History of Saudi Arabia

First Saudi State, 1744–1818 Draft, not yet reviewed

The emir of a Najdi town called Diriyah, Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin, and the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab signed a pact founding a socio-religious reform movement that propagated the Wahhabi religious doctrine under the political leadership of the House of Saud. In 1803 Saud bin Abdulaziz sent out forces to bring the region of Hejaz under his rule. Ottoman forces under Ibrahim Pasha captured town after town in Najd, and Diriyah surrendered in 1818.

Seat of power: Diriyah

Rulers

• Muhammad bin Saud, Emir of Diriyah, 1727–1765
• Abdulaziz bin Mohammed, Emir of Diriyah, 1765–1803
• Saud al-Kabeer, Emir of Diriyah, 1803–1814
• Abdullah bin Saud Al Kabeer, Emir of Diriyah, 1814–1818

Second Saudi State, 1818–1891 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Emirate of Najd existed between 1824 and 1891 in the Najd region of what is now Saudi Arabia. Turki bin Abdullah's reconquest of Riyadh from Ottoman-Egyptians forces in 1824 is generally regarded as the beginning of the second Saudi state. Severe internal conflicts within the House of Saud eventually led to the dynasty's downfall at the Battle of Mulayda in 1891, between the forces loyal to the last Saudi imam, Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, and the Rashidi dynasty of Hail.

Seat of power: Riyadh

Rulers

• Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud, Emir of Nejd, 1818–1834
• Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud, Emir of Nejd, 1834–1838
• Khalid bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Emir of Nejd, 1838–1841
• Abdullah bin Thunayan Al Saud, Emir of Nejd, 1841–1843
• Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud, Emir of Nejd, 1843–1865
• Abdullah bin Faisal, Emir of Nejd, 1865–1873
• Saud II. ibn Faisal, Emir of Nejd, 1871–1871
• Saud II. ibn Faisal, Emir of Nejd, 1873–1875
• Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, Emir of Nejd, 1875–1876
• Abdullah bin Faisal, Emir of Nejd, 1876–1889
• Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, Emir of Nejd, 1889–1891

Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz, 1926–1932 Draft, not yet reviewed

On 19 December 1925, the Kingdom of Hejaz surrendered to the forces of Ibn Saud, who was thereafter proclaimed king of the Hejaz on 8 January 1926 and merged his dominions into the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd. At the Treaty of Jeddah on 20 May 1927, Abdulaziz's realm was recognised by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and was addressed as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd. On 23 September 1932, Abdulaziz proclaimed the union of the main Saudi dominions of al-Hasa, Qatif, Nejd and the Hejaz as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Seat of power: Riyadh

Saudi Arabia, 1932 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by King Abdulaziz, who united Hejaz, Najd, parts of Eastern Arabia and South Arabia into a single state through a series of military and political campaigns beginning in 1902. Since petroleum was discovered in the country in 1938, the kingdom has become the world's second-largest oil producer and leading oil exporter, controlling the world's second-largest oil reserves and sixth-largest gas reserves. The Saudi government has attracted criticism for various policies such as its intervention in the Yemeni Civil War, restrictions on political and civil liberties, and poor human rights record. Since the mid-2010s, Saudi Arabia has instituted limited and gradual reforms to liberalize social, cultural, and religious life.

Seat of power: Riyadh

Rulers

• Ibn Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, 1932–1953
• Saud of Saudi Arabia, King of Saudi Arabia, 1953–1964
• King Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, 1964–1975
• Khalid of Saudi Arabia, King of Saudi Arabia, 1975–1982
• Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, 1982–2005
• Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, King of Saudi Arabia, 2005–2016
• Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, 2015 to today