| Talal | |
|---|---|
| Talal | |
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| Reign | 20 July 1951 – 11 August 1952 |
| Predecessor | Abdullah I |
| Successor | Hussein |
| Spouse | Zein al Sharaf Talal |
| Issue | |
| Hussein of Jordan Prince Muhammad Prince El Hussan Princess Basma |
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| House | Hashemite |
| Father | Abdullah I of Jordan |
| Mother | Musbah bint Nasser |
| Born | 26 February 1909 Mecca, Al Rashid |
| Died | 7 July 1972 (aged 63) Istanbul, Turkey |
| Burial | Raghadan Palace |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Talal I bin Abdullah (Arabic: طلال بن عبد الله Ṭalāl ibn `Abd Allāh) 26 February 1909 – 7 July 1972) was King of Jordan from 20 July 1951 until forced to abdicate in favour of his son Hussein due to health reasons (reported as schizophrenia[1]) on 11 August 1952.
Talal's family claims a direct line of descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
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Talal was born on the 26 February 1909 at Mecca in the Ottoman Empire to Abdullah and his first wife Musbah.
He was educated privately before attending the British Army's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst from which he graduated in 1929 when he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry Regiment of the Arab Legion. His regiment was attached to a British regiment in Jerusalem and also to the Royal Artillery in Baghdad.[2]
Talal ascended the Jordanian throne after the assassination of his father, Abdullah I, in Jerusalem. His son, Hussein, who was accompanying his grandfather at Friday prayers was also a near victim. On 20 July 1951, Prince Hussein traveled to Jerusalem to perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque with his grandfather, King Abdullah I. A Palestinian, fearing the king might normalize relations with the newly created state of Israel, opened fire on Abdullah and his grandson. Abdullah was killed, but the 15-year-old Hussein survived.
During his short reign he was responsible for the formation of a liberalized constitution for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which made the government collectively, and the ministers individually, responsible before the Jordanian Parliament. The constitution was ratified on 1 January 1952. King Talal is also judged as having done much to smooth the previously strained relations between Jordan and the neighboring Arab states of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Talal died in the Turkish city of Istanbul on 7 July 1972 and was buried in the Royal Mausoleum at the Raghadan Palace in Amman.
In 1934, Talal married his first cousin Zein al-Sharaf Talal who bore him four sons and two daughters:
Talal received the following honours:[2]
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Abdullah I |
King of Jordan 1951–1952 |
Succeeded by Hussein |