Talal of Jordan

Talal
Talal in 1951
King of Jordan
Reign 20 July 1951 – 11 August 1952
Coronation 20 July 1951
Predecessor Abdullah I
Successor Hussein
Prime Ministers
Born (1909-02-26)26 February 1909
Mecca, Ottoman Empire
Died 7 July 1972(1972-07-07) (aged 63)
Istanbul, Turkey
Burial 7 July 1972
Raghadan Palace, Jordan
Spouse
Zein Al-Sharaf (m. 1934)
Issue Hussein
Prince Muhammad
Prince Hassan
Princess Basma
Full name
Talal bin Abdullah bin Hussein bin Ali
House Hashemite
Father Abdullah I of Jordan
Mother Musbah bint Nasser
Religion Sunni Islam

Talal bin Abdullah (Arabic: طلال بن عبد الله‎, Ṭalāl ibn ʿAbdullāh; 26 February 1909 – 7 July 1972) was King of Jordan from the assassination of his father, King Abdullah I, on 20 July 1951, until he was forced to abdicate by Parliament on 11 August 1952. According to Talal, he was a 39th-generation direct descendant of Muhammad as he belongs to the Hashemite family—who have ruled Jordan since 1921.

He was born in Mecca as the eldest child of Abdullah and his wife Musbah bint Nasser. Abdullah was the son of Hussein bin Ali, the Sharif of Mecca. Sharif Hussein led the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1916; after removing Ottoman rule, Abdullah established the Emirate of Transjordan in 1921, a British Protectorate, for which he was Emir. During Abdullah's absence, Talal spent his early years alone with his mother. Talal received private education in Amman, later joining Transjordan's Arab Legion as second lieutenant in 1927. He then became aide to his grandfather Sharif Hussein, the ousted King of the Hejaz, during his exile in Cyprus. By 1948, Talal became a general in the Army.

Abdullah sought independence in 1946, and the Emirate became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Talal became Crown Prince upon his father's designation as King 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 modern constitution in 1952, rendering his kingdom as a constitutional monarchy. He ruled for less than thirteen months until he was forced to abdicate due to mental illness—reported as schizophrenia. Talal spent the rest of his life at a sanatorium in Istanbul and died there on 7 July 1972. He was succeeded by his oldest son Hussein.[1]

Early life

He was born in Mecca as the eldest child of Abdullah, an Arab deputy of Mecca in the Ottoman Parliament, and his wife Musbah bint Nasser. Abdullah was the son of Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Sharif Hussein and his sons led the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1916; after removing Ottoman rule, the Sharif's sons established Arab monarchies in place. Abdullah established the Emirate of Transjordan in 1921, a British Protectorate, for which he was Emir. During Abdullah's absence, Talal spent his early years alone with his mother. Talal received private education in Amman, later joining Transjordan's Arab Legion as second lieutenant in 1927. He then became aide to his grandfather Sharif Hussein, the ousted King of the Hejaz, during his exile in Cyprus. By 1948, Talal became a general in the Army.[2]

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.[3]

Reign

Talal, when he was Crown Prince of Jordan, 1 May 1948

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 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.[4]

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 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 neighbouring Arab states of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Illness, death and funeral

Talal lived 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.

Legacy

Despite his short reign, he is revered for having established a modern constitution of Jordan.[5]

Personal life

From left to right: prince Hassan, king Hussein, princess Basma and prince Muhammad

In 1934, Talal married his first cousin Zein al-Sharaf Talal who bore him four sons and two daughters:

Ancestry

Titles and honours

Titles

Styles of
King Talal of Jordan
Reference style His Majesty
Spoken style Your Majesty
Alternative style Sir
  • 26 February 1909 – 25 May 1946: His Royal Highness Prince Talal of Jordan
  • 25 May 1946 – 20 July 1951: His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Jordan
  • 20 July 1951 – 11 August 1952: His Majesty The King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Honours

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ex‐King Talal of Jordan Dies; Abdicated in '52 in Favor of Son". New York Times. Associated Press. July 9, 1972. p. 51. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  2. ↑ "Schizophrenia," Time Magazine, 18 August 1952
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jordan Royal Ark
  4. ↑ Elliot House, Karen (6 September 2008). "The Art of Middle East Survival". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  5. ↑ http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordan-remembers-king-talal
  6. ↑ Kamal Salibi (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B.Tauris. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "Family tree". alhussein.gov. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  8. ↑ Boletín Oficial del Estado

Bibliography

  • Salibi, Kamal (15 December 1998). The Modern History of Jordan. I.B. Tauris.
Talal of Jordan
Born: 26 February 1909
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Abdullah I		 King of Jordan
1951–1952		 Succeeded by
Hussein
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