- Arabic:
- Āl Saʿūd (“House of Saʿūd”)
Saud dynasty
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What is the Saud dynasty?
The Saud dynasty has ruled Saudi Arabia since the 18th century. The dynasty was founded by Muhammad ibn Saud, and it is named after his father, Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin, who ruled Al-Dir'iyyah from 1720 to 1725.
In the mid-18th century, the Saud dynasty and Muslim Wahhābī religious reformers formed an alliance, which led to the creation of three Saudi kingdoms, including modern Saudi Arabia, officially established in 1932.
Although the Saud dynasty has often passed power from father to son, it is not strictly hereditary. The clan chooses the ruler by consensus.
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Where is the Saud dynasty from?
The Saud dynasty, the ruling family of Saudi Arabia, was founded by Muhammad ibn Saud in the 18th century. The dynasty is named after Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin, the father of Muhammad ibn Saud, who ruled the town of Al-Dir'iyyah (near present-day Riyadh) from 1720 to 1725.
In 1744, Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, a religious reformer, was expelled from his hometown and fled to Al-Dir'iyyah. There, Muhammad ibn Saud offered him protection, which led to the expansion of Al-Dir'iyyah and the Saud dynasty's rule through military conquests.
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How did the Saud dynasty become rulers of Saudi Arabia?
The Saud dynasty became the rulers of Saudi Arabia through a combination of religious alliance, military conquest, and political maneuvering.
In the 18th century, Muhammad ibn Saud formed an alliance with the Wahhābī religious movement, which called for religious renewal based on a strict moral code. This alliance provided the foundation for the first Saudi state. Over the next decades, the Saudis expanded their territory through military campaigns.
Ibn Saud consolidated his control by organizing the Ikhwān, a religious and military brotherhood, which helped him expand his rule across Arabia. By 1926, Ibn Saud was proclaimed king of the Hejaz. On September 23, 1932, the kingdoms of Najd and the Hejaz were united by royal decree, forming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Who was the first king from the Saud dynasty?
The founder of the Saud dynasty was Muhammad ibn Saud in the 18th century. However, Ibn Saud (also known as Abdulaziz II), who reigned from 1902 to 1953, is largely credited with establishing the third Saudi state and, ultimately, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
Ibn Saud began expanding his rule across Arabia in 1912 and, by 1925, had control of Mecca, Medina, and Jeddah. In 1926, he was proclaimed king of the Hejaz. Then, in 1932, he united the kingdoms of Najd and Hejaz into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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How has the Saud dynasty influenced the country of Saudi Arabia?
The Saud dynasty has significantly shaped Saudi Arabia since the 18th century through an alliance with Wahhābī religious reformers, leading to the creation of three Saudi kingdoms, including the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. The family’s close ties with the Wahhābī religious establishment have defined the country’s Islamic law and governance.
Ibn Saud united the dual kingdom of the Hejaz and Najd into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, emphasizing the central role of the royal family. The dynasty maintains power through consensus within the royal family, consultation with religious scholars, tribal leaders, and prominent commercial families.
The Saudi government sought to use its wealth and influence to restrain revolutionary change during the Arab Spring. In 2011, it led a deployment of GCC troops to Bahrain to help suppress mass protests there.
The preeminence of the Wahhābī religious establishment, ensured by the Saud dynasty, has resulted in a conservative society with strict codes of public behavior enforced by a religious police force.
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What are some challenges or changes faced by the Saud dynasty in recent times?
The Saud dynasty, rulers of Saudi Arabia, have faced numerous challenges in recent times:
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Economic Issues The Saudi government has historically relied on oil revenue, but they now face the need to diversify the economy. To achieve this diversification, Saudi Arabia has implemented initiatives such as Vision 2030.
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Succession Uncertainty The advanced age of King Abdulaziz's sons has led to concerns about a potential succession crisis. The deaths of two crown princes in quick succession heightened these fears.
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Social and Political Reforms Calls for political inclusiveness have led to municipal elections and the appointment of the first female deputy minister.
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Saud dynasty, rulers of Saudi Arabia. The dynasty, founded by Muhammad ibn Saud in the 18th century, takes its name from his father, Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Muqrin, who ruled the town of Al-Dirʿiyyah (near what is now Riyadh) from 1720 to 1725. What follows is a brief history of the Saud dynasty. For treatment of the individual rulers since Muhammad ibn Saud, see list of kings of Saudi Arabia.
The first Saudi state
The first Saudi state began to flourish after Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, a religious reformer who sought a return to the principles of Islam as practiced by its early forebears (salaf), was expelled from his hometown of ʿUyaynah in 1744 and fled to the rival town of Al-Dirʿiyyah, some 40 miles (64 km) away. There Muhammad ibn Saud, who was the leader of a clan rival to the one that ruled ʿUyaynah, offered protection to the reformer, who attracted many followers to the town. The growth of Al-Dirʿiyyah, along with the fervor of ʿAbd al-Wahhāb’s followers, allowed Muhammad ibn Saud to extend his rule through military expansion. Muhammad and his son Abdulaziz I (reigned 1765–1803) conquered much of Arabia; Saud I (reigned 1803–14) conquered the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in the early years of his rule. The empire was brought to an end, however, by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt, whose forces entered central Arabia, razed Al-Dirʿiyyah, and sent Abdullah I, the fourth Saudi emir, to Constantinople (now Istanbul) to be beheaded.
The second Saudi state
The salafī movement (also called the Wahhābī movement) remained in tact, along with the movement’s alliance with the Saud dynasty, and the second Saudi state was reconstituted by Muhammad ibn Saud’s grandson Turki (reigned 1823–34) in Riyadh in 1824. But when Turki’s son Faisal I (reigned 1834–38 and 1843–65) died, succession disputes between Faisal’s sons led to civil war. The forces of Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Rashīd (Ibn Rashīd) overran the Saudis at the Battle of Al-Mulaydah (1891), and Abdulrahman (reigned 1889–91), then the ruler of Riyadh and Faisal’s only surviving son, fled into exile in Kuwait.
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The third Saudi state and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman’s son, Abdulaziz II (more commonly known as Ibn Saud; reigned 1902–53), ventured out of Kuwait in 1901 with a force of 40 followers. He arrived in Riyadh on January 15, 1902, and that night he scaled the walls of Riyadh with 15 warriors, surprising and killing the Rashīdī governor when he emerged in the morning. The third Saudi state came into being, but its first several years were marked by desultory fighting. In 1912 Ibn Saud began organizing a religious and military brotherhood (called the Ikhwān), which proved indispensable in the expansion of his rule beyond the Najd and across Arabia. In 1924 the Ikhwān took control of Mecca, and, by the end of 1925, both Medina and Jeddah had surrendered. On January 8, 1926, Ibn Saud—already titled sultan of Najd—was proclaimed king of the Hejaz in the Great Mosque of Mecca. On September 23, 1932, the kingdoms of Najd and the Hejaz were united by royal decree and constituted as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
After Ibn Saud’s death in 1953 a number of his sons ruled the country: Saud III (reigned 1953–64), Faisal (reigned 1964–75), Khalid (reigned 1975–82), Fahd (reigned 1982–2005), Abdullah (reigned 2005–15), and Salman (reigned 2015– ). Mohammed bin Salman, who was named crown prince in 2017, was poised to be the first of Ibn Saud’s grandsons to succeed to the throne.