Kingdom of Bahrain
Bahrain, 1783 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
In 1783, the Bani Utbah and allied tribes captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur. Bahrain has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed al Fateh as its first hakim. In the late 19th century, following successive treaties with the British, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. Bahrain declared independence in 1971 and was declared a semi-constitutional monarchy in 2002.
Seat of power: Manama
Rulers
Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Khalifa
monarch of Bahrain, 1783–1796
Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Khalifa was the progenitor of the ruling Khalifa family of Bahrain and the first monarch or hakim of Bahrain. Sheikh Ahmed, through his successful conquest of Bahrain in 1783, restored Bahrain's Arab independence and sovereignty. Sheikh Ahmed used to spend the winter in Zubarah, but the spring and summer seasons in Bahrain.
Muhammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
monarch of Bahrain, 1843–1868
In early 1843 Muhammad returned to Qatar and then to Bahrain, and in April 1843 he defeated Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa becoming the ruler. During his reign Muhammad paid an annual tribute to Faisal bin Turki, successor of Abdullah bin Thunayan as the Emir of Najd.
Isa I of Bahrain
monarch of Bahrain, 1869–1923
Sheikh Isa ruled from 2 December 1869. On 22 December 1880, Isa concluded a protectorate treaty with the United Kingdom to abstain from making any treaties or engagements with any other foreign power or state without British consent. He was forced by the British political advisor, Clive Kirkpatrick Daly, to abdicate in 1923, although this "abdication" was never recognised by Bahrainis who considered his successor and son Hamad only as a vice-ruler until Isa's death in 1932.
Portrait of Isa I of Bahrain: Anonymous photographer between 1860-1923, Public domain, file
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Hamad I of Bahrain
monarch of Bahrain, 1932–1942
On 9 December 1932 he succeeded his father on the throne of Bahrain and his appointment was made official on 9 February 1933. In 1926, Charles Belgrave was appointed the government advisor due to the unrest prevailing since 1919 over the application in Bahrain of the civil and criminal laws of the British Raj.
Portrait of Hamad I of Bahrain: Unknown photographer, Public domain, file
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Salman II of Bahrain
monarch of Bahrain, 1942–1961
Salman bin Hamad was the ruler of Bahrain from the death of his father on 20 February 1942 until his own death in 1961. Against resistance from the traditional elite, he promoted reforms to the pearl divers' labor conditions, starting with the first specialist clinics to deal with their occupational health.
Portrait of Salman II of Bahrain: User:ال رضي, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Isa II of Bahrain
monarch of Bahrain, 1961–1999
During his reign, Bahrain gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1971. While the government initially considered joining the United Arab Emirates, Isa had his country withdraw (along with Qatar) over his dissatisfaction with the proposed constitution. In August 1975, however, he dissolved Parliament because it refused to pass the government-sponsored State Security Law of 1974.
Portrait of Isa II of Bahrain: Helene C. Stikkel, Public domain, file
Hamad II of Bahrain
monarch of Bahrain, 1999 to today
He succeeded his father, Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, as emir in 1999 and became the first king of Bahrain when he declared the country a kingdom in 2002. Shortly after succeeding his father in 1999, he released political prisoners and proposed a reform package, the National Action Charter, which led to a new constitution in 2002. He presided over the response to the 2011 protests, including by declaring martial law and allowing the deployment of Saudi and Emirati troops.
Portrait of Hamad II of Bahrain: DHSgov, Public domain, file
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Culture
- Bahrain has been famed since antiquity for its pearl fisheries, which were considered the best in the world into the 19th century.
- Bahrain is known as one of the first post-oil economies in the Persian Gulf, the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors.
- The ruling Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa royal family has been criticised for violating the human rights of groups including dissidents, political opposition figures, and its Shia Muslim population.
Picture
The Bahrain World Trade Center in Manama is the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design.
Image: Unknown author, CC-BY-SA-3.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.