Talal of Jordan
Talal bin Abdullah طلال بن عبدالله | |||||
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King of Jordan | |||||
Reign | 20 July 1951 – 11 August 1952 | ||||
Coronation | 20 July 1951 | ||||
Predecessor | Abdullah I | ||||
Successor | Hussein | ||||
Prime ministers | See list | ||||
Born | Hejaz Vilayet, Ottoman Empire | 26 February 1909||||
Died | 7 July 1972 Istanbul, Turkey | (aged 63)||||
Burial | |||||
Spouse | |||||
Issue | |||||
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Hashemite | |||||
Father | Abdullah I of Jordan | ||||
Mother | Musbah bint Nasser | ||||
Religion | Sunni Islam |
Talal bin Abdullah (
Talal was born in
Abdullah sought independence in 1946, and the Emirate became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Talal became crown prince upon his father's designation as
Early life
Talal was born in
He was educated privately before attending the British Army's Royal Military College, 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.[citation needed] He married Zein al-Sharaf bint Jamil in November of 1934, who bore his first son Hussein in 1935.[4]
Reign
Talal ascended the Jordanian throne after the assassination of his father,
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 before the
Talal has been described by his cousin
Israeli historian Avi Shlaim, however, argues that Talal's contempt for the British was genuine as he "bitterly resented British affairs in the affairs of his country" and that such hostility towards the British was downplayed by Kirkbride due to Britain's "self-serving" interests to "protect her 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]
Forced abdication and death
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".[12]
At this time, Talal was reported by British resident Furlonge, Queen Zein (mother of Talal's son and successor Hussein), and Prime Minister Tawfik 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".[12]
Talal's reportedly unwell medical condition is highlighted by an incident on 29 May 1952 when Queen Zein (described by British historian Nigel J. Ashton as "a sophisticated political operator with her own private communication channels with the British"[13]) 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".[12] 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".[14]
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.[14]
Nationalist officers in the Army suspected that the parliamentary session to discuss Talal's abdication was a plot against him. They asked the King's aide-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.[15]
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 by
Contrary to his wish to live in Saudi-ruled Hejaz after his abdication,[14] Talal was sent to live the latter part of his life at a sanatorium in Istanbul and died there on 7 July 1972. Talal was buried in the Royal Mausoleum at the Raghadan Palace in Amman.[18]
Legacy
Despite his short reign, he is revered for having established a modern constitution of Jordan.[19]
Personal life
In 1934, Talal married his first cousin Zein al-Sharaf who bore him four sons and two daughters:[4]
- King Hussein (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999).
- Princess Asma, died at birth in 1937.
- Prince Muhammad (2 October 1940 – 29 April 2021).
- Prince Hassan (born 20 March 1947).
- Prince Muhsin, deceased.
- Princess Basma (born 11 May 1951).
Ancestry
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Gallery
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During the 1951 opening of theJordanian Parliament. Also present are Prince Hussein (1st from left) and Prime Minister Tawfik Abu Al-Huda(3rd from left).
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As a Crown Prince in 1948.
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King Talal (mounted, right of center) andKing Saudof Saudi Arabia (mounted, left of center)
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King Talal (right) and King Saud (left). Both would be later forcibly abdicated.
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King Talal (2nd from left) with his fatherKing Abdullah I(2nd from right) in 1946
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King Talal of Jordan and his son King Hussein in 1952
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DrinkingZamzam water in Meccain 1951.
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In front of the Kaaba, 1951.
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With his sonPrince Hassanin 1948.
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King Talal's children. From left to right:Prince Muhammad
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In Lebanon, 1952
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WithGlubb Pasha(1st from left) in 1952.
See also
- Hashemites
- List of kings of Jordan
- King Abdullah I
- King Hussein
References
- ^ "Ex-King Talal of Jordan Dies; Abdicated in '52 in Favor of Son". The New York Times. Associated Press. 9 July 1972. p. 51. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-7486-9144-9.
- ^ "Schizophrenia - TIME". 5 September 2007. Archived from the original on 5 September 2007.
- ^ a b "The Hashemite Royal Family". The Office of King Hussein. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ Elliot House, Karen (6 September 2008). "The Art of Middle East Survival". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ Interview with Prince Raad ibn Zayd, 6 September 2002, in Shlaim: Lion of Jordan. pp 43-44
- ^ Shlaim, Lion of Jordan, p43.
- ^ Nigel J. Ashton, "King Hussein of Jordan: A Political Life", p. 20
- ^ Graham Jevon. Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion: Britain, Jordan and the End of Empire in the Middle East, p189
- ^ Shlaim, Lion of Jordan, p42-43.
- ^ Graham Jevon. Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion: Britain, Jordan and the End of Empire in the Middle East, p185
- ^ a b c Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion: Britain, Jordan and the End of Empire in the Middle East, p196.
- ^ Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion: Britain, Jordan and the End of Empire in the Middle East, p184.
- ^ a b c Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion: Britain, Jordan and the End of Empire in the Middle East, p200.
- ISBN 9780231505703.
- ^ Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion: Britain, Jordan and the End of Empire in the Middle East, p201.
- ^ Glubb Pasha and the Arab Legion: Britain, Jordan and the End of Empire in the Middle East, p202.
- ^ "45th Anniversary of King Talal Abdullah's death". en.royanews.tv.
- ^ "Jordan remembers King Talal". 6 July 2014.
- ISBN 9781860643316. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
- ^ "Family tree". alhussein.gov. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
Bibliography
- ISBN 9781860643316.