View source for Faisal I

{{Short description|King of Iraq from 1921 to 1933}}
{{For|the Saudi sovereign|Faisal of Saudi Arabia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Faisal I<br />{{Nobold|{{lang|ar|فيصل الأول}}}}
| image        = 1307109799 king-faisal-i-of-iraq-kopiya.jpg
| caption      = Formal portrait, {{circa|1920–1933}}
| succession   = [[King of Iraq]]
| reign        = 23 August 1921 – 8 September 1933
| predecessor  = ''Military occupation''
| successor    = [[Ghazi I]]
| reg-type     = [[Prime Minister of Iraq|Prime Ministers]]
| regent       = {{List collapsed|title=''See list''|1=[[Abd Al-Rahman Al-Gillani|Abd al-Rahman al-Gillani]]<br />[[Abd al-Muhsin as-Sa'dun]]<br />[[Jafar al-Askari]]<br />[[Yasin al-Hashimi]]<br />[[Tawfiq al-Suwaidi]]<br />[[Naji al-Suwaidi]]<br />[[Nuri al-Said]]<br />[[Naji Shawkat]]<br />[[Rashid Ali al-Gaylani]]}}
| succession1  = [[List of Syrian monarchs|King of Syria]]
| reign1       = 8 March 1920 – 24 July 1920
| predecessor1 = ''Military occupation''
| successor1   = ''Monarchy abolished''
| reg-type1    = {{nowrap|Prime Ministers}}
| regent1      = {{List collapsed|title=''See list''|1=[[Rida Pasha al-Rikabi]]<br />[[Hashim al-Atassi]]}}
| full name    = Faisal bin Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi
| house        = [[Hashemite]]
| royal anthem = 
| father       = [[Hussein bin Ali, King of Hejaz]]
| mother       = Abdiyah bint Abdullah
| birth_date   = {{birth date|df=yes|1885|5|20}}<ref name="birth" /><ref name="birth1" />
| birth_place  = [[Mecca]], [[Hejaz Vilayet]], [[Ottoman Empire]]<ref name="birth" /><ref name="birth1" />
| death_date   = {{death date and age|df=yes|1933|9|8|1885|5|20}}
| death_place  = [[Bern]], Switzerland
| place of burial = [[Iraqi Royal Cemetery]], [[Adhamiyah|al-'Adhamiyya]]
| religion     = [[Sunni Islam]]<ref>[https://archive.today/20120709082355/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6511/is_2_49/ai_n29160130/ IRAQ – Resurgence In The Shiite World – Part 8 – Jordan & The Hashemite Factors], APS Diplomat Redrawing the Islamic Map, 14 February 2005</ref>
{{Infobox military person
| embed         = yes
| allegiance    = {{Plain list|
* {{Flag|Kingdom of Hejaz|1917}} (1916–1920)
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Kingdom of Syria (1920-03-08 to 1920-07-24).svg}} [[Arab Kingdom of Syria]] (1920)
* {{Flagicon|Kingdom of Iraq}} [[Mandatory Iraq|Kingdom of Iraq]] (1921–1933)
}}
| battles_label = Wars
| battles       = {{Plain list|
* [[Arab Revolt]] (1916–1918)
* [[Franco-Syrian War]] (1920)
}}
}}
| spouses      = {{Marriage|[[Huzaima bint Nasser]]|1904}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Princess Azza of Iraq|Princess Azza]]
* [[Princess Rajiha of Iraq|Princess Rajiha]]
* Princess Rafia
* [[Ghazi I]]
* Prince Mohammad
}}
}}

'''Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi''' ({{langx|ar|فيصل بن حسين بن علي الهاشمي|Fayṣal bin Ḥusayn bin ʻAlī al-Hāshimī}}; 20 May 1885<ref name="birth">{{cite web|url=http://rulers.org/indexf1.html#faysa1 |title=rulers.org |publisher=rulers.org |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="birth1">{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/202997/Faysal-I |title=britannica.com |publisher=britannica.com |date=8 September 1933 |access-date=2 January 2012}}</ref>{{Sfn|Allawi|2014}} – 8 September 1933) was a [[Hejaz|Hejazi]] statesman who served as the [[King of Iraq]] from 23 August 1921 until his death in 1933. A member of the [[Hashemites|Hashemite]] family, he was a leader of the [[Arab Revolt|Great Arab Revolt]] during the [[World War I|First World War]], and ruled as the unrecognized [[List of Syrian monarchs|King]] of the [[Arab Kingdom of Syria]] from March to July 1920 when he was [[Franco-Syrian War|expelled by the French]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hahn |first=Peter |title=Historical dictionary of United States-Middle East relations |date=2007 |publisher=Scarecrow Press, Lanham |isbn=9780810864566 |pages=56 |oclc=1021765856 |language=English}}</ref>

The third son of [[Hussein, King of Hejaz|Hussein bin Ali]], the [[Sharif of Mecca|Grand Emir and Sharif of Mecca]], Faisal was born in [[Mecca]] and raised in [[Istanbul]]. From 1916 to 1918, with British assistance, he played a major role in the revolt against the [[Ottoman Empire]]. He helped set up an Arab government in Syria, based in [[Damascus]], and led the Arab delegation at the [[Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)|Paris Peace Conference]] in 1919. In 1920, the [[Syrian National Congress]] proclaimed Faisal king, rejecting the French claim to a [[Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon|Mandate for Syria]]. In response, France [[Franco-Syrian War|invaded a few months later]], abolished the kingdom and forced him into exile. 

In August 1921, in accordance with the decision made at the [[Cairo Conference (1921)|Cairo Conference]], the British arranged for Faisal to become king of a [[Mandatory Iraq|new Kingdom of Iraq]] under British administration. During his reign, Faisal fostered unity between [[Sunni Islam in Iraq|Sunni Muslims]] and [[Shia Islam in Iraq|Shia Muslims]] to encourage common loyalty and promote [[pan-Arabism]] in the goal of creating an Arab state that would include Iraq, Syria and the rest of the [[Fertile Crescent]]. In 1932, he presided over the independence of the [[Kingdom of Iraq]] upon the end of the British Mandate and the country's entry into the [[League of Nations]]. Faisal died of a heart attack in 1933 in [[Bern]], [[Switzerland]], at the age of 48 and was succeeded by his eldest son [[Ghazi of Iraq|Ghazi]].

==Early life==
Faisal was born in [[Mecca]], [[Ottoman Empire]]<ref name="birth1" /> (in present-day [[Saudi Arabia]]), in 1885,<ref name="birth1" /> the third son of [[Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca|Hussein bin Ali]], the [[Grand Sharif of Mecca]]. He grew up in [[Ottoman Constantinople|Constantinople]] and learned about leadership from his father. In 1913, he was elected as representative for the city of [[Jeddah]] for the [[General Assembly of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman parliament]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Following the Ottoman Empire's declaration of war against the [[Allies of World War I|Entente]] in December 1914, Faisal's father sent him on a mission to Constantinople to discuss the Ottomans' request for Arab participation in the war. Along the way Faisal visited [[Damascus]] and met with representatives of the Arab secret societies al-Fatat and Al-'Ahd. After visiting Constantinople Faisal returned to Mecca via Damascus where he again met with the Arab secret societies, received the [[Damascus Protocol]], and joined with the [[al-Fatat]] group of Arab nationalists.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

==World War One and the Great Arab Revolt==
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[File:FeisalPartyAtVersaillesCopy.jpg|thumb|150px|Faisal with [[T. E. Lawrence]] and the [[Kingdom of Hejaz|Hejaz]]i delegation at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919]].]] -->
[[File:FeisalPartyAtVersaillesCopy.jpg|thumb|Emir Faisal's delegation at [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]], during the [[Paris Peace Conference of 1919]]. Left to right: Rustum Haidar, [[Nuri as-Said]], Prince Faisal, [[Rosario Pisani|Captain Pisani (behind Faisal)]], [[T. E. Lawrence]], unknown member of his delegation, Captain Tahsin Kadry.]]
On 23 October 1916 at [[Al Hamra', Al Madinah|Hamra]] in Wadi Safra, Faisal met Captain [[T. E. Lawrence]], a junior British intelligence officer from Cairo. Lawrence, who envisioned an independent post-war Arabian state, sought the right man to lead the Hashemite forces and achieve this.{{sfn|Lawrence|1997|p=76}}{{Unreliable source?|date=July 2024|reason=The Seven Pillars of Wisdom isn't a reliable historical source, but rather exaggerated perspectives of T. E. Lawrence on how the events he participated in went down.}} In 1916–18, Faisal headed the Northern Army of the rebellion that confronted the Ottomans in what was to later become western Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria.<ref>[https://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Books/Faisal-of-Arabia-358122 Faisal of Arabia], ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]''</ref> 

In 1917, Faisal, desiring an empire for himself instead of conquering one for his father, attempted to negotiate an arrangement with the Ottomans under which he would rule the Ottoman ''[[vilayets]]'' of Syria and Mosul as an Ottoman vassal.<ref name=karsh137-8>Karsh, Efraim ''Islamic Imperialism A History'', New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006 pages 137–138</ref> In December 1917 Faisal contacted General [[Djemal Pasha]] declaring his willingness to defect to the Ottoman side provided they would give him an empire to rule, saying the [[Sykes–Picot Agreement]] had disillusioned him in the Allies and he now wanted to work with his fellow Muslims.{{sfn|Karsh|Karsh|2022|p=195}} Only the unwillingness of the [[Three Pashas]] to subcontract ruling part of the Ottoman Empire to Faisal kept him loyal to his father when it finally dawned on him that the Ottomans were just trying to divide and conquer the Hashemite forces.<ref name=karsh137-8 /> 

In his book ''[[Seven Pillars of Wisdom]]'', Lawrence sought to put the best gloss on Faisal's double-dealing as it would contradict the image he was seeking to promote of Faisal as a faithful friend of the Allies betrayed by the British and the French, claiming that Faisal was only seeking to divide the "nationalist" and "Islamist" factions in the ruling [[Committee of Union and Progress]] (CUP).{{sfn|Karsh|Karsh|2022|p=196}} The Israeli historians [[Efraim Karsh]] and his wife Inari wrote that the veracity of Lawrence's account is open to question given that the major dispute within the CUP was not between the Islamist Djemal Pasha and the nationalist Mustafa Kemal as claimed by Lawrence, but rather between [[Enver Pasha]] and Djemal Pasha.{{sfn|Karsh|Karsh|2022|p=197}} 

In the spring of 1918, after Germany launched [[Operation Michael]] on 21 March 1918, which appeared for a time to foreordain the defeat of the Allies, Faisal again contacted Djemal Pasha asking for peace provided that he be allowed to rule Syria as an Ottoman vassal, which Djemal, confident of victory, declined to consider.{{sfn|Karsh|Karsh|2022|p=197}} After a [[Siege of Medina|30-month-long siege]], he conquered [[Medina]], defeating the defence organised by [[Fakhri Pasha]] and looted the city. Emir Faisal also worked with the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] during World War I in their conquest of the [[Syria (region)|region of Syria]] and the capture of [[Damascus]] in October 1918. Faisal became part of a new Arab government at Damascus, formed after the capture of that city in 1918. Emir Faisal's role in the [[Arab Revolt]] was described by Lawrence in ''Seven Pillars of Wisdom''. However, the accuracy of that book, not least the importance given by the author to his own contribution during the Revolt, has been criticized by some historians, including [[David Fromkin]].

==Post-World War I==

===Participation in the Paris Peace Conference===
[[File:FEisalkingdom.png|thumb|The Kingdom of Syria in 1918]]

In 1919, Emir Faisal led the Arab delegation to the [[Paris Peace Conference of 1919|Paris Peace Conference]] and, with the support of the knowledgeable and influential [[Gertrude Bell]], argued for the establishment of independent Arab [[emirate]]s for the predominantly Arab areas previously held by the [[Ottoman Empire]].

===Greater Syria===
{{main|Arab Kingdom of Syria}}
[[Capture of Damascus (1918)|British and Arab forces took]] [[Damascus]] in October 1918, which was followed by the [[Armistice of Mudros]]. With the end of Turkish rule that October, Faisal helped set up an Arab government, under British protection, in Arab controlled Greater Syria. In May 1919, elections were held for the [[Syrian National Congress]], which met the following month.

===Faisal–Weizmann Agreement===
{{main|Faisal–Weizmann Agreement}}

[[File:Weizmann and feisal 1918.jpg|thumb|Faisal (right) with [[Chaim Weizmann]] in Syria, 1918]]
On 4 January 1919, Emir Faisal and [[Chaim Weizmann]], President of the [[World Zionist Organization|Zionist Organization]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Caplan|first=Neil|date=1983|title=Faisal Ibn Husain and the Zionists: A Re-examination with Documents|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40105338|journal=The International History Review|volume=5|issue=4|pages=561–614|jstor=40105338|issn=0707-5332}}</ref> signed the Faisal–Weizmann Agreement for Arab-Jewish Cooperation, in which Faisal conditionally accepted the [[Balfour Declaration]], an official declaration on behalf of the British government by [[Arthur Balfour]], promising British support to the development of a Jewish homeland in [[Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem|Palestine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/364A6AC0DC52ADA785256E8B00716662  |title=Official records of the Second Session of the General Assembly |author=United Nations |date=8 July 1947 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507151543/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/364A6AC0DC52ADA785256E8B00716662 |archive-date=7 May 2015 |access-date=20 October 2018}}</ref> Once Arab states were granted autonomy from the European powers, years after the Faisal-Weizmann Agreement, and these new Arab nations were recognized by the Europeans, Weizmann argued that since the fulfillment was kept eventually, the agreement for a Jewish homeland in Palestine still held.<ref name="UN19470708">[https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/364A6AC0DC52ADA785256E8B00716662 Official records of the Second Session of the General Assembly (A/364/Add.2 PV.21)], United Nations, 8 July 1947 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507151543/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/364A6AC0DC52ADA785256E8B00716662 |date=7 May 2015 }}</ref> 

In truth, this hoped-for partnership had little chance of success and was a dead letter by late 1920. Faisal had hoped that Zionist influence on British policy would be sufficient to forestall French designs on Syria, but Zionist influence could never compete with French interests.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} At the same time, Faisal failed to enlist significant sympathy among his Arab elite supporters for the idea of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, even under loose Arab suzerainty.

Following the decisions taken by the [[San Remo conference]] in April 1920, on 13 May 1920, [[Lord Allenby]] forwarded to the [[British War Cabinet]] a letter from Faisal which stated his opposition to the Balfour proposal to establish a homeland for the Jews in Palestine.<ref name="oclc_1063769261">{{cite book |last1=Reagan |first1=Bernard |url=https://research.stmarys.ac.uk/id/eprint/1009/7/BRPhD2.pdf |title=The Implementation of the Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate in Palestine: problems of conquest and colonisation at the nadir of British Imperialism (1917-1936) |date=1 January 2016 |publisher=University of Surrey, School of Arts and Humanities |page=178 |oclc=1004745577 |access-date=17 May 2021}} (PhD thesis)</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Mahdi Abdul|last1=Hardi|title=Documents on Palestine|volume=I|location=Jerusalem|publisher=PASSIA|year=2017|page=78}}</ref>

==King of Syria==
{{more citations needed section|date=June 2014}}
On 8 March 1920, Faisal was proclaimed [[List of Syrian monarchs|King]] of the [[Arab Kingdom of Syria]] (the [[Syria (region)|region of Syria]]) by the Syrian National Congress government of [[Hashim al-Atassi]]. In April 1920, the [[San Remo conference]] gave [[French Third Republic|France]] the [[Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon]], which led to the [[Franco-Syrian War]]. In the [[Battle of Maysalun]] on 24 July 1920, the French were victorious and Faisal was expelled from [[Syria]].

== King of Iraq ==

=== Accession to the Iraqi throne ===
[[File:Coronation of Prince Faisal as King of Iraq, 1921.jpg|thumb|The Coronation of Faisal as King of Iraq. Faisal seated, to his right are British [[High commissioner]] [[Percy Cox]] and Lieutenant [[Kinahan Cornwallis]], to his left commander-in-chief of all British troops in the [[British Mandate of Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]] Commander General [[Aylmer Haldane]].<ref>[[Justin Marozzi]]: the High Commissioner,[https://books.google.com/books?id=n8m7AgAAQBAJ&dq=Saray+al+Kushla+Tawfik+al+Damluji&pg=PT526 Baghdad - City of Peace, City of Blood], (2014).</ref>]]In the winter of 1920, Iraqis gathered in sociable meetings in coffeehouses and tents to discuss which form of government and leader the new Iraqi state should have.{{sfn|Ireland|1936|p=303}} The British government, mandate holders in Iraq, were concerned at the unrest in the colony. They decided to step back from direct administration and create a monarchy to head Iraq while they maintained the mandate.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|pp=339–340}} The idea was to set up a native leader who would be popular among the Iraqi people while still maintaining close relations with the British government.{{sfn|Ireland|1936|p=303}}

In March 1921, at the [[Cairo Conference (1921)|Cairo Conference]], the British decided that Faisal was a good candidate for ruling the [[Mandatory Iraq|British Mandate of Iraq]] because of his apparent conciliatory attitude towards the Great Powers and based on advice from T. E. Lawrence, more commonly known as Lawrence of Arabia. In 1921, few people in Iraq even knew who Faisal was or had heard his name. With help of British officials, including [[Gertrude Bell]], he successfully campaigned among the Arabs of Iraq and won over the popular support of the minority Sunni.{{sfn|Ireland|1936|p=318}}

The Shia majority were at first lukewarm about Faisal, and his appearance at the port of Basra was met with indifference.<ref>"Letters from Baghdad" documentary (2016) Directors: Sabine Krayenbühl, Zeva Oelbaum.</ref> From 23 April to 8 May 1921, Iraqis including most notably [[Nuri al-Said|Nuri Pasha al-Sa'id]] sent telegrams to Faisal, inviting him to Iraq as its prospective king. Between May and June, Faisal sent representatives to confirm his election.{{sfn|Ireland|1936|p=318}}

On 12 June 1921, Faisal left [[Jeddah]] for Iraq alongside several Iraqi nobles and [[Sir]] [[Kinahan Cornwallis]] on the RIMS Northbrook, and on 23 June, Faisal first landed in Iraq on the main port of [[Basra]].{{sfn|Ireland|1936|p=326}} Faisal's arrival was met with a mixed response, while most Iraqis welcomed him in large numbers and groups, some people, especially the [[Ulama|Ulama']] at [[Najaf]] and the tribesman of Southern Iraq, including [[Samawah]], were either disappointed or hostile which shocked Faisal.{{sfn|Ireland|1936|pp=327-328}}

Despite this, the Mayor of Baghdad at the time sent a telegram to greet Faisal. The city of [[Hillah]] also welcomed him. When Faisal arrived in Baghdad on 26 June, he was widely welcomed by Baghdadis. The next day, an ovation was given to him in [[Kadhimiya|al-Kadhimiyya]], where he prayed at its [[Al-Kazimiyya Mosque|main mosque]] and was welcomed.{{sfn|Ireland|1936|pp=327-328}}

Faisal became a candidate for King of Iraq alongside other candidates such as the [[Sayyid]] [[Mohammad al-Sadr (prime minister)|Muhammad al-Sadr]], and [[Ali Jawdat Al-Ayyubi|Ali Jawdat al-Ayyubi]].{{sfn|Ireland|1936|p=326}} Following a [[plebiscite]] showing 96% in favor, Faisal agreed to become king. On 23 August 1921, he was made king of Iraq. Iraq was a new entity created out of the former Ottoman ''vilayets'' (provinces) of [[Mosul Vilayet|Mosul]], [[Baghdad Vilayet|Baghdad]] and Basra. Ottoman ''vilayets'' were usually named after their capital, and thus the Basra ''vilayet'' was southern Iraq. Given this background, there was no sense of Iraqi nationalism or even Iraqi national identity when Faisal took his throne.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|pp=339–340}} Anecdotally, the band present played [[God Save the King]], as Iraq did not yet have a [[national anthem]] and would not have one until [[As-Salam al-Malaki|1932]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Rezonville |url=http://www.rezonville.com/ir06/ |title=VI. King Faisal I - First Issue, 1927 & 1932 - rezonville.com |publisher=Rezonville.com |date=17 February 1931 |access-date=26 September 2018 |archive-date=26 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926131133/http://www.rezonville.com/ir06/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

=== Reign ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-14113,_Faisal_I._König_des_Irak.jpg|thumb|right|King Faisal I of Iraq]]During his reign as King, Faisal encouraged [[Pan-Arabism|pan-Arab]] [[Arab nationalism|nationalism]] that envisioned ultimately bringing the French mandates of Syria and Lebanon together with the British mandate of Palestine under his rule. Faisal was keenly aware that his power-base was with the Sunni Muslim Arabs of Iraq, who comprised a significant minority.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=679}} By contrast, if Syria, Lebanon and Palestine were incorporated into his realm, then the Sunni Muslim Arabs would comprise the majority of his subjects, making the Arab Shi'i Muslim and the ethnic Kurds of Iraq into minorities.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=679}} 

The Arab Shi'i Muslims of Iraq at the time had traditionally looked towards [[Iran|Persia]] for leadership, and the rallying cry of Pan-Arabism might unite the Arab Sunnis and Shi'a around a common sense of [[Arab identity]].{{sfn|Masalha|1991|pp=679–680}} In Iraq, a majority of the Arabs were Shi'i Muslims who had not responded to the call for Sharif Hussein to join the "Great Arab Revolt" as the Sharif was a considered a Sunni Muslim from the Hejaz, thus making him a double outsider.{{sfn|Karsh|Karsh|2022|p=196}} 

Rather than risk the wrath of the Ottomans on behalf of an outsider like Hussein, the Shi'i Muslims of Iraq had ignored the Great Arab Revolt.{{sfn|Karsh|Karsh|2022|p=196}} In the Ottoman Empire, the state religion was Sunni Islam and the Shi'i Muslim had been marginalized for their religion, making the Shia population poorer and less educated than the Sunni population.{{Cn|date=May 2024}}
[[File:Kkkuntitled.jpg|thumb|right|King Faisal I in Syria 1920]]
[[File:King_Feisal_of_Iraq,_his_last_visit_to_Jerusalem_before_his_European_tour_during_which_he_died_LOC_matpc.14158 (cropped).jpg|thumb|King Faisal I of Iraq and his brother then Emir [[Abdullah I of Jordan|Abdullah]] of [[Emirate of Transjordan|Transjordan]] in [[Jerusalem]], [[Mandatory Palestine]], 1933]]

Faisal himself was a tolerant man, proclaiming himself a friend of the Shi'i Muslim, Kurdish and Jewish communities in his realm. In 1928, he criticized the policy of some of his ministers of seeking to fire all Jewish Iraqis from the civil service. His policy of promoting [[Pan-Arabism|pan-Arab]] [[Arab nationalism|nationalism]] to further his personal and dynastic ambitions proved to be a disruptive force in Iraq, as it drew a wedge between the Arab and Kurdish communities.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|pp=690–691}} Faisal's policy of equating ''wataniyya'' ("patriotism" or in this case Iraqiness) with being Arab marginalized the Kurds who feared that they had no place in an Arab-dominated Iraq, indeed in a state that equated being Iraqi with being Arab.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|pp=690–691}}

Faisal also developed desert motor routes from [[Baghdad]] to [[Damascus]], and Baghdad to [[Amman]]. This led to a great interest in the [[Mosul]] oilfield and eventually to his plan to build an oil pipeline to a Mediterranean port, which would help [[Economy of Iraq|Iraq economically]]. This also led to an increase in Iraq's desire for more influence in the Arab East. During his reign, Faisal made great effort to build [[Iraqi Army#Royal Iraqi Army|Iraq's army]] into a powerful force. He attempted to impose [[Conscription|universal military service]] in order to achieve this, but this failed. Some see this as part of his plan to advance his pan-Arab agenda.{{Cn|date=May 2024}}

During the [[Great Syrian Revolt]] against French rule in Syria, Faisal was not particularly supportive of the rebels partly because of British pressure, partly because of his own cautious nature, and mainly because he had reason to believe that the French were interested in installing a Hashemite to govern Syria on their behalf.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=681}} In 1925, after the [[Great Syrian Revolt|Syrian Druze uprising]], the French government began consulting Faisal on Syrian matters. He advised the French to restore [[Hashemite]] power in Damascus. The French consulted Faisal because they were inspired by his success as an imposed leader in Iraq. As it turned out, the French were merely playing Faisal along as they wished to give him the impression that he might be restored as king of Syria to dissuade him from supporting the Syrian rebels, and once they crushed the Syrian revolt, they lost interest in having a Hashemite rule in Syria.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=682}}

Faisal saw the [[Anglo-Iraqi Treaty (1930)|Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930]] as an obstacle to his pan-Arab views, although it provided Iraq with a degree of political independence. He wanted to make sure that the treaty had a built-in end date because the treaty further divided Syria and Iraq, the former which was under French control, and the latter under British rule. This prevented unity between two major Arab regions, which were important in Faisal's pan-Arab agenda.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=684}} 

Ironically, [[Arab nationalism|Arab nationalists]] in Iraq had a positive reception to the treaty because they saw this as progress, which seemed better than the Arab situation in Syria and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]]. Faisal's schemes for a greater Iraqi-Syrian state under his leadership attracted much opposition from Turkey, which preferred to deal with two weak neighbors instead of one strong one, and from King [[Fuad I of Egypt]] and [[Ibn Saud]] of [[Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd|Hejaz and Nejd]], who both saw themselves as the rightful leaders of the Arab world.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=684}} 

When [[Nuri al-Said]] visited Yemen in May 1931 to ask the Imam [[Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din]] if he was interested in joining the "Arab Alliance" under Faisal's leadership, the Imam replied with a confused look what would be the purpose of the "Arab Alliance" and to please explain the meaning of the phrase "Arab World", which he was unfamiliar with.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|pp=689–690}}

== Public relationship with Iraqis ==
[[File:Iraq._(Mesopotamia)._Celebration_of_Iraq_becoming_member_of_the_League_of_Nations,_Oct._6,_1932._Baghdad._His_late_Majesty_King_Feisal._At_the_Royal_Palace (cropped).tif|thumb|King Faisal I wearing the [[Sidara]] in 1932|261x261px]]When Faisal first came to Iraq, he was a stranger to the cultural and social life. Due to this, throughout his reign, he tried his best to immerse himself in understanding the ways of his new country. A few weeks after he arrived in Iraq, he was greeted by the respected Islamic scholar [[Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi]], and met with several educated Iraqis to learn of their perspectives and conditions. Even becoming a patron in several clubs such as the 1920s Baghdadi "Irshad Club." Faisal started a tradition of receiving several writers and poets regularly.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=499}} 

Among these poets was [[Ma'ruf al-Rusafi]], who wrote poems praising the King.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=370}} Another poet that Faisal received and made a part of his royal court was [[Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri|al-Jawahiri]], who was made a member after Arab Nationalist [[Sati' al-Husri]] falsely accused him of being an Iranian.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=493}}{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=494}}

Another group that Faisal held greatly were teachers as he saw them as important figures to encourage and cultivate. Accompanied by [[Rustam Haidar]], he regularly toured Baghdadi schools, including Christian and Jewish, and inspected their conditions as part of his agenda. He met with several teachers, both male and female, to motivate them to work as he considered teachers to be more significant than a king's or minister's work.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=499}}

However, the poets had also caused Faisal trouble in the matter of education. An example was when Faisal opened the first girls' school in Najaf and received backlash from the conservative groups in the traditionalist city. In response during the opening occasions, al-Jawahiri, who was a Najafi himself, wrote scathing lines criticizing the conservative nature of the city's people in his poem named "''The Reactionaries''" which was published in several newspapers. This would cause a large outcry in the city which reached Faisal's attention. Faisal would confront al-Jawahiri reportedly saying "Are you aware of the calls and cables I have received that all say that this is the work of your "son, Muhammad," who works under your auspices and protections? And do you know how much grief this has caused me?" In response, al-Jawahiri apologized and offered to resign, but Faisal decided to forgive al-Jawahiri and decided to keep him in his royal court.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=494}}

=== Relations with religious groups ===
Faisal regularly attended [[Friday prayer|Friday prayers]] as it helped him meet with the public Iraqi people more.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=499}} Faisal was noticeably unaffected by sectarian considerations, and was noted by [[Ameen Rihani|al-Rihani]] to have a faith that reflected all Islamic dominations, which made him respect, and be tolerant to all world religions. [[Abbas Baghdadi]], a young writer, recounted how Faisal would pull up in the Arab attire to the [[al-Sarai Mosque]] for Friday Prayers, which was decided to be the main Friday Prayers mosque. Faisal has also ordered the reconstruction of Sufi shrines in Mosul such as the tekke of the [[Shadhili|Shadhili Order]].{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=500}} Faisal also met with leaders of smaller religious communities such as chief Rabbis from both Baghdad and Mosul.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=502}}

Faisal had great tolerance for Shi'i Muslims and was a proponent of inter-faith.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=370}} Faisal's main link with the community was the Sayyid Muhammad al-Sadr, who was one of the only people who could enter the king's presence without further notice.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=493}} Faisal always wanted to remind Shi'i Muslims of his linage to [[Ali]]. Due to this, his coronation took place on 18 [[Dhu al-Hijja]] according to the Islamic Calendar, which coincided with [[Eid al-Ghadir]].{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=379}} 

Throughout his reign, especially in his early days, Faisal wanted to increase the presence of Shi'i Muslims in administrations. Examples being the hiring of [[Tawfiq al-Suwaidi]] in the Baghdadi Law College, accepting qualifications of Shi'i Muslim-based schools, help fund the commemorating of [[Muharram]],{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=386}} working with [[Ayatollah]] [[Mehdi Al-Khalissi|Medhi al-Khalissi]] who was a friend of Sharif Hussein, and visiting Najaf and [[Karbala]] to strengthen his position. Reportedly, Faisal once told Sir [[Percy Cox]] that the Iraqi Shi'i Muslims [[Mujtahideen]] were prepared to back him up.{{sfn|Allawi|2014|p=387}}

In March 1932, just months before independence, Faisal wrote a memorandum where he criticized the Iraqi people's lack of Iraqi national identity in the newly established country, writing: <blockquote>Iraq is a kingdom ruled by a Sunni Arab government founded on the wreckage of Ottoman rule. This government rules over a Kurdish segment, the majority of which is ignorant, that includes persons with personal ambitions who lead it to abandon it [the government] under the pretext that it does not belong to their ethnicity. [The government also rules over] an ignorant Shiite majority that belongs to the same ethnicity of the government, but the persecutions that had befallen them as a result of Turkish rule, which did not enable them to take part in governance and exercise it, drove a deep wedge between the Arab people divided into these two sects. Unfortunately, all of this made this majority, or the persons who harbor special aspirations, the religious among them, the seekers of posts without qualification, and those who did not benefit materially from the new rule, to pretend that they are still being persecuted because they are Shiites.<ref>Osman, Khalil ''Sectarianism in Iraq: The Making of State and Nation Since 1920'', London: [[Routledge]], 2014 page 71</ref> </blockquote>

== Foreign relations ==
[[File:Faisal I of Iraq and Mustafa Kemal Ankara Depot on 1931.jpg|thumb|Faisal and [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk|Mustafa Kemal]] during a visit to Turkey]]

Faisal encouraged an influx of Syrian exiles and office-seekers to cultivate better Iraqi-Syrian relations. In order to improve education in the country Faisal employed doctors and teachers in the civil service and appointed Syrian Arab nationalist Sati' al-Husri, the ex-Minister of Education in Damascus, as his director of the Ministry of Education. This influx resulted in much native resentment towards Syrians and Lebanese in Iraq.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=690}} The tendency of the Syrian emigres in the education ministry to write and issue school textbooks glorying the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] as the "golden age" of the Arabs together with the highly dismissive remarks about Ali gave great offense in the Shi'i Muslim community in Iraq, prompting protests and leading Faisal to withdraw the offending textbooks in 1927 and again in 1933 when they were reissued.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=690}}

=== Palestinian issue ===
In 1929, when bloody rioting broke out in Jerusalem between the Arab and Jewish communities, Faisal was highly supportive of the Arab position and pressured the British for a pro-Arab solution of the Palestine crisis.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|pp=683–684}} In a memo stating his views on Palestine submitted to the British high commissioner Sir Hubert Young on 7 December 1929, Faisal accepted the Balfour Declaration, but only in the most minimal sense in that the declaration had promised a "Jewish national home".{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=684}} 

Faisal stated he was willing to accept the Palestine Mandate as a "Jewish national home" to which Jews fleeing persecution around the world might go, but he was adamant that there be no Jewish state.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=684}} Faisal argued that the best solution was for Britain to grant independence to Palestine, which would be united in a federation led by his brother, the Emir Abdullah of Trans-Jordan, which would allow for a Jewish "national home" under his sovereignty.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|pp=684–685}}

Faisal argued that what was needed was a compromise under which the Palestinians would give up their opposition to Jewish immigration to Palestine in exchange for which the Zionists would give up their plans to one day create a Jewish state in the Holy Land.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=684}} Faisal's preferred solution to the "Palestine Question", which he admitted might not be practical at the moment, was for a federation that would unite Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine under his leadership.{{sfn|Masalha|1991|p=684}}

== Independence and last years ==
[[File:King_Faisal_I_of_Syria_with_King_Abdul-Aziz_of_Saudi_Arabia_in_the_mid-1920s.jpg|thumb|upright|King Faisal I of Iraq and King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia]]

In 1932, the British mandate ended and Faisal was instrumental in making his country independent. On 3 October, the [[Kingdom of Iraq]] joined the League of Nations.

In August 1933, incidents like the [[Simele massacre]] caused tension between the United Kingdom and Iraq. Prime Minister [[Ramsay MacDonald]] ordered [[High Commissioner]] [[Francis Humphrys]] to Iraq immediately upon hearing of the killing of [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] Christians. The British government demanded that Faisal stay in Baghdad to punish the guilty, whether Christian or Muslim.<ref>''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 28 August 1933</ref> 

In response, Faisal cabled to the Iraqi Legation in London: "Although everything is normal now in Iraq, and in spite of my broken health, I shall await the arrival of Sir Francis Humphrys in Bagdad, but there is no reason for further anxiety. Inform the British Government of the contents of my telegram."<ref>''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 28 August 1933</ref>

In July 1933, right before his death, Faisal went to London where he expressed his alarm at the current situation of Arabs that resulted from the [[Arab–Israeli conflict|Arab-Jewish conflict]] and the increased Jewish immigration to Palestine, as the Arab political, social, and economic situation was declining. He asked the British to limit Jewish immigration and land purchases.

==Death==
[[File:قبر الملك فيصل الاول.jpg|thumb|150px|King Faisal's tomb in [[Baghdad]]]]
[[File:King Faisal I mourning procession in Amman's Municipality Square, 1933 (cropped).jpg|thumb|A crowd mourning King Faisal gather in front of the municipality street in [[Amman]], Transjordan in 1933]]

King Faisal died of a heart attack on 8 September 1933 in [[Bern]], Switzerland.<ref name="birth1"/> He was 48 years old at the time of his death. Faisal was succeeded on the throne by his eldest son, [[Ghazi of Iraq|Ghazi]].

A square is named in his honor at the end of [[Haifa Street]], [[Baghdad]], where an equestrian statue of him stands. The statue was knocked down following the [[1958 Iraqi coup d'état|overthrow of the monarchy in 1958]], but later restored. Another square is named after him in [[Haifa]], [[Israel]], where his remains passed on their way from the Port of Haifa to the airport, to be flown to Baghdad. A broken column on Faisal Square commemorates his early death.

==Marriage and children==
Faisal was married to Sharifa [[Huzaima bint Nasser]] and had with her one son and three daughters, and married to Sharifa Latifa bint Hamed and had with her one son.
*[[Princess Azza of Iraq|Princess Azza bint Faisal]].
*[[Princess Rajiha of Iraq|Princess Rajiha bint Faisal]].
*[[Princess Rafia of Iraq (1910-1934)|Princess Rafia bint Faisal]].
*[[Ghazi of Iraq|Ghazi, King of Iraq]], born 1912 died 4 April 1939, married his first cousin, Princess [[Aliya bint Ali]], daughter of [[Ali of Hejaz|King Ali of Hejaz]].
*Prince Mohammad.

==Film==
Faisal has been portrayed on film at least three times: 
* In [[David Lean]]'s epic ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]'', 1962, played by [[Alec Guinness]].
* In the unofficial sequel to ''Lawrence'', ''[[A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia]]'', 1990, played by [[Alexander Siddig]]. 
* In [[Werner Herzog]]'s ''[[Queen of the Desert (film)|Queen of the Desert]]'', 2015, played by [[Younes Bouab]]. 
* On video, he was portrayed in ''[[The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles|The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones]]: Chapter 19 The Winds of Change'', 1995, by Anthony Zaki.

==Ancestry==
{{Hashemites}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Iraq|Asia}}
* [[Faisal–Weizmann Agreement]]
* [[List of Syrian monarchs]]
* [[Timeline of Syrian history]]
* [[Battle of Maysalun]]
* [[Ali of Hejaz]]
* [[Abdullah I of Jordan]]
* [[Ghazi of Iraq]]
* [[Hussein of Hejaz]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

=== Works cited ===

* {{Cite book |last=Allawi |first=Ali |author-link=Ali Allawi |title=Faisal I of Iraq |publisher=Yale University Press, New Haven |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-300-12732-4 |oclc=1158641331 |language=English}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Thomas Edwards |author-link=T. E. Lawrence |title=The Seven Pillars of Wisdom |publisher=Wordsworth Editions |year=1997 |oclc=1429842754 }}
* {{Cite book |last1=Karsh |first1=Efraim |title=Empires of the Sand: The Struggle for Mastery in the Middle East, 1789-1923 |last2=Karsh |first2=Inari |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2022 |isbn=9780674039346 |location=[[Cambridge]] |oclc=1294424495 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Ireland |first=Philip |title=Government and administration of Iraq: A study in political development |date=1936 |publisher=University of London (London School of Economics and Political Science) |oclc=1006212063}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Masalha |first=N. |date=October 1991 |title=Faisal's Pan-Arabism, 1921-33 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4283470 |magazine=Middle Eastern Studies |pages=679–693 |volume=27 |issue=4 |jstor=4283470 |issn=0026-3206}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal|title=The Hashemite 'Conspiracy': Hashemite Unity Attempts, 1921–1958|journal=International Journal of Middle East Studies|date=Jun 1974|first=Reeva S.|last=Simon|volume=5|issue=3|pages=314–327|jstor=162381|doi=10.1017/s0020743800034966|s2cid=162677596 }}
*{{cite book|last1=Tripp|first1=Charles|title=A History of Iraq|edition=3|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2007|location=New York|isbn=978-0-521-87823-4}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|wikt=no|b=no|n=no|v=no|commons=Category:Faisal I of Iraq|s=no|author=no}}
*{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930092,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122134846/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930092,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 November 2010|title=Border Massacre|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=28 August 1933|access-date=18 August 2009}}
*{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,746078-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009203322/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,746078-1,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2010|title=Death of Feisal|magazine=Time |date=18 September 1933|access-date=18 August 2009}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.free-online-novels.com/Dreaming%20in%20Arabic.pdf |title=Dreaming in Arabic |access-date=27 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102195244/http://free-online-novels.com/Dreaming%20in%20Arabic.pdf |archive-date=2 January 2010}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.ctesiphon.com/Faisal-Kinq-Iraq-site.htm |title=King Faisal of Iraq |access-date=30 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025221017/http://www.ctesiphon.com/Faisal-Kinq-Iraq-site.htm |archive-date=25 October 2011}}
* {{PM20|FID=pe/004940}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[Hashemite|House of Hāshim]]|20 May|1885|September 8|1933}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-new|creation|reason=[[Arab revolt]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Syrian monarchs|King of Syria]]|reason=|years=8 March 1920 – 24 July 1920}}
{{s-non|reason=Kingdom abolished<br /><small>French mandate established</small> ([[Subhi Barakat]] as [[President of Syria]])}}
{{s-new|creation|reason=[[Cairo Conference (1921)|Cairo Conference]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of kings of Iraq|King of Iraq]]|reason=|years=23 August 1921 – 8 September 1933}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ghazi of Iraq|Ġāzī I]]}}
|-
{{s-pre}}
{{s-new|creation|reason=Kingdom abolished<br /><small>French mandate established</small>}}
{{s-tul|title=[[List of kings of Iraq|King of Syria]]|years=24 July 1920 – 8 September 1933|reason=Kingdom abolished in 1920}}
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{{S-end}}
{{Kings of Iraq}}
{{Iraqi princes}}
{{Arab nationalism}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faisal 01 Of Iraq}}
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