1909 - 1972
King of Jordan who, during his brief reign, encouraged democracy.
Talal ibn Abdullah assumed the duties of king at a critical period of transition in Jordan's history. When King Abdullah I ibn Hussein was assassinated
on 20 July 1951, a group of Jordanian royalists determined that King Abdullah's chosen successor, his grandson Prince Hussein ibn Talal, was too young to govern. The only way to ensure the legitimacy of transition to Hussein was for Crown Prince Talal, who suffered from acute depression and paranoia, to be crowned king. The alternatives were either to crown Prince Naʾif, the regent and Talal's half-brother, or to accede to some form of union with Iraq, in which case a member of the Iraqi branch of the Hashimite dynasty would succeed to the Jordanian throne. Hence, Talal was considered an interim figure, yet he became significantly more during his tenure.
On 5 September 1951, the cabinet proclaimed Talal king, and the newly elected parliament confirmed Talal on the throne on receipt of a medical report by Minister of Health Jamil Tutunji. Prince Naʾif, the regent, flew to Switzerland to escort his brother home.
The most notable legacy of King Talal's brief reign was to transform Jordan into a true democracy. Under Talal's instructions, the veteran prime minister, Tawfiq Abu al-Huda, won a vote of confidence in parliament on 24 September 1951. A new constitution was promulgated, declaring the people the source of all power. Citizens were guaranteed individual liberty and equality before the law. The constitution was approved by the lower and upper houses and was signed by King Talal on 1 January 1952. It enshrined the freedom of opinion, the right to hold public meetings and form political parties and trade unions, the freedom of conscience and worship, compulsory free education, as well as the right to own property. The new constitution made the cabinet collectively and individually responsible to parliament. Ministers could be impeached. The king could dissolve parliament, but new elections had to be held within four months, otherwise the old parliament would be reinstated. According to Article 93, parliament could override the king's veto over legislation by a two-thirds majority. Parliament was empowered to ratify treaties and could assemble without being called to do so by the king, but the king could declare martial law by decree with the consent of the cabinet.
The king's foreign minister declared in September 1951 that Jordan was not seeking union with Iraq. In December 1951, the king visited Saudi Arabia and made clear his desire for good relations with the house of Saʿud. He was skeptical of Western alliances, and in January 1952, he led Jordan into acceptance of the Arab Collective Security Pact.
Despite his popularity, after eight months the king's psychological troubles returned. While vacationing in Europe in May 1952, the cabinet transformed the Regency Council into a Crown Council, which exercised the powers of head of state for the rest of Talal's reign. On 11 August 1952, parliament deposed him and proclaimed Prince Hussein king. King Talal accepted gracefully. The duties of king were assumed by a Regency Council until Hussein came of age.
The deposed king moved to Egypt then took up residence in Turkey, where he died twenty years later. Talal was the first king of Jordan to graduate from the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, an English school, and while there had absorbed democratic ideals. Sir John Bagot Glubb recalls in his memoir, A Soldier with the Arabs: "The tragedy of King Talal seemed to be rendered more poignant by the fact that, apart from his insanity, he appeared so ideally fit to be king. . . . He was of acute intelligence, outstanding personal charm, faultless private morals, and inspired by a deeply conscious wish to serve his country and his people, with no selfish motives."
Bibliography
Abidi, Aqil Hyder Hasan. Jordan: A Political Study,1948 - 1957. New York: Asia, 1965.
Glubb, John Bagot. A Soldier with the Arabs. New York: Hodder and Staughton, 1957.
— JENAB TUTUNJI
