Prince Zeid bin Hussein, GCVO,
GBEGbe, GBE, or GbE can mean:* Gbe languages, a group of languages in West Africa* Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, part of the British honours system* Gigabit ethernet* Government business enterprise...
born (February 28, 1898 - October 18, 1970) was a member of the
HashemiteHashemite is the Latinate version of the and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim, or "clan of Hashim", a clan within the larger Quraish tribe...
dynasty and the head of the Royal House of Iraq from 1958 until his death.
Prince Zeid was the only son of
King Hussein of HejazSayyid Hussein bin Ali, GCB was the Sharif of Mecca, and Emir of Mecca from 1908 until 1917, when he proclaimed himself King of Hejaz, which received international recognition. In 1924, he further proclaimed himself Caliph of all Muslims...
and his third wife Adila Khanum. He was educated at Ghalata Serai (
Galatasaray LisesiGalatasaray Lisesi, known in other languages by its French name Lycée de Galatasaray, was known in Turkish as the Galata Sarayı Enderun-u Hümayunu and later the Galatasaray Mekteb-i Sultanisi. It is one of the most influential high schools of modern Turkey...
) College, Constantinople College and
Balliol College, OxfordBalliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.Traditionally, the undergraduates are amongst the most politically active in the university, and the college's alumni include three former prime ministers. H. H...
.
From 1916 - 1919, Prince Zeid was the Commander of the Arab Northern Army.
Prince Zeid bin Hussein, GCVO,
GBEGbe, GBE, or GbE can mean:* Gbe languages, a group of languages in West Africa* Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, part of the British honours system* Gigabit ethernet* Government business enterprise...
born (February 28, 1898 - October 18, 1970) was a member of the
HashemiteHashemite is the Latinate version of the and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim, or "clan of Hashim", a clan within the larger Quraish tribe...
dynasty and the head of the Royal House of Iraq from 1958 until his death.
Biography
Prince Zeid was the only son of
King Hussein of HejazSayyid Hussein bin Ali, GCB was the Sharif of Mecca, and Emir of Mecca from 1908 until 1917, when he proclaimed himself King of Hejaz, which received international recognition. In 1924, he further proclaimed himself Caliph of all Muslims...
and his third wife Adila Khanum. He was educated at Ghalata Serai (
Galatasaray LisesiGalatasaray Lisesi, known in other languages by its French name Lycée de Galatasaray, was known in Turkish as the Galata Sarayı Enderun-u Hümayunu and later the Galatasaray Mekteb-i Sultanisi. It is one of the most influential high schools of modern Turkey...
) College, Constantinople College and
Balliol College, OxfordBalliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.Traditionally, the undergraduates are amongst the most politically active in the university, and the college's alumni include three former prime ministers. H. H...
.
From 1916 - 1919, Prince Zeid was the Commander of the Arab Northern Army. In 1918
T. E. LawrenceLieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British military officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt of 1916–18...
suggested that he be made King of a truncated Syria. The advent of French rule resulted in his 1923 assignment to the Iraqi Cavalry and he was promoted to Colonel.
Zeid was also
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
i ambassador in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
and in
AnkaraAnkara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2007 the city had a population of 4,751,360, which includes eight districts under the city's administration...
in 1930s and in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in the 1950s.
On July 14, 1958, Prince Zeid was appointed Head of the Royal House of Iraq, following the
assassinationAn Assassination is the targeted killing of a public figure.Assassinations may be prompted by ideological, political, or military reasons. Additionally, assassins may be motivated by financial gain, revenge, personal public recognition, or mental illness....
of King Faisal II by General
Muhammad Najib ar-Ruba'iMuhammad Najib Ar-Ruba'i was the President of Iraq from July 14, 1958 to February 8, 1963.
, who proclaimed Iraq to be a Republic. Zeid and his family continued to live in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, where the family resided during the coup, as Zeid was the
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
i ambassador there.
Prince Zeid died in
ParisParis is the capital of France and the country's most populous city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on October 18, 1970, and is buried in the Royal Mausoleum at Raghdan Palace,
AmmanAmman , sometimes spelled Ammann , is the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a city of 2,525,000 inhabitants , and the administrative capital and commercial center of Jordan. It is also the largest city in Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world...
,
JordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in Western Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordan shares borders with Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, the Gulf of Aqaba to the southwest,...
. His son
Prince Ra'adPrince Ra'ad bin Zeid is the son of Prince Zeid of the Hashemite House and Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid , a Turkish noblewoman. Upon the death of his father on October 18, 1970, he inherited the position as head of the Royal House of Iraq...
succeeded him as head of the Royal House of Iraq.
Marriage and children
In November 1933, Zeid married
Princess Fahrelnissa ZeidPrincess Fahrelnissa Zeid or Fakhr un-nisa was an artist whose work blended the elements of Islamic and Byzantine art from the East with abstract and other influences from the West...
in
AthensAthens , the capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the world's oldest cities, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
,
GreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula....
. Together they had one son:
- HRH Prince Ra'ad bin Zeid - born February 18 1936, married to Margaretha Inga Elisabeth Lind, now Majda Raad.