History
Saudi Arabia became a kingdom in 1932. The Al Saud controlled vast parts of the region for two and half centuries. The Saudi royalty collapsed twice in the 1800s due to discord over succession. In 1890s, the Al Sauds was completely supplanted by a rival clan — the Al Rashid. The kingdom began to fight to restore itself through King Abdulaziz and his capture of Riyadh in 1902.
Abdulaziz conquered Arabia and formed alliances by marriage to members of its biggest tribes. This strengthened his power within the Al Sauds and expanded his legitimacy in Arabia. He presided over the discovery of oil in the region. He died in 1953.
Prince Saud became king in 1953. This reign lasted until 1965. Then, Prince Faisal became king upon overthrown of King Saud. Faisal's reign was ended by his assassination in 1975. King Khalid ascended to the throne and ruled until his death in 1982. King Fahd, the head of the Sudairi faction, ruled from 1982 until his stroke in 1995. Crown Prince Abdullah then took control of the kingdom's affairs and was crowned king in 2005, after the death of King Fahd. King Abdullah is the present ruler of Saudi Arabia. Crown Prince is Salman bin Abdulaziz beginning in 18 June 2012.
Read more about this topic: Line Of Succession To The Saudi Arabian Throne
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records between the material and the moral nature.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“No one can understand Paris and its history who does not understand that its fierceness is the balance and justification of its frivolity. It is called a city of pleasure; but it may also very specially be called a city of pain. The crown of roses is also a crown of thorns. Its people are too prone to hurt others, but quite ready also to hurt themselves. They are martyrs for religion, they are martyrs for irreligion; they are even martyrs for immorality.”
—Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936)
“History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today.”
—Henry Ford (1863–1947)