King Faisal
King of Saudi Arabia
Died when: 68 years 312 days (826 months)Star Sign: Taurus
Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: فيصل بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود Fayṣal ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd, Najdi Arabic pronunciation: [fajsˤal ben ˈʕabd alʕaˈziːz ʔaːl saˈʕuːd]; 14 April 1906 – 25 March 1975) was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was King of Saudi Arabia from 2 November 1964 until in 1975.
Prior to his ascension, he served as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 9 November 1953 to 2 November 1964, and he was briefly regent to his half-brother King Saud in 1964.
He was prime minister from 1954 to 1960 and from 1962 to 1975.Faisal was the third son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, and the second of Abdulaziz's six sons who were kings.
Faisal was the son of Abdulaziz and Tarfa bint Abdullah Al Sheikh.His father was still reigning as Emir of Nejd at the time of Faisal's birth, and his mother was from the Al ash-Sheikh family which has produced many prominent Saudi religious leaders.
Faisal emerged as an influential royal politician during his father's reign.He served as viceroy of Hejaz from 1926 to 1932.He was the Saudi foreign minister from 1930 and prime minister from 1954 until his death, except for a two-year break in both positions from 1960 to 1962.
After his father died in 1953 and his half-brother Saud became king, Faisal became crown prince, and in that position he outlawed slavery in Saudi Arabia.
He persuaded King Saud to abdicate in his favour in 1964 with the help of other members of the royal family and his maternal cousin Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.
Faisal implemented a policy of modernization and reform.His main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamism, anti-communism, and pro-Palestinianism.He attempted to limit the power of Islamic religious officials.
Protesting against support that Israel received from the West, he led the oil embargo which caused the 1973 oil crisis.Faisal successfully stabilized the kingdom's bureaucracy, and his reign had significant popularity among Saudi Arabians despite his reforms facing some controversy.
Following his assassination by his nephew Faisal bin Musaid in 1975, he was succeeded by his half-brother Khalid.Faisal is regarded by far as being one of the most influential and important rulers in the modern history of the Arab world.
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