DBR9 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 311 2011 7 LMP1 22 Kronos Racing Marc VDS Racing Team Vanina IckxBas Leinders Maxime Martin Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 Aston Martin 6.0L V12 328 2012 3 GTE-Pro 97 Aston Martin Racing Darren TurnerAdrián Fernández Stefan Mücke Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE Aston Martin 4.5L V8 332 2013 3 GTE-Pro 97 Aston Martin Racing Darren TurnerPeter Dumbreck Stefan Mücke Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE Aston Martin 4.5L V8 314 6 GTE-Am 96 Aston Martin Racing Roald GoetheJamie Campbell-Walter Stuart Hall Aston Martin V8 Vantage GTE Aston Martin 4.5L V8 301
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Aston Martin
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Sponsorships
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Sponsorships
Aston Martin sponsors 2. Bundesliga club 1860 Munich.
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Aston Martin
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See also
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See also
Aston Martin Heritage Trust Museum
Aston Martin Owners Club
List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
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Aston Martin
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References
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References
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Aston Martin
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External links
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External links
Category:1913 establishments in England
Category:2018 initial public offerings
Category:Automotive companies of England
Category:British racecar constructors
Category:British royal warrant holders
Category:Car brands
Category:Car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Category:Companies based in Warwickshire
Category:Companies in the FTSE 250 Index
Category:Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange
Category:English brands
Category:Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers
Category:Motor vehicle manufacturers of England
Category:Premier Automotive Group
Category:Sports car manufacturers
Category:Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1913
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Aston Martin
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Table of Content
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Short description, History, Founding, 1918–1939: Interwar years, 1947–1972: David Brown, 1972–1975: William Willson, 1975–1981: Sprague and Curtis, 1981–1987: Victor Gauntlett, 1987–2007: Ford Motor Company, 2007–2018: Private Limited Company, 2013–present: Partnership with Mercedes-Benz Group, 2018–present: Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Sales at auction, Models, Pre-war cars, Post-war cars, Other, Current models, Upcoming models, Gallery, Brand expansion, Motorsport, Formula One, Racing cars (post-war), Aston Martin-powered racing cars, Racecars, 24 Hours of Le Mans finishes, Sponsorships, See also, References, External links
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Albert Pike
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Short description
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Albert Pike (December 29, 1809April 2, 1891) was an American author, poet, orator, editor, lawyer, jurist and Confederate States Army general who served as an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in exile from 1864 to 1865. He had previously served as a senior officer of the Confederate States Army, commanding the District of Indian Territory in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. A prominent member of the Freemasons, Pike served as the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council, Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction from 1859 to 1891.
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Albert Pike
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Early life and education
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Early life and education
Albert Pike was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 29, 1809, the son of Benjamin and Sarah (Andrews) Pike. He grew up in Byfield and Newburyport, Massachusetts. His colonial ancestors had settled in the area in 1635, and included John Pike (1613–1688/1689), the founder of Woodbridge, New Jersey.Albert's descent from his immigrant ancestor John Pike is as follows: John Pike (1572–1654); John Pike (1613–1688/89); Joseph Pike (1638–1694); Thomas Pike (1682–1753/4); John Pike (1710–1755); Thomas Pike (1739–1836); Benjamin Pike (1780–?); Albert Pike (1809–1891).
He attended school in Newburyport and Framingham until he was 15. In August 1825, he passed entrance exams at Harvard University, though when the college requested payment of tuition fees for the first two years, he chose not to attend. He began a program of self-education, later teaching school in Gloucester, North Bedford, Fairhaven and Newburyport.Hubbell, Jay B. (1954) The South in American Literature: 1607–1900. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. p. 640.
Pike was an imposing figure; tall and with hair that reached his shoulders and a long beard. In 1831, he left Massachusetts to travel west, first stopping in Nashville, Tennessee.
He later moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he joined a hunting and trading expedition to Taos, New Mexico. En route his horse broke and ran, forcing Pike to walk the remaining to Taos. After this, he joined a trapping expedition to the Llano Estacado in New Mexico and Texas. Trapping was minimal and, after traveling about , half of it on foot, he finally arrived at Fort Smith, Arkansas.
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Albert Pike
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Career
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Career
thumb|right|Pike, about 1850
Settling in Arkansas in 1833, Pike taught in a school and wrote a series of articles for the Little Rock Arkansas Advocate under the pen name of "Casca." The articles were sufficiently well received for him to be asked to join the newspaper's staff. Under Pike's administration, the Advocate promoted the viewpoint of the Whig Party in a politically volatile and divided Arkansas in December 1832. After marrying Mary Ann Hamilton in 1834, he purchased the newspaper.
He was the first reporter for the Arkansas Supreme Court. He wrote a book (published anonymously), titled The Arkansas Form Book, which was a guidebook for lawyers. Pike began to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1837, selling the Advocate the same year. (At least one source indicates that Pike read Kent and Blackstone and was admitted to the bar in 1834 by Superior Court judge Thomas J. Lacy, after a perfunctory examination.)Walter Lee Brown, A Life of Albert Pike, p. 57 (1997).
He proved to be a highly effective lawyer, representing clients in courts at every level. This continued after he received permission in 1849 to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
He also made several contacts among the Native American tribes in the area. He specialized in claims on behalf of Native Americans against the federal government. In 1852, he represented the Creek Nation before the Supreme Court in a claim regarding ceded tribal land. In 1854 he advocated for the Choctaw and Chickasaw, although compensation later awarded to the tribes in 1856 and 1857 was insufficient. These relationships were to influence the course of his Civil War service.
Pike also began a campaign of newspaper essays urging support for the construction of a transcontinental railroad to extend from New Orleans to the Pacific coast. He moved to New Orleans in 1853 and prepared to pass the state bar in furtherance of his campaign. He ultimately secured a charter from the Louisiana State Legislature for a project, following which he returned to Little Rock in 1857.
He joined the anti-Catholic Know Nothing Party at its founding; in the summer of 1854, he helped introduce the party in Arkansas. He attended the national convention in 1856, but walked out when it failed to adopt a pro-slavery platform.
Additionally, Pike wrote on several legal subjects. He also continued writing poetry, a hobby he had begun in his youth in Massachusetts. His poems were highly regarded in his day, but are now mostly forgotten. Several volumes of his works were privately published posthumously by his daughter. In 1859, he received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Harvard."The Phoenix," Manly P. Hall
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Albert Pike
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Poetry
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Poetry
As a young man of letters, Pike wrote poetry, and he continued to do so for the rest of his life. At 23, he published his first poem, "Hymns to the Gods." Later work was printed in literary journals such as Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and local newspapers. His first collection of poetry, Prose Sketches and Poems Written in the Western Country, was published in 1834. He later gathered many of his poems and republished them in Hymns to the Gods and Other Poems (1872). After his death these were published again in Gen. Albert Pike's Poems (1900) and Lyrics and Love Songs (1916).
The authorship of "The Old Canoe" was attributed to Pike. He was suggested as author because about the time of its publication, when it was going the rounds of the press, probably without any credit, a doggerel called "The Old Canoe" was composed about Pike by one of his political foes. The subject was a canoe in which he left Columbia, Tennessee, when a young man practicing law in that place. Pike told Senator Edward W. Carmack that he was not the author of "The Old Canoe," and could not imagine how he ever got the credit for it. The rightful author was Emily Rebecca Page.
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Albert Pike
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Freemasonry
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Freemasonry
Pike first joined the fraternal Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1840. He next joined a Masonic Lodge, where he became extremely active in the affairs of the organization. In 1859 he was elected Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite's Southern Jurisdiction. He remained Sovereign Grand Commander for the rest of his life, devoting a large amount of his time to developing the rituals of the order.Warner, Ezra J. (1959) Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. . pp. 240–241
He published a book called Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in 1871, the first of several editions. This helped the Order grow during the nineteenth century. He also researched and wrote the seminal treatise Indo-Aryan Deities and Worship as Contained in the Rig-Veda. In the United States, Pike is still considered an eminent"Albert Pike and Freemasonry". California Freemason and influentialAlbert Pike , masonicinfo.com Freemason, primarily in the Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction.
Pike was also the Provincial Grand Master of the Royal Order of Scotland from 1877 to 1891.
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Albert Pike
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Military service
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Military service
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Albert Pike
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Mexican–American War
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Mexican–American War
When the Mexican–American War started, Pike joined the Arkansas Mounted Infantry Regiment and was commissioned as a company commander with the rank of captain in June 1846. With his regiment, he fought in the Battle of Buena Vista. Pike was discharged in June 1847. He and his commander, Colonel John Selden Roane, had several differences of opinion. This situation led finally to an "inconclusive" duel between Pike and Roane on July 29, 1847, near Fort Smith, Arkansas.Eicher, John H., aer (2001) Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press. . p. 429 Although several shots were fired in the duel, nobody was injured, and the two were persuaded by their seconds to discontinue it.
After the war, Pike returned to the practice of law, moving to New Orleans for a time beginning in 1853. He wrote another book, Maxims of the Roman Law and Some of the Ancient French Law, as Expounded and Applied in Doctrine and Jurisprudence. Although unpublished, this book increased his reputation among his associates in law. He returned to Arkansas in 1857, gaining some amount of prominence in the legal field.
At the Southern Commercial Convention of 1854, Pike said the South should remain in the Union and seek equality with the North, but if the South "were forced into an inferior status, she would be better out of the Union than in it."Potter, David Morris and Edward, Don (1976) The Impending Crisis, 1848–1861. HarperCollins. p. 467 His stand was that state's rights superseded national law and he supported the idea of a Southern secession. This stand is made clear in his pamphlet of 1861, "State or Province, Bond or Free?"
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Albert Pike
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American Civil War
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American Civil War
In 1861, Pike penned the lyrics to "Dixie to Arms!" At the beginning of the war, Pike was appointed as Confederate envoy to Native American nations. In this capacity he negotiated several treaties, one of the most important being with Cherokee chief John Ross, which was concluded in 1861. At the time, Ross agreed to support the Confederacy, which promised the tribes a Native American state if it won the war. Ross later changed his mind and left Indian Territory, but the succeeding Cherokee government maintained the alliance.
Pike was commissioned as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army on November 22, 1861, and given a command in the Indian Territory. With Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch, Pike trained three Confederate regiments of Indian cavalry, most of whom belonged to the "civilized tribes", whose loyalty to the Confederacy was variable. Although initially victorious at the Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern) in March 1862,"Massachusetts born CSA general Albert Pike leads brigade of Native Americans at the Battle of Pea Ridge", Massachusetts Sesquicentennial Commission of the American Civil War Pike's unit was defeated later in a counterattack, after falling into disarray. When Pike was ordered in May 1862 to send troops to Arkansas, he resigned in protest. As in the previous war, Pike came into conflict with his superior officers, at one time drafting a letter to Jefferson Davis complaining about his direct superior.
After Pea Ridge, it was alleged that Pike's Native American troops had scalped soldiers in the field.Shea, William, and Earl Hess, Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West. University of North Carolina Press, 1992. . The single incident of scalping was, however, done by a Native American acting on his own. Official records submitted to the Headquarters Department of Indian territory reveal that Pike "regarded [the incident] with horror" and that he was personally "angry and disgusted." He also filed a report in which he said it caused him the "utmost pain and regret."Huff, Sanford W.,The Annals of Iowa, Published by the State Historical Society (Iowa State Historical Department, Division of Historical Museum and Archives, 1868), p. 149
Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman charged Pike with mishandling of money and material, ordering his arrest.Smith, Dean E. (1986) "Pike, Albert" in Historical Times Illustrated History of the Civil War, edited by Patricia L. Faust. New York: Harper & Row. . p. 585 The incident arose when Hindman, who had declared martial law in Arkansas, ordered Pike to turn over weapons and Native American Indian treaty funds. Pike thought the action was illegal and refused.Brown, Walter Lee, A Life of Albert Pike (University of Arkansas Press, 1997), pp. 406–16 Both these charges were later found to be considerably lacking in evidence; nevertheless Pike, facing arrest, escaped into the hills of Arkansas, submitting his resignation from the Confederate States Army on July 12, 1862. He was arrested on November 3 on charges of insubordination and treason, and held briefly in Warren, Texas. His resignation was accepted on November 11, and he was allowed to return to Arkansas.
As Union troops advanced toward the state capital in September 1863, the State Supreme Court retreated to Washington, Arkansas, which was made the new Confederate state capital. Associate Justice Hulbert F. Fairchild resigned because the new location was too far from his family, and Pike was appointed as his replacement.
In the wake of the war, Pike moved to New York City, then for a short time to Canada. On June 24, 1865, Pike applied to President Andrew Johnson for a pardon, disowning his earlier interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. He said he now planned "to pursue the arts of peace, to practice my profession, to live among my books, and to labour to benefit my fellows and my race by other than political courses". President Johnson pardoned him on April 23, 1866.
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Albert Pike
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Later life and death
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Later life and death
During the Arkansas political conflict known as the Brooks-Baxter War, Pike was one of the lawyers to speak on behalf of Elisha Baxter.thumb|The Albert Pike Memorial, torn down by rioters on June 19, 2020
Pike died on April 2, 1891, at the Scottish Rite Temple of the Supreme Council in Washington DC, at the age of 81,Washington Star, April 3, 1891 and was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, despite the fact that he had left instructions for his body to be cremated. In 1944, his remains were moved to the House of the Temple, headquarters of the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite. The House of the Temple contains numerous memorials and artifacts related to Pike, including his personal library.
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Albert Pike
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Legacy
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Legacy
A memorial to Pike was erected in 1901 in the Judiciary Square neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The location was appropriate considering that Pike had sued the government to secure Native American rights. The statue portrayed him as a private citizen and Freemason. He was the only former Confederate military officer with an outdoor statue in Washington, D.C., and in 2019 Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton called for its removal. On June 19, 2020, rioters tore down the statue and set it ablaze, in connection with the George Floyd protests because of Pike's association with the Confederacy and of his alleged association with the Ku Klux Klan.
The Albert Pike Memorial Temple is an historic Masonic lodge in Little Rock, Arkansas; the structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Albert Pike Highway was an auto trail that extended more than from Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Colorado Springs, Colorado, crossing the Ozark Mountains and passing through Fort Smith, Muskogee, Tulsa, Dodge City, La Junta and Pueblo.
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Albert Pike
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Controversies
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Controversies
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Albert Pike
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Masonic baptism
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Masonic baptism
In 1865, Pike publicly performed a ceremony of Masonic baptism in New York City. The ceremony was greeted with skepticism by many American Masons including Albert Mackey, but was based on older European Masonic baptism ceremonies that began in the 1820s. However, some, like the New York Times, reacted positively to the ceremony describing it as "interesting" and "novel." In the ritual, six children were baptized by Pike with water and consecrated oil.
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Albert Pike
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Racism
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Racism
In the aftermath of the Civil War, as former Confederates found themselves barred from the ballot box, Pike remained deeply opposed to black suffrage, insisting that "the white race, and that race alone, shall govern this country. It is the only one that is fit to govern, and it is the only one that shall."
Regarding membership in the Freemasons, Pike is quoted as saying, "Prince Hall Lodge was as regular a Lodge as any Lodge created by competent authority. It had a perfect right to establish other Lodges and make itself a Mother Lodge. I am not inclined to meddle in the matter. I took my obligations from white men, not from negroes. When I have to accept negroes as brothers or leave masonry, I shall leave it. Better let the thing drift."
His attitudes towards African-Americans may have changed towards the end of his life. A 1945 letter written by Willard W. Allen, the Sovereign Grand Commander of the United Supreme Council, S.J. Prince Hall Affiliation noted that "what practically all Masonic scholars know very well, viz., that in the closing years of General Pike's Masonic career, he became a very staunch friend of Negro Masonry."de Hoyos, Arturo (1996) "On the Origins of the Prince Hall Scottish Rite Rituals", Heredom: The Transaction of the Scottish Rite Research Society vol. 5 Washington, D.C.: Scottish Rite Research Society, pp. 52–53 Pike had become a personal friend of Thornton A. Jackson, Supreme Grand Commander of the United Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction, Prince Hall Affiliation and even gifted to Thornton his complete set of rituals for Prince Hall Scottish Rite Masonry to use.
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Albert Pike
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Involvement with the Ku Klux Klan
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Involvement with the Ku Klux Klan
Pike first wrote about the Ku Klux Klan less than three years after the Klan's founding, in an April 16, 1868 editorial in the Memphis Daily Appeal. In the editorial, Pike indicated that his main problems lay not with its aims, but with its methods and leadership. Later in this editorial, he proposed "one great Order of Southern Brotherhood", a secret society which would have been a larger and more centrally organized version of the Klan: "If it were in our power, if it could be effected, we would unite every white man in the South, who is opposed to negro suffrage, into one great Order of Southern Brotherhood, with an organization complete, active, vigorous, in which a few should execute the concentrated will of all, and whose very existence should be concealed from all but its members."
In 1905's Ku Klux Klan: Its Origin, Growth and Disbandment, the author Walter L. Fleming, lists Pike as the Klan's "chief judicial officer". Susan Lawrence Davis, whose father was a founding member of the Klan in Alabama, writes in her sympathetic account titled Authentic History: Ku Klux Klan, 1865–1877, published in 1924, that Pike was personally chosen by Nathan Bedford Forrest to serve as the Klan's "Chief Judicial Officer" and to head the Klan in Arkansas as "Grand Dragon of that Realm." In 1939's Invisible Empire: The Story of the Ku Klux Klan, 1866–1871, Stanley Horn, who served as president of the Tennessee Historical Society, also reports that Forrest appointed Pike to lead the Klan in Arkansas and credits him with a surge of local Klan activity in April 1868. Horn says that a pro-Klan poem, "Death's Brigade", is attributed to Pike, although "of course, he did not have the bravado to claim that honor publicly at that time." Southern Agrarian poet John Gould Fletcher, who grew up in Little Rock in a house that Pike built, likewise believed that Pike wrote the poem.
When the Ku Klux Klan was revived in 1915, there even existed an Albert Pike Klan, a local chapter of the organization based in Illinois.
In 1971, Allen W. Trelease published White Terror: The Ku Klux Klan Conspiracy and Southern Reconstruction, and claimed that the office that Pike allegedly held in the KKK was not mentioned in "The Prescript", the Klan constitution. However, the office of Grand Dragon, which Davis claims Pike once held, is explicitly mentioned in the 1867 Klan constitution. At the same time, Trelease noted that "Pike may well have affiliated with the Klan." As evidence, Trelease notes that Pike "was intrigued by secret societies and rituals" and "sympathized with the Klan's stated objectives."
In his 1997 biography of Pike, Walter Lee Brown asserts that Pike was not a member of the Klan and Brown found "no contemporary, nor no reliable late evidence that Pike ever joined the Klan." Brown claims the work of Fleming, Davis and Horn are "unreliable histories", but offers no further evidence other than citing Trelease, which, in Brown's interpretation "cast's doubt on Pike's membership."
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Albert Pike
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Selected books
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Selected books
Indo-Aryan Deities and Worship as Contained in the Rig-Veda (1872)
Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (1872)
Book of the Words (1874)
Reprints of Old Rituals (1879)
Esoterika (1887)
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Albert Pike
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See also
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See also
List of Arkansas adjutants general
List of Confederate States Army generals
List of Freemasons
List of people from Boston
List of people from Little Rock, Arkansas
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Albert Pike
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Footnotes
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Footnotes
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Albert Pike
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References
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References
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Albert Pike
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Further reading
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Further reading
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Albert Pike
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External links
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External links
Albert Pike at Freemasonry.network
Albert Pike and Lucifer at Freemasonry and the World (albertpike.wordpress.com)
Albert Pike and Masonic Lodge Symbols at Allfreemasonry.com
Albert Pike's Philosophy at Masonicinfo.com
"Everybody's Dixie" by Albert Pike at Civilwarpoetry.org
Category:1809 births
Category:1891 deaths
Category:19th-century American educators
Category:19th-century American Episcopalians
Category:19th-century Arkansas state court judges
Category:19th-century American lawyers
Category:19th-century American male writers
Category:19th-century American newspaper editors
Category:19th-century American non-fiction writers
Category:19th-century United States Army personnel
Category:Activists from Arkansas
Category:Adjutants General of Arkansas
Category:American duellists
Category:American Freemasons
Category:American Ku Klux Klan members
Category:American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law
Category:American military personnel of the Mexican–American War
Category:American militia officers
Category:American people of English descent
Category:American political journalists
Category:American slave owners
Category:Arkansas Democrats
Category:Arkansas Know Nothings
Category:Arkansas lawyers
Category:Arkansas Whigs
Category:Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)
Category:Confederate States Army brigadier generals
Category:Confederate States of America diplomats
Category:Deaths from digestive disease
Category:Editors of Arkansas newspapers
Category:Episcopalians from Massachusetts
Category:Exiled politicians
Category:Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court
Category:Lawyers from Little Rock, Arkansas
Category:Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
Category:Northern-born Confederates
Category:People of Arkansas in the American Civil War
Category:People pardoned by Andrew Johnson
Category:Schoolteachers from Massachusetts
Category:Writers from Arkansas
Category:People charged with treason
Category:Prisoners and detainees of the Confederate States of America
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Albert Pike
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Table of Content
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Short description, Early life and education, Career, Poetry, Freemasonry, Military service, Mexican–American War, American Civil War, Later life and death, Legacy, Controversies, Masonic baptism, Racism, Involvement with the Ku Klux Klan, Selected books, See also, Footnotes, References, Further reading, External links
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ALF Tales
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short description
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ALF Tales is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series that aired on NBC from September 10, 1988, to December 9, 1989. The show is a spin-off of ALF: The Animated Series that featured characters from that series playing various characters from fairy tales. The fairy tale parody was usually altered for comedic effect in a manner akin to Jay Ward's "Fractured Fairy Tales".
The episodes were performed in the style of a resident theater company or ensemble cast where Gordon and Rhonda would take the leading male and female roles, and the other characters were cast according to their characteristics.
Many stories spoof a film genre, such as the "Cinderella" episode which is presented like an Elvis Presley film. Some episodes featured a "fourth wall" effect where Gordon is backstage preparing for the episode, and Rob Cowan would appear drawn as a TV executive (who introduced himself as "Roger Cowan, network executive") who tries to brief Gordon on how to improve the episode. For instance Cowan once told Gordon who was readying for a medieval themed episode that "less than 2% of our audience lives in the Dark Ages".
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ALF Tales
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Voice cast
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Voice cast
Paul Fusco as ALF (Gordon Shumway), Rick Fusterman
Paulina Gillis) as Augie, Rhonda
Peggy Mahon as Flo
Thick Wilson as Larson Petty, Bob
Dan Hennessey as Sloophttps://deadline.com/2024/11/dan-hennessey-dead-voice-actor-care-bears-inspector-gadget-x-men-tv-series-director-1236182060/
Rob Cowan as Skip
Ellen-Ray Hennessy as Stella the Waitress
Noam Zylberman as Curtis (1988)
Michael Fantini as Curtis (1989)
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ALF Tales
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Episodes
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Episodes
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ALF Tales
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Season 1 (1988–89)
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Season 1 (1988–89)
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ALF Tales
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Season 2 (1989)
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Season 2 (1989)
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ALF Tales
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Home media
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Home media
The first seven episodes were released on DVD on May 30, 2006, in Region 1 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment in a single-disc release entitled ALF and The Beanstalk and Other Classic Fairy Tales.
The complete series was remastered and subsequently released on October 17, 2023, by Shout! Factory in the DVD box set ALF: The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition). The box set release also included the original 1986–90 sitcom, ALF: The Animated Series and Project: ALF.
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ALF Tales
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See also
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See also
List of animated spinoffs from prime time shows
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ALF Tales
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References
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References
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ALF Tales
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External links
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External links
Category:ALF (TV series)
Category:1980s American animated comedy television series
Category:1980s American children's comedy television series
Category:1980s American comic science fiction television series
Category:1988 American animated television series debuts
Category:1989 American television series endings
Category:American animated television spinoffs
Category:American children's animated comic science fiction television series
Category:Animated television series about extraterrestrial life
Category:American English-language television shows
Category:Television series by DIC Entertainment
Category:Television series by Lorimar Television
Category:Television series by Saban Entertainment
Category:Television series created by Paul Fusco
Category:Television series created by Tom Patchett
Category:Animated television shows based on fairy tales
Category:Television series by Lorimar-Telepictures
Category:NBC animated television series
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ALF Tales
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Table of Content
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short description, Voice cast, Episodes, Season 1 (1988–89), Season 2 (1989), Home media, See also, References, External links
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Short description
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Abdul Rashid Dostum ( ; ; Uzbek Latin: , Uzbek Cyrillic: , ; born 25 March 1954) is an Afghan former military officer, warlord and exiled politician. He is the founder and leader of the Junbish-e Milli political party, and was a senior army officer in the military of the former Afghan communist government during the Soviet–Afghan War, initially part of the Afghan Commando Forces. In 2001, Dostum became a key indigenous ally to the U.S. Special Forces and the CIA during the campaign to topple the Taliban government. He is one of the most powerful warlords since the beginning of the Afghan conflict, infamous for being an opportunist and siding with winners during Afghanistan's several civil wars. Dostum was also referred to as a kingmaker due to his significant role in Afghan politics.
An ethnic Uzbek from a peasant family in Jawzjan province, Dostum joined the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) as a teenager before enlisting in the Afghan Army and training as a paratrooper, serving in his native region around Sheberghan. Following the outbreak of the Soviet–Afghan War, Dostum commanded a KHAD paramilitary unit and eventually gained a reputation for defeating mujahideen commanders in northern Afghanistan and even persuading some to defect to the communist cause. As a result, the communist government gained effective control over the country's north. He achieved several promotions in the army and was honored as a "Hero of Afghanistan" by President Mohammed Najibullah in 1988. By this time he was commanding up to 45,000 troops in the region under his responsibility.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Dostum played a central role in the collapse of Najibullah's government by "defecting" to the mujahideen; the division-sized loyal forces he commanded in the north became an independent paramilitary of his newly founded party called Junbish-e Milli. He allied with Ahmad Shah Massoud and together they captured Kabul, before another civil war loomed. Initially supporting the new government of Burhanuddin Rabbani, he switched sides in 1994 by allying with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, but he backed Rabbani again by 1996. During this time he remained in control of the country's north which functioned as a relatively stable proto-state, but remained a loose partner of Massoud in the Northern Alliance. A year later, Mazar-i-Sharif was overrun by his former aide Abdul Malik Pahlawan, resulting in a battle in which he regained control. In 1998, the city was overrun by the Taliban and Dostum fled the country until returning to Afghanistan in 2001, joining the Northern Alliance forces after the US invasion and leading his loyal faction in the Fall of Mazar-i-Sharif.
After the fall of the Taliban-led government, he joined interim president Hamid Karzai's administration as Deputy Defense Minister and later served as chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Afghan Army, a role often viewed as ceremonial. His militia feuded with forces loyal to general Atta Muhammad Nur. Dostum was a candidate in the 2004 elections, and was an ally of victorious Karzai in the 2009 elections. From 2011, he was part of the leadership council of the National Front of Afghanistan along with Ahmad Zia Massoud and Mohammad Mohaqiq. He served as Vice President of Afghanistan in Ashraf Ghani's administration from 2014 to 2020. In 2020, he was promoted to the rank of marshal after a political agreement between Ghani and former Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah. On 11 August 2021 during the Taliban's nationwide offensive, Dostum fled across Hairatan to Uzbekistan. In 2021 he pledged allegiance to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, and formed the Supreme Council of National Resistance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in opposition to the new Taliban government. Dostum now resides in exile in Turkey, and on 15 September 2024 urged groups opposed to Taliban rule to form a government-in-exile.
Dostum is a controversial figure in Afghanistan. He is seen as a capable and fierce military leader and remains wildly popular among the Uzbek community in the country. Many of his supporters call him "Pasha" (پاشا), an honorable Uzbek/Turkic term. However, he has also been widely accused of committing atrocities and war crimes, most notoriously the suffocation of up to 1,000 Taliban fighters in the Dasht-i-Leili massacre, and he was widely feared among the populace. In 2018, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was reported to be considering launching an inquiry into whether Dostum had engaged in war crimes in Afghanistan.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Early life
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Early life
Dostum was born in 1954 in Khwaja Du Koh near Sheberghan in Jowzjan province, Afghanistan. Coming from an impoverished ethnic Uzbek family, he received a very basic traditional education as he was forced to drop out of school at a young age. From there, he took up work in the village's major gas fields.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Career
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Career
Dostum began working in 1970 in a state-owned gas refinery in Sheberghan. He began participating in union politics when the republican government led by Daoud Khan started to arm the staff of the workers in the oil and gas refineries. The reason for this was to create "groups for the Defense of the Revolution". As a result of the new communist ideas entering Afghanistan in the 1970s, Dostum enlisted in the Afghan Army in 1976. He received his basic military training in Jalalabad and his squadron was deployed in the rural areas around Sheberghan, under the auspices of the Ministry of National Security. According to photographic evidence, Dostum additionally received airborne training and still chooses to wear two first-class "Master Paratrooper" Afghan jump wings.
As a Parcham faction member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), he was exiled after the purge of Parcham by the party's Khalqist faction leaders, living in Peshawar, Pakistan for a while. After the Soviet invasion (Operation Storm-333) and installation of Babrak Karmal as head of state, Dostum returned to Afghanistan, where he started commanding a local pro-government militia in his native Jawzjan Province.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Soviet–Afghan War
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Soviet–Afghan War
By the mid-1980s, he commanded a force of around 20,000 paramilitaries and controlled the northern provinces of Afghanistan. While the unit recruited throughout Jowzjan and had a relatively broad base, many of its early troops and commanders came from Dostum's home village. He left the army after the purge of Parchamites, but returned after the Soviet occupation began.
During the Soviet–Afghan War, Dostum was commanding a paramilitary battalion to fight and route mujahideen forces; he had been appointed an officer due to prior military experience. This eventually became a regiment and later became incorporated into the defense forces as the 53rd Infantry Division. Dostum and his new division reported directly to President Mohammad Najibullah.Marshall, p. 3 Later on, he became the commander of the military unit 374 in Jowzjan. He defended the Soviet-backed Afghan government against the mujahideen forces throughout the 1980s. While he was only a regional commander, he had largely raised his forces by himself. The Jowzjani militia Dostum controlled was one of the few in the country that was able to be deployed outside its own region. They were deployed in Kandahar in 1988 when Soviet forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Due to his efforts in the army, Dostum was awarded the title "Hero of the Republic of Afghanistan" by President Najibullah.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Civil war and northern Afghanistan autonomous state
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Civil war and northern Afghanistan autonomous state
Dostum's men would become an important force in the fall of Kabul in 1992, with Dostum deciding to defect from Najibullah and allying himself with opposition commanders Ahmad Shah Massoud and Sayed Jafar Naderi, the head of the Isma'ili community, and together they captured the capital city. With the help of fellow defectors Mohammad Nabi Azimi and Abdul Wakil, his forces entered Kabul by air in the afternoon of 14 April. He and Massoud fought in a coalition against Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Massoud and Dostum's forces joined to defend Kabul against Hekmatyar. Some 4,000–5,000 of his troops, units of his Sheberghan-based 53rd Division and Balkh-based Guards Division, garrisoning Bala Hissar fort, Maranjan Hill and Khwaja Rawash Airport, where they stopped Najibullah from entering to flee.Anthony Davis, 'The Battlegrounds of Northern Afghanistan,' Jane's Intelligence Review, July 1994, p.323-4
Dostum then left Kabul for his northern stronghold Mazar-i-Sharif, where he ruled, in effect, an independent region (or 'proto-state'), often referred as the Northern Autonomous Zone. He printed his own Afghan currency, ran a small airline named Balkh Air, and formed relations with countries like Uzbekistan effectively creating his own proto-state with an army of up to 40,000 men, and with tanks supplied by Uzbekistan and Russia. While the rest of the country was in chaos, his region remained prosperous and functional, and it won him the support from people of all ethnic groups. Many people fled to his territory to escape the violence and fundamentalism imposed by the Taliban later on.The Last Warlord: The Life and Legend of Dostum, the Afghan Warrior Who Led US Special Forces to Topple the Taliban Regime by Brian Glyn Williams, 2013 In 1994, Dostum allied himself with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar against the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud, but in 1995 sided with the government again.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Taliban era
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Taliban era
Following the rise of the Taliban and their capture of Kabul, Dostum aligned himself with the Northern Alliance (United Front) against the Taliban. The Northern Alliance was assembled in late 1996 by Dostum, Massoud and Karim Khalili against the Taliban. At this point, he is said to have had a force of some 50,000 men supported by both aircraft and tanks.
Much like other Northern Alliance leaders, Dostum also faced infighting within his group and was later forced to surrender his power to General Abdul Malik Pahlawan. Malik entered into secret negotiations with the Taliban, who promised to respect his authority over much of northern Afghanistan, in exchange for the apprehension of Ismail Khan, one of their enemies.De Ponfilly, Christophe(2001); Massoud l'Afghan; Gallimard; ; p. 75 Accordingly, on 25 May 1997, Malik arrested Khan, handed him over and let the Taliban enter Mazar-e-Sharif, giving them control over most of northern Afghanistan. Because of this, Dostum was forced to flee to Turkey.page 6-8 – However, Malik soon realized that the Taliban were not sincere with their promises as he saw his men being disarmed. He then rejoined the Northern Alliance and turned against his erstwhile allies, driving them from Mazar-e-Sharif. In October 1997, Dostum returned from exile and retook charge. After Dostum briefly regained control of Mazar-e-Sharif, the Taliban returned in 1998, and he again fled to Turkey.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Operation Enduring Freedom
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Operation Enduring Freedom
thumb|200px|Dostum in early 2002
Dostum returned to Afghanistan in May 2001 to open up a new front before the U.S.-led campaign against the Taliban joined him, along with Commander Massoud, Ismail Khan and Mohammad Mohaqiq. On 17 October 2001, the CIA's eight-man Team Alpha, including Johnny Micheal Spann landed in the Dar-e-Suf to link up with Dostum. Three days later, the 12 members of Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595 landed to join forces with Dostum and Team Alpha. Dostum, the Tajik commander Atta Muhammad Nur and their American allies defeated Taliban forces and recaptured Mazar-i-Sharif on 10 November 2001.
On 24 November 2001, 15,000 Taliban soldiers were due to surrender after the Siege of Kunduz to American and Northern Alliance forces. Instead, 400 Al-Qaeda prisoners arrived just outside Mazar-i-Sharif. After they surrendered to Dostum, they were transferred to the 19th century garrison fortress, Qala-i-Jangi. The next day, while being questioned by CIA officers Spann and David Tyson, they used concealed weapons to revolt, triggering what became the Battle of Qala-i-Jangi against the guards. The uprising was finally brought under control after six days.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Dasht-i-Leili massacre
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Dasht-i-Leili massacre
Dostum has been accused by Western journalists of responsibility for the suffocating or otherwise killing of Taliban prisoners in December 2001, with the number of victims estimated as 2,000. In 2009, Dostum denied the accusations and US President Obama ordered an investigation into the massacre.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Karzai administration
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Karzai administration
thumb|Dostum (left) in 2005
In the aftermath of Taliban's removal from northern Afghanistan, forces loyal to Dostum frequently clashed with Tajik forces loyal to Atta Muhammad Nur. Atta's men kidnapped and killed a number of Dostum's men, and constantly agitated to gain control of Mazar-e-Sharif. Through the political mediations of the Karzai administration, the International Security Assistance Force (ISA) and the United Nations, the Dostum-Atta feud gradually declined, leading to their alignment in a new political party.
Dostum served as deputy defense minister the early period of the Karzai administration. On 20 May 2003, Dostum narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. He was often residing outside Afghanistan, mainly in Turkey. In February 2008, he was suspended after the apparent kidnapping and torture of a political rival.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Time in Turkey
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Time in Turkey
Some media reports in 2008 stated earlier that Dostum was "seeking political asylum" in Turkey"Dostum seeking asylum in Turkey – media reports," Quqnoos.com, 6 December 2008, retrieved 6 December 2008 while others said he was exiled."Afghan general Rashid Dostum flies to exile in Turkey ," Deutsche Presse-Agentur via earthtimes.org, 4 December 2008, retrieved 6 December 2008 One Turkish media outlet said Dostum was visiting after flying there with then Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan during a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)."Afghan warlord in Turkey but not in exile, official says," Today's Zaman, 5 December 2008, retrieved 6 December 2008
On 16 August 2009, Dostum was asked to return from exile to Afghanistan to support President Hamid Karzai in his bid for re-election. He later flew by helicopter to his northern stronghold of Sheberghan, where he was greeted by thousands of his supporters in the local stadium. He subsequently made overtures to the United States, promising he could "destroy the Taliban and al Qaeda" if supported by the U.S., saying that "the U.S. needs strong friends like Dostum."
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Ghani administration
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Ghani administration
thumb|Dostum (second from right) at the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement on 30 September 2014
On 7 October 2013, the day after filing his nomination for the 2014 general elections as running mate of Ashraf Ghani, Dostum issued a press statement that some news media were willing to welcome as "apologies": "Many mistakes were made during the civil war (…) It is time we apologize to the Afghan people who were sacrificed due to our negative policies (…) I apologize to the people who suffered from the violence and civil war (…)".
Dostum was directly chosen as First Vice President of Afghanistan in the April–June 2014 Afghan presidential election, next to Ashraf Ghani as president and Sarwar Danish as second vice president.
In July 2016, Human Rights Watch accused Abdul Rashid Dostum's National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan of killing, abusing and looting civilians in the northern Faryab Province during June. Militia forces loyal to Dostum stated that the civilians they targeted – at least 13 killed and 32 wounded – were supporters of the Taliban.
In November 2016, at a buzkashi match, he punched his political rival Ahmad Ischi, and then his bodyguards beat Ischi. In 2017, he was accused of having Ischi kidnapped in that incident and raped with a gun on camera during a five-day detention, claims that Dostum denies but that nevertheless forced him into exile in Turkey.
On 26 July 2018, he narrowly escaped a suicide bombing by ISIL-KP as he returned to Afghanistan at Kabul airport. Just after Dostum's convoy departed the airport, an attacker armed with a suicide vest bombed a crowd of several hundred people celebrating his return at the entrance to the airport. The attack killed 14 and injured 50, including civilians and armed security.
On 30 March 2019, Dostum again escaped an expected assassination attempt while traveling from Mazar-e-Sharif to Jawzjan Province, though two of his bodyguards were killed. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, the second in eight months.
On 11 August 2021 during the Taliban's nationwide offensive, Dostum, along with Atta Muhammad Nur, led the government's defence of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Three days later, they fled across Hairatan to Uzbekistan. Atta Nur claimed that they were forced to flee due to a "conspiracy". Both men later pled allegiance to the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, the remaining remnants of the collapsed Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Dostum, Atta, Yunus Qanuni, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf and some other political figures formed the Supreme Council of National Resistance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in opposition to the new Taliban government in October 2021. Dostum now resides in exile in Turkey, and on 15 September 2024 urged groups opposed to Taliban rule to form a government-in-exile.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Political and social views
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Political and social views
Dostum is considered to be liberal and somewhat leftist. Being ethnic Uzbek, he has worked on the battlefield with leaders from all other major ethnic groups, Hazaras, Tajiks and Pashtuns. When Dostum was ruling his northern Afghanistan proto-state before the Taliban took over in 1998, women were able to go about unveiled, girls were allowed to go to school and study at the University of Balkh, cinemas showed Indian films, music played on television, and Russian vodka and German beer were openly available: activities which were all banned by the Taliban.
He viewed the ISAF forces attempt to crush the Taliban as ineffective and has gone on record saying in 2007 that he could mop up the Taliban "in six months" if allowed to raise a 10,000 strong army of Afghan veterans. As of 2007, senior Afghan government officials did not trust Dostum as they were concerned that he might be secretly rearming his forces.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Personal life
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Personal life
Dostum is more than tall and has been described as "beefy". He generally prefers to wear a Soviet-style camouflage military uniform, previously having worn KLMK, having a trademark bushy moustache.
Dostum was married to a woman named Khadija. According to Brian Glyn Williams, Khadija had an accidental death in the 1990s which broke Dostum as he "really loved his wife". Dostum eventually remarried after Khadija's death.
He named one of his sons Mustafa Kamal, after the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Dostum has spent a considerable amount of time in Turkey, and some of his family reside there.
Dostum is known to drink alcohol, a rarity in Afghanistan, and apparently a fan of Russian vodka. He reportedly suffered from diabetes. In 2014 when he became vice president, Dostum reportedly gave up drinking for healthy meals and morning jogs.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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In popular culture
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In popular culture
Navid Negahban portrays Dostum in the 2018 film 12 Strong.
Dostum appears as a playing card in the board game A Distant Plain, part of a series of wargames simulating historic insurgency and counterinsurgency conflicts.
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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See also
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See also
Abdul Jabar Qahraman
Afghan Civil War (1989–1992)
Afghan Civil War (1992–1996)
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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References
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References
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Bibliography
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Bibliography
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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External links
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External links
General Abdul Rashid Dostum's official website
Article on Abdul Rashid Dostum on Islamic Republic Of Afghanistan (.com)
Profile: General Rashid Dostum – BBC News
Biography about Dostum
CNN Presents: House of War
Afghanistan Mass Grave: The Dasht-e Leili War Crimes Investigation
As possible Afghan war-crimes evidence removed, U.S. silent
Obama Calls for Probe into 2001 Massacre of Suspected Taliban POWs by US-Backed Afghan Warlord – video by Democracy Now!
Eyewitness account from National Geographic war reporter Robert Young Pelton
Category:1954 births
Category:Living people
Category:Afghan military personnel
Category:Vice presidents of Afghanistan
Category:Afghan warlords
Category:Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)
Category:People of the Soviet–Afghan War
Category:Afghan communists
Category:National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan politicians
Category:People from Jowzjan Province
Category:Afghan expatriates in Turkey
Category:Afghan exiles
Category:Afghan expatriates in Pakistan
Category:Military of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
Category:Islamic State of Afghanistan
Category:21st-century Afghan politicians
Category:Afghan Uzbek politicians
Category:Afghan military officers
Category:Marshals
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Abdul Rashid Dostum
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Table of Content
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Short description, Early life, Career, Soviet–Afghan War, Civil war and northern Afghanistan autonomous state, Taliban era, Operation Enduring Freedom, Dasht-i-Leili massacre, Karzai administration, Time in Turkey, Ghani administration, Political and social views, Personal life, In popular culture, See also, References, Bibliography, External links
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Andhra Pradesh
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Short description
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Andhra Pradesh (ISO: , , AP) is a state on the east coast of southern India. It is the seventh-largest state and the tenth-most populous in the country. Telugu is the most widely spoken language in the state, as well as its official language. Amaravati is the state capital, while the largest city is Visakhapatnam. Andhra Pradesh shares borders with Odisha to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the north, Karnataka to the southwest, Tamil Nadu to the south, Telangana to northwest and the Bay of Bengal to the east. It has the second-longest coastline in India at about .
Archaeological evidence indicates that Andhra Pradesh has been continuously inhabited for over 247,000 years, from early archaic hominins to Neolithic settlements. The earliest reference to the Andhras appears in the Aitareya Brahmana () of the Rigveda. Around 300 BCE, the Andhras living in the Godavari and Krishna river deltas were renowned for their formidable military strength—second only to the Maurya Empire in the subcontinent. The first major Andhra polity was the Satavahana dynasty (2nd century BCE–2nd century CE) which ruled over the entire Deccan Plateau and even distant areas of western and central India. They established trade relations with the Roman Empire, and their capital, Dhanyakataka, was the most prosperous city in India during the 2nd century CE. Subsequent major dynasties included the Vishnukundinas, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, and Qutb Shahis, followed by British rule. After gained independence, Andhra State was carved out of Madras State in 1953. In 1956, it merged with Telangana, comprising the Telugu-speaking regions of the former Hyderabad State, to form Andhra Pradesh. It reverted to its earlier form in 2014, when the new state of Telangana was bifurcated from it.
The Eastern Ghats separate the coastal plains from the peneplains. Major rivers include the Krishna, Godavari, Tungabhadra and Penna. Andhra Pradesh holds about one-third of India's limestone reserves and significant deposits of baryte and granite. Agriculture and related activities employ 62.17% of the population, with rice being the staple crop. The state contributes 30% of India's fish production and accounts for 35% of the country's seafood exports. The Sriharikota Range, located on Sriharikota island in Tirupati district, serves as India's primary satellite launch centre.
Andhra is the birthplace of the Amaravati school of art, an ancient Indian art style that influenced South Indian, Sri Lankan, and Southeast Asian art. It is also home to Kuchipudi, one of India's classical dance forms, and has produced several renowned Carnatic music composers. The state features prominent pilgrimage centres and natural attractions, including the Venkateswara temple in Tirumala and the Araku Valley. Notable products with geographical indication (GI) registration include Tirupati Laddu, Banganapalle mangoes, Kondapalli toys, Dharmavaram sarees, and Pootharekulu.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Etymology
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Etymology
Andhras were mentioned in Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda () as descendants of the sage Vishvamitra. Andhras were referred to as non-Aryans living on the fringes of Aryan settlements. The Satavahanas, the earliest kings who ruled this region were mentioned by the names Andhra, Andhrara-jateeya, and Andhrabhrtya in the Puranic literature. "Andhra" is both a tribal and a territorial name. The region inhabited by Andhras was called Andhradesa.
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Andhra Pradesh
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History
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History
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Andhra Pradesh
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Pre-history
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Pre-history
Excavated stone tools from Hanumanthunipadu in Prakasam district were dated to be 2.47 lakh (247,000) years old (Middle Paleolithic). This finding means that these tools were developed by archaic hominins (pre-humans) as such tools were thought to be used by modern man migrating out of Africa about 2.10 lakh (210,000) years ago. In the absence of fossil evidence, it became a riddle to understand what happened to them. The discovery of petroglyphs, pictographs, and dolmens in Chakrala Bodu, near Boyalapalli village in the Yerragondapalem mandal area of Prakasam district indicates the presence of Neolithic-age human settlements in the region.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Early and medieval history
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Early and medieval history
thumb|left| Ruins of the Buddhist Maha Stupa at Bhattiprolu, built during the 3rd century BCE–2nd century BCE
Megasthenes reported in his Indica () that Andhras were living in the Godavari and Krishna river deltas and were famous for their military strength which was second only to Mauryans in all of India. Archaeological evidence from places such as Bhattiprolu, Amaravathi, and Dharanikota suggests that the Andhra region was part of the Mauryan empire. After the death of Emperor Ashoka, Mauryan rule weakened around 200 BCE and was replaced by several smaller kingdoms in the Andhra region. One of the earliest examples of the Brahmi script, from Bhattiprolu was used on an urn containing the relics of Buddha. This is considered as the rosetta stone for decipherment of Tamil Brahmi. Kadamba script, derived from Bhattiprolu Brahmi later led to the evolution of Telugu and Kannada scripts.
The Satavahana dynasty dominated the Deccan Plateau from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE. It had trade relations with the Roman Empire. The Satavahanas made Dhanyakataka-Amaravathi their capital. According to historian Stanley Wolpert, it might have been the most prosperous city in India in 2nd century CE. Nagarjuna, the philosopher of Mahayana, lived in this region. Mahayana spread to China, Japan, and Korea. It became the largest Buddhist denomination in the world. Amaravati School of Art is regarded as one of the three major styles of ancient Indian art and had a great influence on art in South India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. The Andhra Ikshvakus, with their capital at Vijayapuri, succeeded the Satavahanas in the Krishna River valley in the latter half of the 2nd century CE. The Salankayanas were an ancient dynasty that ruled the Andhra region between Godavari and Krishna rivers with their capital at Vengi (modern Pedavegi) around 300 CE. Telugu Cholas ruled present-day Kadapa region from the six to the thirteenth centuries intermittently. Kallamalla sasanam (law), engraved in 575 CE during the rule of Dhanamjaya, is the earliest completely Telugu inscription.
thumb|Undavali caves, Guntur district
The Vishnukundinas was the first dynasty in the fifth and sixth centuries to hold sway over South India. Undavalli Caves is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture of that time. The Eastern Chalukyas of Vengi, whose dynasty lasted for around five hundred years from the 7th century until 1130 CE, eventually merged with the Chola dynasty. They continued to rule under the protection of the Chola dynasty until 1189 CE. At the request of King Rajaraja Narendra, Nannaya, considered the first Telugu poet, took up the translation of the Mahabharata into Telugu in 1025 CE.
Kakatiyas ruled this region and Telangana for nearly two hundred years between the 12th and 14th centuries. They were defeated by the Delhi Sultanate. Bahamani sultanate took over when Delhi sultanate became weak. Around the same time, Musunuris and Reddi Kingdom ruled parts of this region in the early 14th century. Reddy kings constructed Kondaveedu Fort and Kondapalli Fort. Gajpathis ruled parts of this region, before the entire region became part of the Vijayanagara Empire during the reign of Krishnadevaraya. Pemmasani Nayaks controlled parts of Andhra Pradesh and had large mercenary armies that were the vanguard of the empire in the 16th century. Several tanks and anicuts were built. Some of these include the Cumbum tank, Mopad tank, and Koregal anicut, Vallabhapur anicut across the Tungabhadra River. The empire's patronage enabled fine arts and literature to reach new heights in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, and Sanskrit, while Carnatic music evolved into its current form. The Lepakshi group of monuments built during this period have mural paintings of the Vijayanagara kings, Dravidian art, and inscriptions. These are put on the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage committee.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Modern history
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Modern history
thumb|Parts of Andhra Pradesh in 1765 (left) ruled by Nizam, Carnatic Sultanate, British East India Company and Kingdom of Mysore and transformation to British East India Company rule by 1801 (map dated 1805) (right)
Following the defeat of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Qutb Shahi dynasty held sway over most of present-day general Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Later, this region came under the rule of the Mughal Empire. Chin Qilich Khan who was initially appointed as viceroy of Deccan by the Mughal in 1713, established himself as a semi-independent ruler as Nizam of Hyderabad . In 1765, British Lord Robert Clive obtained from the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II a grant of four circars to the British East India Company, that was formalised in 1778 treaty with Nizam Ali, the 5th Nizam of Hyderabad state with addition of another circar. Later, four territories were ceded to the British by Nizam Ali in 1800, which eventually became the Rayalaseema region. Meanwhile, in the present day North Andhra, Raja Viziaram Raz (Vijayaram Raj) established a sovereign kingdom and acquired neighbouring estates with the support of British. Later it fell out with the British and, as a result, was attacked and defeated in the battle of Padmanabham in 1794. It was annexed as a tributary estate like other principalities and remained so until it acceded to the Indian Union in 1949. Following the annexation of Carnatic sultanate in 1801, the last major piece of the present day Andhra Pradesh came under British East India Company rule as part of Madras Presidency. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the region became part of British crown till India became independent in 1947.
left|thumb|Dowleswaram Barrage built in 1850 by Arthur Cotton
Anicut at Dowleswaram built in 1850 by Arthur Cotton and several others at Vijayawada, Nellore, Sangam, Sunkesula, and Polampalli are examples of irrigation facilities built during the British raj, that irrigated lacs of acres across coastal districts. Buckingham Canal built during 1806–1878, running parallel to the Coramandal coast from Kakinada to Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu served as a major water transportation route for goods till the 1960s. Telegraph service initiated in 1850 served for over 160 years till it was stopped on 15 July 2013 citing poor patronage due to advances in mobile communications and short message service. Charles Philip Brown did pioneering work in transforming Telugu to the print era and introduced Vemana poems to English readers. Kandukuri Veeresalingam is considered the father of the Telugu renaissance movement, as he encouraged the education of women and lower caste people. He fought against Brahmin marriage customs such as child marriage, the bride price system, and the prohibition of widow remarriage.
thumb|left|Potti Sreeramulu, whose fast unto death in 1952 led to the formation of Andhra State
To gain an independent state based on linguistic identity and to protect the interests of the Telugu-speaking people of Madras State, Potti Sreeramulu fasted to death in 1952. The Telugu-speaking area of Andhra State was carved out of Madras state on 1 October 1953, with Kurnool as its capital city. On the basis of the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1956, the States reorganisation act created Andhra Pradesh by merging the neighbouring Telugu-speaking areas of the Hyderabad State with Hyderabad as the capital on 1 November 1956. Hyderabad grew rapidly partly through investments flowing in from agrarian change and 'green revolution' in coastal Andhra.
In the unified state, Indian National Congress (INC) enjoyed a monopoly in ruling the state till 1983. After that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) came to power and became another major party to rule the state. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam commissioned in 1967, Srisailam hydro electric project commissioned in 1982 are few examples of irrigation and electricity projects. The increased presence of women, Dalits, and tribals in the social and political spheres of the state, driven by social movements, led to a rise in violence against these groups. Securing access to resources like land remains an unachieved objective in the effort to expand their economic opportunities in the state. When the union cabinet decided to consider the formation of Telangana state in 2009 heeding to the demand of relaunched Telangana movement, Samaikyandhra Movement opposing it took shape and the state went through a turmoil. Finally, the Andhra Pradesh reorganisation act bill was passed by the parliament of India for the formation of the Telangana state, despite opposition by the state legislature. The new state of Telangana came into existence on 2 June 2014 after approval from the president of India, with the residual state continuing as Andhra Pradesh.
TDP formed the first government of the residual state with Chandrababu Naidu as chief minister. In 2017, the government of Andhra Pradesh began operating from its new greenfield capital, Amaravati, for which 33,000 acres were acquired from farmers through an innovative land pooling scheme. In the 2019 elections, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, leader of the YSR Congress Party, became the chief minister by winning 151 out of 175 seats. He introduced the 'village and ward volunteers' system, and reorganised the state with 26 districts. Introduction of English as the medium of instruction was done in almost all the state schools. The move to three capitals with Amaravati getting reduced to being the legislative capital, Vizag as the executive capital and Kurnool as the judicial capital was stuck down by the High Court. His government appealed to the Supreme Court.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Geography
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Geography
thumb|Andhra Pradesh relief map
Andhra Pradesh is the seventh-largest state with an area of . Politically, the state shares borders with Orissa to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the north, Karnataka to the southwest, Tamil Nadu to the south, Telangana to northwest and the Bay of Bengal to the east. Yanam district, an enclave of Puducherry, is in the state bordering Kakinada district. It has a coastline of around , which makes it the second-longest coastline in the nation.
The Eastern Ghats are a major dividing line separating coastal plains and peneplains in the state's geography. These are discontinuous, and individual sections have local names. The ghats become more pronounced towards the south and extreme north of the coast. Some of these consist of the Horsley Hills, the Seshachala Hills, the Nallamala Hills, and the Papi Hills. Arma Konda, located in Visakhapatnam district, is the highest peak in the state. Peneplains, part of Rayalaseema, slope towards the east. The Eastern Coastal Plains comprise the area of coastal districts up to the Eastern ghats as their border along the Bay of Bengal, with variable width. These are, for the most part, delta regions formed by the Krishna, Godavari, and Penna rivers. The state has five different soil types with the majority soil types being red lateritic and black soil types. Most of the coastal plains are put to intensive agricultural use. The Kadapa basin, formed by two arching branches of the Eastern ghats, is a mineral-rich area.
thumb|Gandikota gorge in YSR district
The valleys include Araku Valley, which is rich in biodiversity and Gandikota gorge. Gandikota gorge is a canyon formed between the Erramala range of hills, through which the Penna (Pennar) river flows. Borra Caves, created millions of years ago by water activity and the country's second-longest cave system, the Belum Caves are in the state. The state has several beaches in its coastal districts, such as Rushikonda, Mypadu, Suryalanka.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Flora and fauna
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Flora and fauna
thumb|Rose-ringed parakeet (parrot) (state bird) feeding on Neem fruits (state tree)
The total forest cover of the state is , amounting to 18.28% of the total area. The Eastern ghats region is home to dense tropical forests, while the vegetation becomes sparse as the ghats give way to the peneplains, where shrub vegetation is more common. The vegetation found in the state is largely of dry deciduous types, with a mixture of teak, and genera of Terminalia, Dalbergia, Pterocarpus, etc. The state possesses some rare and endemic plants like Cycas beddomei, Pterocarpus santalinus, Terminalia pallida, Syzygium alternifolium, Shorea tumburgia etc.
The state has 3 national parks and 13 wildlife sanctuaries . The diversity of fauna includes tigers, leopards, cheetals, sambars, sea turtles, and several birds and reptiles. The estuaries of the Godavari and Krishna rivers support rich mangrove forests with fishing cats and otters as keystone species. Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is an example of mangrove forests and salt-tolerant forest ecosystems near the sea. The area of these forests is , accounting for about 9% of the local forest area of the state. Other sanctuaries include Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Kolleru Bird Sanctuary, and Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary. Neem (Azadirachta indica) is the state tree, jasmine is the state flower, rose ringed parakeet is the state bird, and blackbuck is the state mammal.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Mineral resources
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Mineral resources
thumb|Mangampet Barytes
The state, with its varied geological formations, contains a variety of industrial minerals and building stones. Major minerals found in significant quantities in the state include beach sand, bauxite, limestone, granite, and diamonds. Minor minerals include barytes, calcite, and mica. The largest reserves of uranium are in Tummalapalli village of YSR district. The state also has reserves of oil and natural gas.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Climate
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Climate
The climate varies considerably, depending on the geographical region. Summers last from March to June. In the coastal plain, the summer temperatures are generally higher than in the rest of the state, with temperatures exceeding . The minimum temperature during summer is about in the far southwest. July to September is the season for tropical rains from the southwest monsoon. The winter season is from October to February. Low-pressure systems and tropical cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal along with the northeast monsoon during October to December, bringing rains to the southern and coastal regions of the state. The range of winter temperatures is generally except in the northeast where it could fall below . Lambasingi in Visakhapatnam district is nicknamed the "Kashmir of Andhra Pradesh" as its temperature ranges from . The normal rainfall for the state is .
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Andhra Pradesh
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Demographics
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Demographics
Based on the 2011 Census of India, the population of Andhra Pradesh is 49,577,103, with a density of . The rural population accounts for 70.53%, while the urban population accounts for 29.47%. The state has 17.08% scheduled caste (SC) and 5.53% scheduled tribe (ST) population. Children in the age group of 0–6 years number 5,222,384, constituting 10.6% of the total population. The state has a sex ratio of 997 females per 1000 males, higher than the national average of 926 per 1000. The literacy rate in the state stands at 67.35%. Erstwhile West Godavari district has the highest literacy rate of 74.32%, and erstwhile Vizianagaram district has the lowest with 58.89%.
Human Development Index (HDI) of the state for the year 2022 is 0.642. , there are 39,984,868 voters including 3,924 third-gender voters. Kurnool district has the maximum number of voters at 1,942,233, while Alluri Sitharama Raju district has the minimum at 729,085.
Telugu is the first official language, and Urdu is the second official language of the state. Telugu is the mother tongue of nearly 90% of the population. Tamil, Kannada, and Odia are spoken in the border areas. Lambadi and several other languages are spoken by the scheduled tribes of the state. 19% of the population aged 12+ years can read and understand English, as per the Indian readership survey for Q4 2019.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Religion
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Religion
According to the 2011 census, the major religious groups in the state are Hindus (90.89%), Muslims (7.30%), and Christians (1.38%). Some of the popular Hindu religious pilgrim destinations include Tirumala Venkateswara temple at Tirupati, Mallikarjuna temple at Srisailam, Kanaka Durga Temple at Vijayawada, and Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple at Simhachalam. Buddhist sites at Amaravati and Nagarjuna Konda are also popular.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Sub categorisaton
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Sub categorisaton
For the state of Andhra Pradesh, there are 59 entries in the SC category, 34 entries in the ST category, and 104 entries in Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. Komati, Brahmin, Kamma, Kapu, Raju, Reddy, and Velama communities constitute the Forward castes.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Culture
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Culture
Andhra Pradesh has 32 museums featuring a varied collection of ancient sculptures, paintings, idols, weapons, cutlery, inscriptions, and religious artefacts. The Amaravathi archaeological museum has a display of art traditions of Amaravathi and images of Buddha. Bapu museum in Vijayawada has historical galleries, stone cut writings, coins, swords, body armour, shields, arms, and ornamentation. Telugu Samskruthika Niketanam in Visakhapatnam displays historical artefacts of the pre-independence era. The Archaeological Survey of India identified 135 centrally protected monuments in the state of Andhra Pradesh. These include the reconstructed monuments at Anupu and Nagarjunakonda. The state has 17 geographical indication (GI) registrations in the categories of agriculture, handicrafts, foodstuffs, and textiles as per the Geographical indications of goods (Registration and protection) act, 1999.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Clothing
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Clothing
thumb|Kalamkari artwork on a cloth
The men's traditional wear consists of Panche, a long, white rectangular piece of non-stitched cloth often bordered in brightly coloured stripes. Women traditionally wear a sari, a garment that consists of a drape varying from in length and in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, baring the midriff, as according to Indian philosophy, the navel is considered as the source of life and creativity. Women wear colourful silk saris on special occasions such as marriages. The traditional wear of young girls is a half-saree with blouse. The shift to wearing western clothing of pant and shirt has become common for boys and men, while women also wear salwar kameez in addition to saris. Dharmavaram textiles, Machilipatnam, and Srikalahasti Kalamkari handicrafts are few examples in clothes category with GI status.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Cuisine
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Cuisine
thumb|Vegetarian Andhra meal, served on important occasions
Andhra meals are combinations of spicy, tangy, and sweet flavours. The use of chillies, tamarind, and gongura (leaves of roselle) is common in Andhra food. Curry leaves are used copiously in most preparations of curries and chutneys. Various types of Pappu are made using lentils in combination with tomatoes, spinach, gongura, ridge gourd, etc. Apart from curries, pulusu, a stew made using tamarind juice in combination with vegetables, seafood, chicken, mutton, etc., is popular. Pachchadi, a paste usually made with a combination of groundnuts, fried vegetables, and chillies, is a must in a meal. Pickles made using mangoes, gooseberries, lemons, etc. are enjoyed in combination with Pappu. Buttermilk and yoghurt mixed with rice eaten towards the end of the meal soothe the body, especially after eating spicy food items earlier.
A tamarind-rich dish popularly known as Pulihora is made with a thick sauce of tamarind, chillies, salt and asafoetida. It is tempered with mustard, curry leaves, peanuts and mixed with rice. It is offered even to the gods and then served as a prasadam (divine offering) in the temples to the devotees. Popular vegetarian curries include Dondakaya koora (ivy gourd cooked with coconut and green chilli) and Guttivankaya koora(stuffed brinjal curry). Thalakaya koora (lamb head gravy), Royyala koora (prawns cooked in tamarind), and Natukodi koora (freehold chicken curry with chillies) are popular non-vegetarian dishes across Guntur and surrounding regions. Yeta mamsam kobbari biryani (mutton cooked with coconut), Seema kodi (Rayalaseema-style chicken), Chennuru dum biryani, and Gongura mamsam (mutton cooked in sorrel gravy) are popular non-vegetarian dishes in Rayalaseema. Among fish preparations, Pulasa pulusu, thick aromatic and tangy gravy made from a single fish of the Godavari Pulasa variety is most desired in Konaseema. Ariselu, Burelu, Laddu, and Pootharekulu are some of the sweets made for special festivals and occasions. Pootharekulu, a preparation of sugar and rice flour and Taandri, a mango-flavoured sun-dried fruit jelly are popular sweets originating from Athreyapuram in Konaseema. Kakinada Khaaja layered flour deep fried and dipped in sugar is another popular sweetmeat. Bandar laddu, Tirupati Laddu are some of the food products with GI status.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Literature
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Literature
Nannayya, Tikkana, and Yerrapragada form the trinity who translated the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata into Telugu during 11–14 centuries. Nannayya wrote the first treatise on Telugu grammar, called Andhra Shabda Chintamani in Sanskrit. Pothana translated Bhagavatam into Telugu. Vemana was an Indian philosopher who wrote Telugu poems using simple language and native idioms on a variety of subjects including yoga, wisdom, and morality. Potuluri Veerabrahmendhra swami, a clairvoyant and social reformer of 17th century, wrote Kalagnanam, a book of predictions.
Telugu literature after Kandukuri Veeresalingam is termed Adhunika Telugu Sahityam (modern Telugu literature). He was the author of the first Telugu social novel Rajasekhara Charitram, published in 1880. The use of colloquial idiom rather than grandhik (classical) in literature, championed by Gurajada Apparao and Gidugu Ramamurthy Panthulu led to increased literacy. Various forms of literature such as poetry, novel, short story were vibrant as indicated by the responses to national and international developments in various spheres of human life. The modern Telugu poetry, which began around 1900 developed into three forms – Bhava kavitvam (lyrical poetry), Abhyudaya kavitvam (progressive poetry), and new experimental poetry, including Viplava kavitvam (revolutionary poetry). Gurajada Apparao, Rayaprolu Subbarao, Gurram Jashuva, Viswanatha Satyanarayana, Devulapalli Krishnasastri, and Sri Sri were some of the modern Telugu poets. Palagummi Padmaraju's short story Galivaana won second prize in World Short Story competition in 1952. Rachakonda Viswanadha Sastry initiated a new trend by focussing on the downtrodden in his novel Raju-Mahishi. Women writers such as Malati Chandur and Ranganayakamma dominated novels in the 1950s and 1960s. However, in the late 1970s, Yandamuri Veerendranath started writing popular novels with a focus on sex, suspense and violence, which were serialised in magazines. Viswanatha Satyanarayana was conferred the first Jnanpith Award for Telugu literature in 1970. Telugu film song as literature took shape in the 1930s. Some of the famous lyric writers include Samudrala Senior, Arudra, Athreya, Daasarathi, and C. Narayana Reddy.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Architecture
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Architecture
thumb|left|Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, showing Gopuram (big tower) in the front and Vimanam(small tower) in gold color at the back
Traditional temple architecture is influenced by Dravidian and Vijayanagara styles. In Dravidian architecture for which Tirumala temple is an example, the temples consisted of porches or mantapas preceding the door leading to the sanctum, gate-pyramids or gopurams in quadrangular enclosures that surround the temple, and pillared halls used for many purposes. Besides these, the temple usually has a tank called the Kalyani or pushkarni. The gopuram is a monumental tower, usually ornate at the entrance of the temple forms a prominent feature. They are topped by the kalasam, a bulbous stone finial. Vimanam are similar structures built over the garbhagriha or inner sanctum of the temple but are usually smaller than the gopurams. In the Vijayanagar style for which Lepakshi Veerabhadra temple is an example, the main temple is laid out in three parts, these are: The assembly hall known as the mukha mantapa; arda mantapa or antarala (ante chamber); and the garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum. Sri Venkateswara institute of traditional sculpture and architecture, run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams offers diploma courses. Civic architecture which mainly featured courtyard structure to support joint family system and simple round houses is giving way to modern apartments.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Arts
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Arts
thumb|Kondapalli Toys at a house in Vijayawada
thumb|upright|Kuchipudi dance
Kondapalli Toys, the soft limestone idol carvings of Durgi and Etikoppaka lacquered wooden toys are few handicrafts with GI status. Kuchipudi, the cultural dance recognised as the official dance form of the state of Andhra Pradesh, originated in the village of Kuchipudi in Krishna district. Several renowned composers of Carnatic music like Annamacharya, Kshetrayya, Tyagaraja, and Bhadrachala Ramadas hailed from the state. Sannai and Dolu are common musical instruments of marriages, household, and temple functions in the state. Harikathaa Kalakshepam (or Harikatha) involves the narration of a story, intermingled with various songs relating to the story. Burra katha is an oral storytelling technique in which the topic is either a Hindu mythological story or a contemporary social issue. Drama is an Indian theatre art form that is still popular. Gurajada Apparao wrote the play Kanyasulkam in spoken dialect for the first time. It was first presented in 1892. It is considered the greatest play in the Telugu language.
The Telugu film industry (known as "Tollywood") is primarily based in Hyderabad, though several films are shot in Vizag, Tirupati, Rajamahendravaram. About 300 films are produced annually, C. Pullaiah is cited as the father of the Telugu cinema. Film producer D. Ramanaidu holds a Guinness record for the most films produced by a person. Music composers and playback singers of the state include Ghantasala, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela, S. Janaki, and P. B. Sreenivas. "Naatu Naatu" from the film RRR became the first song from an Asian film to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2023. Efforts are on to make Vizag as the hub of film industry by offering incentives.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Festivals
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Festivals
Sankranti is the major harvest festival celebrated across the state. It is celebrated for four days in the second week of January. The first day of the Telugu new year Ugadi which occurs during March/April is also a special festival with the preparation and sharing of pickles (pachhadi) made from raw mangoes, neem flowers, pepper powder, jaggery and tamarind. Tasting this pickle which is a mix of different tastes teaches the importance of taking positive/negative life experiences in one's stride. Celebrations end with the recitation of the coming year's astrological predictions called Panchanga sravanam. Vijaya Dasami known commonly as Dussera and Deepavali, the festival of lights are other major Hindu festivals. Shivaratri is celebrated at Kotappakonda, with people from nearby villages preparing 80–100 ft height frames called prabhalu and taking it in a procession to the shine. Eid is celebrated with special prayers. Rottela Panduga is celebrated at Bara Shaheed Dargah in Nellore with participation across religious lines. Christians celebrate their religious festivals Good Friday, Easter and Christmas with processions and prayers.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Government and administration
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Government and administration
thumbnail|Secretariat buildings hosting legislative assembly and council, Amaravati
thumb|Andhra Pradesh districts
There are a total of 175 assembly constituencies in the state legislative assembly. The legislative council is the upper house with 58 members. In the Indian parliament, the state has 25 seats in the Lok Sabha and 11 seats in the Rajya Sabha. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's de jure head and appoints the chief minister who has the de facto executive authority.
Reddy, Kamma and Kapu communities cornered a share of 66% of seats in the 2019 election results. In the 2024 assembly elections, Reddy, Kamma and Kapu communities among the forward classes got more allocation than OBC in the unreserved category by major political parties or alliances. TDP-led National Democratic Alliance with Jana Sena Party and Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious defeating the incumbent YSRCP led by Jagan Mohan Reddy. It won 164 seats, while YSRCP got 11, a big drop from 151 it held. N. Chandrababu Naidu became the chief minister of the state for the fourth time. According to an opinion by Ayesha Minhaz in The Hindu daily, several factors including the prevailing anti-incumbency against the previous government and the alliance's promise of "Welfare with wealth generation" contributed to the success of TDP-led alliance.
Andhra Pradesh police are structured in district, subdivision, circle, and police station hierarchy. In 2022, crimes against women and children saw a rise of 43.66% with a case count of 25,503 cases in Andhra Pradesh as per the National crime records bureau (NCRB) data. The state stood fifth in the country with 2,341 cybercrime cases. Andhra Pradesh High Court at Amaravati is headed by Chief justice with 37 judges. District judiciary is organised in a three-tier system with district courts at the top, civil (senior) and assistant sessions courts in the middle and civil (junior) and judicial first-class magistrate courts at the lower level. Apart from these, there are special courts such as family, CBI, ACB, Land reforms appellate tribunals, and industrial tribunals.
Andhra Pradesh comprises two regions, namely Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema from a historical perspective. The northern part of Coastal Andhra is sometimes mentioned separately as North Andhra, to raise voice against underdevelopment. The state is further divided into 26 districts. These districts are made up of 76 revenue divisions, 679 mandals and 13,324 village panchayats as part of the administrative organisation.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Administrative divisions
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Administrative divisions
Andhra Pradesh is divided into 26 districts for administrative purposes. These districts are further grouped into 77 revenue divisions and subdivided into 685 mandals. Each district is administered by a District Collector, who oversees land revenue administration, law and order, elections, and developmental activities. Revenue divisions are headed by Revenue Divisional Officers (RDOs), who may be Sub-Collectors (IAS officers) or Deputy Collectors. Mandals, the key sub-district units, consist of multiple villages and are managed by Mandal Revenue Officers (MROs), serving as the primary link between the district administration and village-level governance.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Local government
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Local government
Local government in Andhra Pradesh functions through a three-tier Panchayati Raj system in rural areas and urban local bodies in towns and cities. Rural governance includes Gram Panchayats, Mandal Parishads, and Zilla Parishads, while urban areas are managed by Nagar Panchayats, Municipalities and Municipal Corporations. These bodies are responsible for local administration, development works, and delivery of basic services.
There are 17 municipal corporations, 77 municipalities, and 29 Nagar Panchayats for urban governance in Andhra Pradesh. Rural governance is managed by 13,234 Gram Panchayats at the village level, 676 Mandal Parishads at the mandal level, and 26 Zilla Parishads at the district level. Each of these bodies has elected councils and members.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Cities and towns
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Cities and towns
There are 123 urban local bodies, comprising 17 municipal corporations, 79 municipalities, and 27 nagar panchayats, in the state. The urban population is 14.9 million (1.49 crores) as per the 2011 census. There are two cities with more than one million inhabitants, namely Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
+Cities with the highest population in Andhra Pradesh, as per the 2011 CensusCity/Town District(s) Population (2011) Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli 1,728,128 Vijayawada NTR 1,476,931 Guntur Guntur 743,354 Nellore Nellore 558,548 Kurnool Kurnool 484,327 Rajahmundry East Godavari 476,873 Tirupati Tirupati 461,900 Kakinada Kakinada 443,028 Kadapa YSR Kadapa 344,893 Anantapur Anantapur 340,613
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Andhra Pradesh
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Government revenue and expenditure
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Government revenue and expenditure
For 2021–22, total receipts of the Andhra Pradesh government were , inclusive of of loans. States' tax revenue was . The top three sources of tax revenue are statedcrores goods and services tax (GST) (₹23,809 crore), sales tax/value added tax (VAT) (₹20,808 crores), and state excise (₹14,703 crores). The government earned a revenue of ₹7,345 crore from 2.574 million transactions for registration services. Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Tirupati are the top contributors to the revenue.
The government's total expenditure was ₹1,91,594 crore, which includes debt repayment of ₹13,920 crore. The fiscal deficit was 2.1% of the GSDP. Outstanding debt was ₹3.89 lakh crore, an increase of almost ₹40,000 crore compared to the previous year. This accounts for 32.4 per cent of the GSDP, which is more than the usual limit of 25% as per the Fiscal Responsibility Budget Management Actthe and Budget Management ActActstated crores. The outstanding guarantee estimate was ₹1,38,875 crore, of which power sector accounts for ₹38,473 crore equal to 12% of GDP. Out of the audited total expenditure of ₹1,77,674 crore of the state in 2021–22, social services accounted for 42.65% and capital expenditure 9.21%. When compared to 2020–21, the capital expenditure decreased by 14 per cent. Of the total expenditure, major components of the social services breakdown are as follows. The social welfare category accounted for 16%, education, sport, arts and culture had a share of 15% and health and family welfare had a share of 6.3%. Comptroller and Auditor general in its 2023 report warned that the trend of increasing levels of revenue expenditure coupled with a low level of capital spend will adversely impact infrastructure development, development, aggregate demand, employment generation, and revenue generation in the long run.
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Andhra Pradesh
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Economy
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Economy
Gross state domestic product (GSDP/GDP) at current prices for the year 2022–23 is estimated at (advanced estimates). The share of agriculture's contribution to the GSDP is at 36.19%, while industry is at 23.36%, and services are at 40.45%. The state posted a record growth of 7.02% at constant prices (2011–12) against the country's growth of 7%. GDP per capita is estimated at . The sectoral growth rates at constant 2011–12 prices were for agriculture at 4.54%; industry at 5.66 and services at 10.05%. Poverty rate is reduced to 4.2% in 2023 from 11.77% in 2015–16 as per Niti Ayog report. The methodology, based on the global multidimensional poverty index uses 10 indicators, covering three areas health, education, and standard of living and additionally maternal health and bank accounts. Unemployment rate of people with graduation in Andhra Pradesh is estimated at 24% as per periodic labour force survey of July 2022 to June 2023, the third highest in the country. The number for the whole of India is at 13.4%.
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