Prince Aly Khan was the son of the famously wealthy Aga Khan. The latter was the title of the religious leader and Imam of the Ismaili Nizari sect of Islam, and was originally bestowed by the Persian Shah Fath Ali on Hasan Ali Shah, the 46th Ismaili imam, in 1818. The first Aga Khan was also appointed as the governor of the province of Kirman, a position he lost as a result of political intrigues following Fath Ali''s death. In 1839, he moved to India, where he aided the British during the first Anglo-Afghan war (1839–42), and in the conquest of Sind (1842–43). He was succeeded by his eldest son Ali Shah, Aga Khan II, who died in 1885.