Sayyid Hussein bin Ali, GCB (1854 — June 4, 1931) (حسین بن علی; Ḥusayn bin ‘Alī) was the Sharif of Mecca, and Emir of Mecca from 1908 until 1917, when he proclaimed himself King of Hejaz, which received international recognition. He initiated the Arab Revolt in 1916 against the Ottoman Empire during the course of the First World War. In 1924, he further proclaimed himself Caliph of all Muslims. He ruled Hejaz until 1924, when, defeated by Abdul Aziz al Saud, he abdicated the kingdom and other secular titles to his eldest son Ali.
Early life
The eldest son of Sharif Ali ibn Muhammad by his wife, Salha, Hussein bin Ali was born in 1853 in Istanbul and was the last of the
Hashemite rulers over the Hejaz to be appointed by the
Ottoman Sultan. Claiming direct descent from the
Prophet Muhammad, he was highly respected in the Islamic world.
Arab Revolt
Sharif Hussein bin Ali shared with his fellow Arabs a strong dislike for his
Ottoman overlords. During
World War I, Hussein was initially allied with the Ottomans and
Germany. Evidence that the Ottoman government was planning to depose him at the end of the war soured this alliance. The British
Secretary of State for War,
Lord Kitchener, appealed to him for assistance in the conflict on the side of the
Triple Entente but Hussein wanted an Arab nation and political recognition in return. Starting in 1915,
an exchange of letters with British
High Commissioner Henry McMahon assured him that his assistance would be rewarded by an Arab empire encompassing the entire span between
Egypt and
Persia, with the exception of imperial possessions and interests in
Kuwait,
Aden, and the
Syrian coast. But after protracted negotiations, Hussein became impatient and started what would become known as
The Great Arab Revolt against Ottoman control in 1916.
Following World War I
In the aftermath of the war, the Arabs found themselves freed from centuries of Ottoman Sultanate rule, and under the
mandate colonial rule of France and the United Kingdom. As these mandates ended, the sons of Hussein were made the kings of
Transjordan (later
Jordan),
Syria and
Iraq. However, the monarchy in Syria was short-lived, and consequently Hussein's son (Faisal) instead presided over the newly-established Iraq.
King of Hejaz
When Hussein declared himself King of the
Hejaz, he also declared himself King of all Arabs (
malik bilad-al-Arab). This aggravated his conflict with
Ibn Saud, with whom he had fought before WWI on the side of the Ottomans in 1910. Two days after the Turkish Caliphate was abolished by the
Turkish Grand National Assembly on March 3, 1924, Hussein
declared himself Caliph at his son
Abdullah's winter camp in Shunah, Transjordan. The claim to the title had a mixed reception, and he was soon ousted and driven out of Arabia by the
Saudis, a rival clan that had no interest in the Caliphate. Saud defeated Hussein in 1924. Hussein continued to use the title of Caliph when living in Transjordan.
Exile and abdication
Though the British had supported Hussein from the start of the
Arab Revolt and the
Hussein-McMahon Correspondence, they elected not to help Hussein repel the Saudi attack, which eventually took Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah. He was then forced to flee to
Cyprus, where he donated funds for the construction of an
Armenian church. He went to live in
Amman,
Transjordan, where his son
Abdullah was
king. After his abdication, his son
'Ali briefly assumed the throne, but then he too had to flee the encroachment of Ibn Saud and his
Salafi forces. His son
Faisal was briefly King of Syria and later
King of Iraq.
Hussein died in Amman in 1931 and is buried in Jerusalem.
Marriage and children
Hussein, who had four wives, fathered four sons and three daughters with three of his wives.
With his first wife Abdiya bin Abdullah he had:
Prince Ali, last King of Hejaz married to Nafisa bint Abdullah.
Prince Abdullah, Emir (later King) of Transjordan married to Musbah bint Nasser, Suzdil Hanum, and Nahda bint Uman.
Princess Fatima - married a European Muslim Businessman from France.
Prince Faisal, King of Iraq and Syria married to Huzaima bint Nasser.
With his second wife Madiha he had:
Princess Saleha married to Abdullah bin Muhammed.
With his third wife Adila Khanmun he had:
Princess Sara married Muhammad Atta Amin in July 1933 divorced September 1933.
Prince Zeid, succeeded King Faisal II of Iraq on his assassination in 1958, but never ruled as Iraq became a republic. Married to Fahrelnissa Kabaağaç.
Film
In the 1962 film
Lawrence of Arabia,
Alec Guinness portrayed Prince Faisal, Sharif Hussein's son.
Notes
See also
Battle of Mecca 1916
Siege of Medina
Suleiman Mousa
Sharifian Caliphate
References
Teitelbaum, Joshua (2001). The Rise and Fall of the Hashemite Kingdom of the Hijaz. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. ISBN 1850654603
A detailed genealogy
Category:1854 births
Category:1931 deaths
Category:Arabs of the Ottoman Empire
Category:History of Jordan
Category:History of the Ottoman Provinces
Category:Caliphs
Category:Politics of the Ottoman Empire
Category:Sharifs of Mecca
Category:People from Jeddah
Category:Vexillographers
Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Category:Arab Zionists
Category:Muslim Zionists
