| Talal bin Abdullah طلال بن عبدالله | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Talal in 1951 | |||||
| King of Jordan | |||||
| Reign | 20 July 1951 – 11 August 1952 | ||||
| Coronation | 20 July 1951 | ||||
| Predecessor | Abdullah I | ||||
| Successor | Hussein | ||||
| Prime ministers | See list | ||||
| Born | (1909-02-26)26 February 1909 Mecca,Hejaz Vilayet,Ottoman Empire | ||||
| Died | 7 July 1972(1972-07-07) (aged 63) Istanbul, Turkey | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | |||||
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| House | Hashemite | ||||
| Father | Abdullah I of Jordan | ||||
| Mother | Musbah bint Nasser | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Talal bin Abdullah al-Hashimi[a] (26 February 1909 – 7 July 1972) wasKing of Jordan from the assassination of his fatherKing Abdullah I in 1951, until his forced abdication in 1952. As a member of theHashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Talal was a39th-generation direct descendant ofMuhammad.
Talal was born inMecca as the eldest son of Abdullah bin Hussein and his wifeMusbah bint Nasser. Abdullah was a son ofSharif Hussein of Mecca, who led theGreat Arab Revolt duringWorld War I against theOttoman Empire in 1916. After removing Ottoman rule, Abdullah established theEmirate of Transjordan in 1921, and ruled as itsEmir. During Abdullah's absence, Talal spent his early years alone with his mother. Talal received private education inAmman, later joining Transjordan'sArab Legion assecond lieutenant in 1927. He then became aide to his grandfather Sharif Hussein, theousted king of theHejaz, during his exile in Cyprus. By 1948, Talal became a general in the Arab Legion.
The country sought independence in 1946, and the Emirate became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Talal became crown prince upon his father's designation asking of Jordan. Abdullah was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1951, and Talal became king. Talal's most revered achievement as king is the establishment of Jordan's modernconstitution in 1952, rendering his kingdom a constitutional monarchy. He ruled for less than thirteen months until he was forced to abdicate byParliament because he was experiencing mental illness, reported asschizophrenia. Talal spent the rest of his life at a sanatorium in Istanbul and died there on 7 July 1972. He was succeeded by his eldest sonHussein.[1]
Talal was born inMecca as the eldest child ofAbdullah, an Arab deputy of Mecca in theOttoman Parliament, and his wifeMusbah bint Nasser. Abdullah was the son ofHussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca andMedina.[2] Sharif Hussein and his sons led theGreat Arab Revolt against theOttoman Empire in 1916; after removing Ottoman rule, the Sharif's sons established Arab monarchies in place. Abdullah established theEmirate of Transjordan in 1921, aBritish Protectorate, for which he wasEmir. During Abdullah's absence, Talal spent his early years alone with his mother. Talal received private education inAmman, later joining Transjordan'sArab Legion assecond lieutenant in 1927. He then became aide to his grandfather Sharif Hussein, theousted King of theHejaz, during his exile in Cyprus. By 1948, Talal became a general in the Army.[3]
He was educated privately before attending the British Army'sRoyal Military College, Sandhurst, from which he graduated in 1929 when he was commissioned as asecond lieutenant in the Cavalry Regiment of theArab Legion. His regiment was attached to a British regiment inJerusalem and also to theRoyal Artillery inBaghdad.[citation needed] He marriedZein al-Sharaf bint Jamil in November 1934, who bore his first sonHussein in 1935.[4]
Talal ascended the Jordanian throne after the assassination of his father,Abdullah I, inJerusalem. Abdullah I was killed by a Palestinian amid rumours that he had been planning to sign a peace treaty with the newly established state of Israel. Talal's sonHussein, who was accompanying his grandfather at Friday prayers, was also nearly a victim. On 20 July 1951, Prince Hussein travelled to Jerusalem to perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque with his grandfather, King Abdullah I. An assassin, fearing that the king might normalise relations with the State of Israel, killed Abdullah, but the 15-year-old Hussein survived.[5]
During his short reign he was responsible for the formation of a liberalised constitution for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which made the government collectively, and the ministers individually, responsible to theJordanian 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 neighbouringArab states of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Talal has been described by his cousinPrince Ra'ad bin Zeid in a 2002 interview as having "very anti-British sentiments" due to Britain's failure to fully comply with the agreement outlined with his grandfather Sharif Hussein ibn Ali in theMcMahon–Hussein correspondence to establish an independent Arab kingdom under his rule.[6] Talal was described by British resident in Transjordan SirAlec Kirkbride in a 1939 correspondence as being "at heart, deeply anti-British".[7][8] However, Kirkbride doubted the meaningfulness of this animosity towards the British, owing it purely to the "tension" between Talal and his father Emir Abdullah and Talal's desire to create of himself as a "big nuisance as possible".[9]
Israeli historianAvi Shlaim, however, argues that Talal's hostility towards Britain was genuine as he "bitterly resented British interference in the affairs of his country" and that such sentiments were downplayed by Kirkbride due to his "self-serving" attempt to "protect [Britain's] reputation".[10] Furthermore, at the time of the succession crisis that occurred after King Abdullah I's assassination, Talal was described by contemporary Egyptian and Syrian press as a "great patriotic anti-imperialist" in contrast to his half-brother Naif, who also sought the throne, and was denounced as "weak-minded and entirely subservient to British influence".[11]
A series of stamps bearing King Talal's image were issued to commemorate his ascension to the throne, but were pulled and ultimately burned (with several examples surviving) after he abdicated in 1952. Additionally, there was an attempt to include his image on Jordanian currency in 1951, though no notes are known to have been printed and released for circulation.[12]
A year into Talal's reign,Arab Legion intelligence officer Major Hutson reported that Amman was "seething with a rumor to the effect that the Legion, or Cabinet, intend on handing over West Jordan to Israel and that King Talal was deported by the British for refusing to agree".[13]
At this time, Talal was reported by British resident Furlonge,Queen Zein al-Sharaf (mother of Talal's son and successorHussein), and Prime MinisterTawfik Abu Al-Huda as experiencing a mental illness. Furlonge particularly suggested that Talal be "forced out of Amman" and "forced into a French clinic". Talal was subsequently flown in a civil (not royal) RAF plane to Paris for "treatment".[13]
Talal's reportedly unwell medical condition is highlighted by an incident on 29 May 1952 when Queen Zein al-Sharaf (described by British historianNigel J. Ashton as "a sophisticated political operator with her own private communication channels with the British"[14]) sought refuge in the British embassy in Paris, claiming that Talal "threatened her with a knife and attempted to kill one of his younger children".[13] Prime Minister Tawfik Abu al-Huda consequently attempted to induce Talal into abdicating; however, he was harshly reproached by Talal, who said he "had no intentions of abdicating". Furthermore, PM Abu al-Huda received reports that Talal was attempting to challenge the government with the help of "private individuals" and an "officer in the Arab Legion".[15]
This led Abu al-Huda into summoning both houses of parliament to an "extraordinary session", requesting their approval of a motion dictating that Talal be deposed for "medical reasons", specifically "schizophrenia". Abu al-Huda backed up his requests with medical reports and argued that Talal's medical condition was irrevocable, and Talal's deposition was unanimously accepted by parliament later that day.[15]
Nationalist officers in the Army suspected that the parliamentary session to discuss Talal's abdication was a plot against him. They asked the King'saide-de-camp, 'Abd Al'Aziz Asfur, to arrange a meeting with him to arrange a response to the supposed plot. However, Asfur returned to the officers and confirmed the claims about his mental condition.[16]
Abu al-Huda proceeded to rule Jordan, from the day of Talal's deposition on 11 August 1952 until Talal's son Hussein came of age on 2 May 1953, in a "dictatorial" fashion. He was described byGlubb Pasha as a "Prime Minister dictator" who had ruled "stably" as EmirAbdullah I had done. Glubb Pasha particularly commended this as he noted that Arab countries were presently "unfit for full democracy on the British model".[17] Abu al-Huda's ascension was supported by Political Resident Furlonge as Abu al-Huda was from the "old guard" and thus "accustomed to the existing system and relationship with Britain".[18]
Contrary to his wish to live in Saudi-ruled Hejaz after his abdication,[15] Talal was sent to live the latter part of his life at a sanatorium in Istanbul and died there on 7 July 1972. Talal is buried in the Royal Mausoleum at theRaghadan Palace in Amman.[19]
Despite his short reign, he is revered for having established a modernconstitution of Jordan.[20]
In 1934, Talal married his first cousinZein al-Sharaf who bore him four sons and two daughters:[4]
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Talal of Jordan Born: 26 February 1909 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Preceded by | King of Jordan 1951–1952 | Succeeded by |
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Generations are numbered by descent fromAbdullah I. | ||
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See alsoHouse of Hashemite | ||
| International | |
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