Faisal of Saudi Arabia

Faisal
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Photograph of Faisal, seated, facing right
Formal portrait, 1945
King of Saudi Arabia
Reign2 November 1964 – 25 March 1975
Bay'ah2 November 1964
PredecessorSaud
SuccessorKhalid
Regent of Saudi Arabia
Tenure4 March 1964 – 2 November 1964
Monarch
Saud
Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia
Tenure16 August 1954 – 21 December 1960
PredecessorSaud bin Abdulaziz
SuccessorSaud bin Abdulaziz
Tenure31 October 1962 – 25 March 1975
PredecessorSaud bin Abdulaziz
SuccessorKhalid bin Abdulaziz
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
Tenure9 November 1953 – 2 November 1964
Monarch
Saud
PredecessorSaud bin Abdulaziz
SuccessorKhalid bin Abdulaziz
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tenure19 December 1930 – 22 December 1960
Monarch
PredecessorOffice established
SuccessorIbrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel
Tenure16 March 1962 – 25 March 1975
Monarch
Saud
Himself
PredecessorIbrahim bin Abdullah Al Suwaiyel
SuccessorSaud Al Faisal
Viceroy of Hejaz
Tenure9 February 1926 – 22 September 1932
Monarch
Abdulaziz
SuccessorKhalid bin Abdulaziz
Born(1906-04-14)14 April 1906
Riyadh, Emirate of Riyadh
Died25 March 1975(1975-03-25) (aged 68)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Cause of deathAssassination by shooting
Burial26 March 1975
Spouses
List
  • Sultana bint Ahmed Al Sudairi
  • Iffat bint Mohammad Al Thunayan
  • Al Jawhara bint Saud Al Kabir
  • Haya bint Turki Al Turki
  • Hessa bint Muhammad Al Muhanna Aba Al Khail
  • Munira bint Suhaim Al Thunayan Al Mahasher
  • Fatima bint Abdulaziz Al Shahrani
Issue
Among others ...
Names
Faisal bin Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman
HouseAl Saud
FatherAbdulaziz of Saudi Arabia
MotherTarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh
Occupation
  • Politician
  • diplomat
SignatureFaisal's signature
Military career
Allegiance Saudi Arabia
Service / branchArmed Forces of Saudi Arabia
Years of service1919–1975
Battles / wars

Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود Fayṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd, Najdi Arabic pronunciation: [fæjsˤɑl ben ˈʕæbd ælʕæˈziːz ʔæːl sæˈʕuːd]; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was King of Saudi Arabia from 2 November 1964 until his assassination in 1975. Before his ascension, he served as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 to 2 November 1964, and he was briefly regent to his half-brother King Saud in 1964. He was prime minister from 1954 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1975. Faisal was the third son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.[note 1]

Faisal was the son of Abdulaziz and Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh. His father was still reigning as Emir of Nejd at the time of Faisal's birth,[note 2] and his mother was from the Al ash-Sheikh family which has produced many prominent Saudi religious leaders. Faisal emerged as an influential royal politician during his father's reign. He served as viceroy of Hejaz from 1926 to 1932. He was the Saudi foreign minister from 1930 and prime minister from 1954 until his death, except for a two-year break in both positions from 1960 to 1962. After his father died in 1953 and his half-brother Saud became king, Faisal became crown prince, and in that position he outlawed slavery in Saudi Arabia. He persuaded King Saud to abdicate in his favour in 1964 with the help of other members of the royal family and his maternal cousin Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.

Faisal implemented a policy of modernization and reform. His main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamism, anti-communism,[5][note 3] and pro-Palestinianism. He attempted to limit the power of Islamic religious officials. Protesting against support that Israel received from the West, he led the oil embargo which caused the 1973 oil crisis. Faisal successfully stabilized the Kingdom's bureaucracy, and his reign had significant popularity among Saudi Arabians despite his reforms facing some controversy. Following his assassination by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid in 1975, he was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid.


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  1. ^ Current Biography 1943, pp. 330–334
  2. ^ Clive Leatherdale (1983). Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925–1939: The Imperial Oasis. Psychology Press. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-7146-3220-9.
  3. ^ Joseph Kostiner. (1993). The Making of Saudi Arabia, 1916–1936: From Chieftaincy to Monarchical State (Oxford University Press US), ISBN 0-19-507440-8, p. 104
  4. ^ Odah Sultan (1988). Saudi–American Relations 1968–78: A study in ambiguity (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Salford. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Unexpectedly modern". The Economist. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.