Faisal II of Iraq
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| King Faisal II | |
| King of Iraq | |
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| Reign | April 4, 1939 – July 14, 1958 |
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| Born | May 2, 1935 |
| Birthplace | Baghdad |
| Died | July 15, 1958 |
| Place of death | Baghdad |
| Buried | Royal Mausoleum, Adhamiyah |
| Predecessor | Ghazi I |
| Successor | None, monarchy overthrown in a coup d'etat by Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim in July 14, 1958 |
| Dynasty | Al Hashimi Dynasty |
| Father | Ghazi I |
| Mother | Queen Aliya |
Faisal II, GCVO (Arabic: الملك فيصل الثاني Fayṣal) (May 2, 1935 – July 14, 1958) was Iraq's last king. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until he was killed during a coup d'état.
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[edit] Family and early life
He was the only son of the second king of Iraq, Ghazi, who was killed in a mysterious motor car accident when Faisal was three, and his wife H.M. Queen Aliya, second daughter of H.M. 'Ali bin Hussein, King of the Hijaz and Grand Sharif of Mecca, GBE. For most of his reign, his uncle 'Abd al-Ilah ruled as regent until Faisal came of age in 1953.
As a teenager, Faisal attended Harrow School in the United Kingdom with his cousin King Hussein of Jordan. The two boys were close and, reportedly, planned even then to merge their two realms to counter what they considered the threat of militant pan-Arab nationalism.
[edit] Adult life
On February 1, 1958, neighbouring Syria joined with Nasser's Egypt to form the United Arab Republic. This prompted the Hashemite kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan to strengthen their position by establishing a similar defence. Just two weeks later, on February 14, this was signed into existence as the Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan. Faisal, as the senior member of the Hashemite family, became head of state. However, the reign of Faisal, together with the new state, came to an end a mere five months later. During the summer Hussein asked for Iraqi military assistance in Jordan.
At the time of his murder, King Faisal was engaged to be married to H.H. Princess Sabiha Fazila Khanum Sultana, only daughter of Prince Damad Muhammad 'Ali Ibrahim Bey Effendi of Egypt, by his wife, H.I.H. Princess Zahra Khanzadi Sultana, second daughter of Captain H.I.H. Prince Omar Faruk Effendi of Turkey.
[edit] Death
On 14 July 1958, when Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim took control of the Kingdom of Iraq by a coup d'etat, the Royal family was ordered to leave their Palace in Baghdad. The group consisted of King Faisal II; Crown Prince Abdullah; Princess Hiyam, Abdullah's wife; Princess Nafeesa, Abdullah’s mother, Princess Abadiya, the king’s aunt; and several servants.
When all of them had congregated in the courtyard they were told to turn towards the Palace wall, they were all then executed by firing squad under the command of Captain Abdus Sattar As Sab, a member of the coup d'état led by Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim. Nuri as-Said, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Iraq, was subsequently killed by Qassim's supporters on 15 July, 1958.
[edit] Military ranks
Faisal held the following ranks [1]:
- Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Iraqi Navy
- Field Marshal, Royal Iraqi Army
- Marshal of the Royal Iraqi Air Force
- Air Vice-Marshal (honorary), Royal Air Force
[edit] Trivia
- Faisal II was model to Belgian comic writer Herge for his character Prince Abdullah of Khemed
- Faisal II was an asthma sufferer ref No.2
[edit] See also
- Prince Ra'ad, head of the royal house of Iraq
- Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein - The cousin of Faisal II that currently lives in Iraq and has a political platform to establish a constitutional monarchy in Iraq.
- Nuri as-Said - The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Iraq that was also executed by supporters of Colonel Abdul Karim Qassim.
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Faisal II of Iraq
Born: May 2 1935 Died: July 14 1958 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ġāzī I |
King of Iraq April 4, 1939 – July 14, 1958 |
Succeeded by Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'i as President of Iraq |
| Titles in pretence | ||
| New title | — TITULAR — King of Iraq July 14, 1958 |
Succeeded by Prince Zeid or Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein |
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[edit] References
2.De Gaury,Gerald Three Kings in Baghdad Hutchinson 1961
