Saud bin Faisal Al Saud (1833–1875)
Saud bin Faisal Al Saud | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | 1833 | ||||
Died | 1875 (aged 41–42) | ||||
Issue |
| ||||
| |||||
House | House of Saud | ||||
Father | Faisal bin Turki Al Saud |
Saud bin Faisal bin Turki Al Saud (Arabic: سعود بن فيصل بن تركي آل سعود), also known as Imam Saud (Arabic: إمام الدولة السعودية الثانية), (1833—1875) was a ruler of the Second Saudi State in 1871 and 1873–75.[1] He joined alliances with foreign tribes and revolted against his half-brother Abdullah. His rule was short-lived and he was overthrown by Abdullah bin Turki. He gained power again in 1873 but died two years later. His reign was notable for the infighting in the House of Saud which he initiated.
Early life
Saud was born in 1833.[2] The mother of Saud and his much younger full-brother Abdul Rahman were part of the Ajman, a Bedouin tribe inhabiting the desert to the southeast of Riyadh. Saud had two half-brothers: Abdullah[3] and Muhammad whose mother came from the Saud family.
Rebellion
Abdullah, as the oldest son of Faisal, had been made designated heir and chief military commander while Saud was sent to al-Kharj in southern Najd as governor, partly to reduce the developing friction between the two brothers.
However, Saud proved outstandingly successful and his reputation soon eclipsed that of his brother, whose claim to the succession was not validated by any great success or ability in politics, whereas Saud had developed a strong power base in the area of al Kharj and a following among the Ajman tribe of his mother.
After Faisal's death in 1865, Abdullah became Imam, but was immediately challenged by the ambitious Saud. Saud claimed that he was qualified to rule the state due to his prior appointment as the governor of al-Kharj by his father, Faisal.[4] Saud had left Riyadh and gathered supporters among the tribes of Al Hasa in the east, including the Ajman tribe.[5] However, the Wahhabi leader, Abdul Rahman bin Hasan, did not endorse the rebellion of Saud, but supported Abdullah as the legitimate ruler.[4]
Abdullah and his loyal brother Muhammad at first proved too strong for Saud, but in December 1870, Saud, aided by the rulers of Oman, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, defeated the forces of Abdullah and captured Muhammad. Upon this events Sheikh Abd Al Latif bin Abdul Rahman, grandson of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab, supported Saud as the new Emir and also, declared him as Imam.[4][6]
Abdullah fled Riyadh and Saud proclaimed himself Imam in May 1871.
Failed kingship
Soon after, another rebellion shook the kingdom. Saud was forced out by his uncle Abdullah bin Turki. Abdullah bin Turki took the capital. Saud had also estranged the population by his reliance on tribes from the east.
Return of Abdullah bin Faisal
In the meantime, Abdullah had requested help from Midhat Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Baghdad. Midhat Pasha took advantage of the opportunity to sweep into the province of Al Hasa, where Muhammad bin Faisal was held prisoner by Saud's son, Abdulaziz. Muhammad was released, and eventually the two brothers Abdullah and Muhammad were able to make their way back to Riyadh. However, Saud, along with his Ajman followers, retook Riyadh in January 1873 and Abdullah and Muhammad were sent into exile among the Mutayr and Utaiba tribes. In January 1875, Saud died, either of battle wounds or smallpox.
Saud's sons
Muhammad, Abdullah, and Abdul Rahman then formed an alliance. But Saud's sons kept up hostilities against the surviving brothers. Saud's sons used al-Kharj province as their base of operations. They were finally killed in a surprise raid in 1888.
However, the grandsons of Saud were involved in sporadic fighting against their cousins and not formally reconciled for many years. The descendants of Saud, through his grandson Saud Al Kabeer bin Abdulaziz, are still considered the ceremonially senior branch of the family, and known as the Saud Al Kabeer branch.
Personal life and death
Saud married a woman from the Ajman tribe.[7] He died of smallpox in 1875.[8]
References
- ^ William B. Quandt (1981). Saudi Arabia in the 1980s: Foreign Policy, Security, and Oil. Washington DC: The Brookings Institution. p. 79. ISBN 0815720513.
- ^ Khalid Abdullah Krairi (October 2016). John Philby and his political roles in the Arabian Peninsula, 1917-1953 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Birmingham. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ Roby C. Barrett (June 2015). "Saudi Arabia: Modernity, Stability, and the Twenty-First Century Monarchy" (Report). Joint Special Operations University. p. 23. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ a b c David Commins (2006). The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia. London: I. B. Tauris. p. 62. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1010.4254.
- ^ Khalid Abdullah Krairi (October 2016). John Philby and his political roles in the Arabian Peninsula, 1917-1953 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Birmingham. p. 246. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ Alejandra Galindo Marines (2001). The relationship between the ulama and the government in the contemporary Saudi Arabian Kingdom: an interdependent relationship? (PDF) (PhD thesis). Durham University.
- ^ Nadav Safran (2018). "The Rise and Fall of the First Two Realms". Saudi Arabia: The Ceaseless Quest for Security. Cornell University Press. p. 17.
- ^ Bilal Ahmad Kutty (1997). Saudi Arabia under King Faisal (PDF) (PhD thesis). Aligarh Muslim University. p. 50. Retrieved 30 April 2021.