| Saud of Saudi Arabia | |
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| Saud in 1957 | |
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| Reign | November 9, 1953 – November 2, 1964 |
| Predecessor | Abdul-Aziz |
| Successor | Faisal |
| Full name | |
| King Saud bin Abdul-Aziz bin Abdul-Rahman bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud | |
| House | House of Saud |
| Father | Abdul-Aziz |
| Mother | Wadha bint Muhammed Al Urai'ir |
| Born | January 12, 1902 Kuwait City, Al Rashid |
| Died | February 23, 1969 (aged 67) Athens, Kingdom of Greece |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Saud bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud (January 12, 1902 – February 23, 1969) (Arabic: سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود Su‘ūd ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Su‘ūd) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964. He was removed from power by Faisal because of Saud's mismanagement and waste. He was the eldest surviving son of Ibn Saud and became Crown Prince in 1933. He died in exile in Greece.
| Major events | |
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| 1956 | Saudi Arabia stopped exporting oil to Britain and France due to the Suez Crisis. |
| 1957 | State visit to the United States at invitation of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. |
| 1957 | Saudi Arabia became a member at the International Monetary Fund. |
| 1961 | A royal decree was made to establish the Institute of Public Administration. |
| 1961 | Saud became sick and traveled to America for treatment. |
| 1962 | Saud established Saudi Television. |
| 1963 | Saudi Arabia withdrew its troops from Kuwait, after the end of the Iraqi-Kuwaiti conflict. |
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Saud was born in 1902 in Kuwait. He was born in the home of Amir Abdul Rahman bin Faisal. They were in district Sakkat Anaza where the family of the was staying after their exile from Riyadh. After his father Abdulaziz conquered Riyadh in 1902, Saud followed him with his mother and brothers. His mother was Princess Wadhha bint Muhammad bin Burghush Al Uray'ir of the Bani Khalid tribe.
When he was five years old, his father took him to Sheikh Abdul Rahman Mufaireej. He was taught sharia and the Qur'an. He also learned archery and horse-riding. He also had smallpox, but Abdul-Aziz made Saud attend the meetings that he held in order to learn and develop political skills. Moreover, Saud was very close to his father, so much that when he died Saud said "I lost my father…and my friend". [2].
When he was thirteen years old, Saud's first political mission involved leading a delegation to Qatar. He led the first war against Hail in 1921, and became the leader of the Saudi troops fighting in Yemen. In addition, Saud participated in eight wars before he came to the throne: Grab War, Yabet War, Truba, Alkuras, Hail, Alhijaz, Almahmal and the Brethren [3].
Before becoming king, Saud and his half-brother Faisal were the caretakers of the country because of Abdul-Aziz's ailing condition. On May 11, 1933, he was made Crown Prince.
When Ibn Saud died in 1953, Saud became king.
He had cordial relations with Egypt at the beginning of his reign. He felt challenged by the Hashemite kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan. Saud became weary of Egyptian influence in the Arab world. This led to numerous diplomatic blunders, such as a supposed plot to assassinate Gamal Abdel Nasser. Egypt and Saudi engaged in a regional cold war. During the Yemeni Civil War, Saud supported the royalist and Egypt supported republican forces.
He was responsible for the establishment of numerous governmental ministries. In 1957, he founded King Saud University in Riyadh. He had 53 sons and 56 daughters [4] and was keen to give his own sons power, and placed them in high governmental positions. This annoyed his half-brothers, who thought that Saud's sons were too inexperienced, and began to fear that Saud would select his own son to succeed him. He was also known for his lavish spending squandering state funds for his own family, and on palaces, all at a time when Saudi Arabia was still struggling economically.
Between 1953 and 1964, the appointment of eight ministers were partly to contain the fermenting demands for political participation among members of the royal lineage. By 1957, Saud placed his son Fahd as Minister of Defense, his son Musaid to lead the Royal Guard, his son Khalid to lead the National Guard. and his son Saad in the Special Guard.[1]
A fierce struggle between Ibn Saud's most senior sons, Saud and Faisal, erupted immediately after the death of King Abdulaziz. The increase in oil revenues did not solve the financial problem associated with the debts Saud had inherited from his father, estimated to have been $200 million in 1953. In fact, this debt more than doubled by 1958, when it reached $450 million. The Saudi riyal lost half of its official value against the dollar. Both ARAMCO and international banks declined Saudi's demand for credit. Saud suspended the few government projects he had initiated, but continued his spending on luxurious palaces[2]
Saud and Faisal fought an internal battle over the definition of political responsibilities and the division of government functions. Saud is often associated among other things with plundering of oil revenues, luxurious palaces, conspiracy inside and outside Saudi Arabia, and vice. Faisal is associated with sobriety, piety, puritanism, financial wisdom, and modernization. Moreover, the conflict between the two brothers is often described as originating from the desire of Faisal to curb his brother's spending and solve Saudi Arabia's financial crisis.
The battle between the two brothers was fought over the role to be assigned to the Council of Ministers. Saud abolished the office of prime minister by royal decree, thus enforcing his position as King and de facto prime minister. Saud thought of himself as both King and prime minister whereas Faisal envisaged more powers in his own hand as Crown Prince and deputy prime minister[3]
King Saud's family members worried about Saud's profligacy and his inability to meet Nasser's socialist challenge. Corruption and backwardness were weakening the regime. Radio Cairo's anti-Saudi propaganda was finding a receptive audience.[4]
Saud and Faisal continued their power struggle until 1962, when Faisal formed a cabinet in the absence of the King, who had gone abroad for medical treatment. Faisal allied with Fahd and Sultan. Faisal's new government excluded the sons of Saud. He promised a ten-point reform that included the drafting of a basic law, the abolishing of slavery and the establishment of a judicial council.
Saud rejected Faisal's new arrangement and threatened to mobilize the Royal Guard against his brother. Faisal ordered the mobilization of the National Guard against Saud. With the arbitration of the ulema, and pressure from senior members of the royal family, Saud gave in and agreed to abdicate on March 28, 1964.[5]
Saud was forced into exile and he moved to Geneva, Switzerland, and then on to other European cities. In 1966, Saud was invited to live in Egypt by Colonel Nasser. After his abdication, he was generally not mentioned in Saudi Arabia, with numerous institutions bearing his name being renamed. His reign was only referenced in passing in official history books. Likewise, his sons remained largely marginalized from positions of power though two were named governors to minor provinces during the reign of King Fahd.
Two days before his death, he had felt ill and asked his doctor Filnger from Austria to examine him. In the morning, Saud took a short walk on a beach with his daughter Nozhah, near Hotel Kavouri where he used to reside. His physician arrived after he had died in Athens, Greece, on February 23, 1969, after suffering a heart attack in his sleep. His body was taken to Makkah then to Riyadh where he was buried in Alaoud cemetery.[6]
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Saud of Saudi Arabia
Born: 1902 Died: 1969 |
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| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Ibn Saud |
King of Saudi Arabia 1953–1964 |
Succeeded by Faisal |
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