Second Saudi State

Saudi Arabia, 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

Turki designated Riyadh as the new Saudi capital the same year as Diriyah had been devastated and largely depopulated by the Egyptians during their occupation. Though he had succeeded in re-establishing a viable Saudi polity, Turki chose to remain a nominal vassal of the Ottomans due to what had happened to Abdullah bin Saud.

Portrait of Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud: محمد المهداوي, Public domain, file

Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud

Emir of Nejd, 1834–1838

Imam Faisal first ruled the Second Saudi State from 1834 to 1838. He was forced into exile in Cairo by the Ottomans, who sent an expedition to Najd because he rejected paying tribute to the Egyptian forces in Hejaz.

Khalid bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Emir of Nejd, 1838–1841

The Ottomans named Khalid as ruler and appointed him as their Riyadh deputy. Khalid could not fully consolidate his power and gain full acceptance of the tribes.

Abdullah bin Thunayan Al Saud

Emir of Nejd, 1841–1843

Finally Abdullah ousted Emir Khalid in December 1841. He ruled the emirate from Riyadh.

Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud

Emir of Nejd, 1843–1865

Following his return to Riyadh, Faisal reclaimed the throne in 1843 and ruled until 1865. After regaining control, Faisal consolidated his power by subduing opposition tribes in Najd and forging alliances. In his second term, Faisal also established cordial relations with the Ottomans who appointed him governor of Najd.

Abdullah bin Faisal

Emir of Nejd, 1865–1873

Faisal died in December 1865, and Abdullah succeeded him. The two brothers fought a long civil war, in which they traded rule in Riyadh several times.

Saud II. ibn Faisal

Emir of Nejd, 1871–1871

In December 1870 Saud, aided by the rulers of Oman, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, defeated the forces of Abdullah in the battle of Juda. His rule was short-lived and Abdullah overthrew him.

Saud II. ibn Faisal

Emir of Nejd, 1873–1875

Saud gained power again in 1873 but died two years later.

Abdul Rahman bin Faisal

Emir of Nejd, 1875–1876

After Saud's death in 1875, Abdul Rahman was recognized as successor, but within a year Riyadh was taken by Abdullah and he was forced to abdicate.

Portrait of Abdul Rahman bin Faisal: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Abdullah bin Faisal

Emir of Nejd, 1876–1889

His reign witnessed extensive struggle among the members of the Al Saud family which led to turmoil in the region. In 1887 the sons of Saud bin Faisal, who kept up desultory hostilities against their uncles, managed to capture Abdullah.

Abdul Rahman bin Faisal

Emir of Nejd, 1889–1891

When he became the undisputed leader of the House of Saud in 1889, he attacked and regained Riyadh. However, Emir Muhammad's forces defeated the Saudis in the Battle of Mulayda, and Abdul Rahman and his family were forced to flee.

Portrait of Abdul Rahman bin Faisal: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Culture

The second Saudi period was marked by less territorial expansion and less religious zeal, although the Saudi leaders continued to be called Imam and still employed Wahhabist religious scholars.
Faisal raised money from Al-Ahsa, Qatif and Saihat by imposing what was termed zakat, though it functioned as a tax.
Faisal recognised Ottoman suzerainty and paid an annual tribute, and in exchange the Ottomans recognised him as ruler of all the Arabs.

Picture

Masmak Fort in Riyadh was commissioned in 1865 by Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud and completed in 1895.

Image: Francisco Anzola, CC BY 2.0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.