Saud of Saudi Arabia
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Saud bin Abdul Aziz (January 12, 1902 - February 23, 1969) (Arabic: سعود بن عبد العزيز) was King of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to November 2, 1964.
He was the eldest surviving son of Ibn Saud, his mother being Wadhba bint Muhammad al-Hazzam. Before becoming king, he, along with his half-brother Faisal, was given great responsibilities in the establishment and running of the lands of Ibn Saud. Shortly after the formal establishment of Saudi Arabia, he was made a crown prince on May 11, 1933, bypassing his father's own brothers. When Ibn Saud died in 1953, Saud became king.
Image:President Truman with Saud.jpg During his reign he was responsible for the establishment of numerous governmental ministries, and also for the establishment of King Saud University (renamed to Riyadh University after Saud's abdication) in Riyadh. His reign was marked with dissatisfaction within his own family. Saud surpassed his father in the number of children he had. He had 45 sons and over 50 daughters. Saud was keen to give his own sons power, and placed them in high governmental positions. This annoyed his half-brothers, who thought that Saud's sons were too inexperienced, and began to fear that Saud would select his own son to succeed him. He was also known for his lavish spending squandering state funds for his own family, and on palaces, all at a time when Saudi Arabia was still struggling economically. Despite cordial relations with Egypt at the beginning of his reign in order to oppose the Hashemite kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan, Saud would later grow weary of Egyptian influence in the Arab world, which led to numerous diplomatic blunders, such as a supposed plot to assassinate Gamal Abdel Nasser. Saud also began supporting royalist forces in the Yemeni Civil War, that saw Egypt supporting republican forces. These factors, coupled with an intense rivalry with his half-brother Faisal helped to bring about his downfall. He was often seen as a polar opposite of Faisal, where Faisal was outwardly religious and seen as economical, Saud was wasteful, and was reputed to be a drinker.
He was deposed in 1964 by a family coup with the backing of the ulema. Although Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud would have been next in line for succession, he instead supported his half-brother Faisal as the new king. Saud went into exile in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1966 Saud was invited to live in Egypt by president Nasser. Saud died in Athens, Greece in 1969. After his abdication, he was generally not mentioned in Saudi Arabia, with numerous institutions bearing his name being renamed, and his reign being given passing if any reference in official history books. Likewise, his sons were marginalized within the royal family.
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Template:Royal-stub Template:Saudi-stubar:سعود بن عبد العزيز آل سعود de:Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz et:Saud (Saudi Araabia) fr:Saoud IV d'Arabie saoudite gl:Saud bin Abdul Al-Aziz id:Saud dari Arab Saudi he:סעוד מלך ערב הסעודית ms:Saud ibn ’Abd al ’Aziz Al Sa’ud pl:Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz al Saud zh:沙特·伊本·阿卜杜勒·阿齐兹·伊本·沙特