Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca

Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca
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Name	Hussein bin Ali
Title	Sharif of Mecca; King of Hejaz
Reign	1916–1924
Predecessor	Ali ibn Abd Allah
Successor	Ali bin Hussein
Birth date	c. 1854
Birth place	Mecca, Hejaz, Ottoman Empire
Death date	4 June 1931
Death place	Amman, Emirate of Transjordan
Burial place	Jerusalem
Spouse	Aisha (also transliterated A'isha) and others
Issue	Ali, Abdullah, Faisal, Zeid
House	Hashemite
Father	Abd al-Muttalib bin Ghalib
Religion	Islam (Sunni)

Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca Hussein bin Ali served as Sharif of Mecca and later proclaimed himself King of Hejaz; he was a key figure in late Ottoman, World War I, and interwar Middle Eastern politics. A member of the Hashemite family, he navigated relations with the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, the Arab Bureau, and rival Arab and Turkish leaders during the Arab Revolt and the postwar settlements. His actions shaped the creation of modern states including the Hashemite Arab Kingdoms and influenced figures such as T. E. Lawrence and Faisal I.

Early life and family

Hussein was born in Mecca into the Hashemite household associated with the Sharifate, tracing lineage to the Prophet Muhammad and connected to the Ottoman-appointed elite in the Hejaz, making him a contemporary of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, Mehmed V, and Abdulmejid II. His upbringing involved relations with prominent regional families including the Siba'i and the Dhawu Zayd and with institutions such as the Ottoman Empire's provincial administration, the Sharifate of Mecca's religious endowments, and the Great Mosque of Mecca. He married into alliances that connected him to the Hashemite princes who later included his sons Faisal I of Iraq, Abdullah I of Jordan, Ali bin Hussein, and Zayd ibn Hussein. His household interacted with foreign missions including the British Embassy in Constantinople, the French Consulate in Jeddah, and the American Mission School networks in the Hijaz.

Sharifate of Mecca and Ottoman relations

As Sharif he held a hereditary office recognized by the Ottoman Empire and negotiated with Ottoman officials such as Jamāl Pasha and governors of the Hejaz, while navigating the influence of the Committee of Union and Progress and Young Turk policies. The Sharifate’s role in safeguarding the Hajj pilgrimage brought Hussein into regular contact with the Grand Sharifate, the Mufti of Mecca, and Ottoman ministries including the Ministry of the Interior (Ottoman Empire). Ottoman reforms, conscription policies, and wartime requisitions under figures like Enver Pasha shaped his calculus. He maintained contacts with regional actors such as leaders in Yemen, the Idrisid families, and the Arab tribes of the Najd and Hejaz while receiving envoys from the Khedive of Egypt and representatives of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.

Role in the Arab Revolt

Hussein coordinated the 1916 uprising known as the Arab Revolt in alliance with British officials including Sir Henry McMahon, T. E. Lawrence, and Sir Mark Sykes of the Arab Bureau. He issued the 1916 proclamation that mobilized Hashemite forces against the Ottoman Empire, coordinating military actions with his sons leading campaigns toward Mecca, Ta'if, and Medina. The revolt intersected with the Sykes–Picot Agreement diplomacy, the Balfour Declaration, and the deliberations at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 where representatives such as Faisal bin Hussein and delegates from the Syrian National Congress sought recognition. Hussein’s forces engaged Ottoman garrisons and worked with British military commands such as the Egyptian Expeditionary Force under General Edmund Allenby.

King of Hejaz (1916–1924)

After proclaiming sovereignty, Hussein assumed the title King of Hejaz and attempted to establish institutions paralleling neighboring monarchies like the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq and the later Emirate of Transjordan. He issued decrees affecting religious administration in the Great Mosque of Mecca and reorganized local governance with advisers drawn from families with ties to Cairo, Damascus, and the Hijaz Railway region. His rule confronted rival claims by Ibn Saud of the House of Saud and the expansionist movement based in Riyadh, culminating in armed clashes that tested British mediation attempts by envoys from the Foreign Office and diplomats such as Gertrude Bell and Sir George Buchanan.

Political ideology and diplomatic relations

Hussein articulated a Hashemite Arab nationalism framed by claims to custodianship of the Two Holy Mosques and by pan-Arab appeals that engaged actors like the Sharifian Army, the Arab Kingdom of Syria, and intellectuals from Cairo and Beirut. He negotiated with the British Empire through figures such as Arthur Balfour and David Lloyd George while responding to nationalist currents represented by the Young Turks and the Iraqi nationalist movement. His diplomacy intersected with international instruments including the League of Nations mandates, the Treaty of Versailles, and negotiations affecting the Hejaz Railway and pilgrimage routes, drawing commentary from journalists in The Times (London), Le Figaro, and Al-Ahram.

Downfall, exile, and death

Hussein’s reign ended after military defeats to forces of Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and the Wahhabi movement allied with the Najdi polity, leading to the occupation of Hejaz cities and his abdication in favor of his son Ali bin Hussein. British attempts at arbitration, featuring envoys from the Foreign Office and appeals to the League of Nations, failed to restore his throne. He went into exile in Cyprus and later settled in Amman under the protection of his son Abdullah I of Jordan. Hussein died in Amman in 1931; his remains were interred in Jerusalem near sites revered by multiple communities, and his death prompted reactions from capitals including London, Paris, Cairo, and Damascus.

Legacy and historical assessment

Hussein’s legacy is contested across scholarly and political spheres involving historians of the Middle East, commentators in Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, and institutions such as the Arab League and the British Foreign Office. He is credited with catalyzing the Arab Revolt and influencing the creation of Hashemite states like Iraq and Jordan, while criticized for misreading British intentions embodied in the Sykes–Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration. Biographers compare his claims to custodianship with contemporaries such as Ibn Saud and examine his interactions with figures like T. E. Lawrence, Faisal I of Iraq, and Abdullah I of Jordan. Modern assessments involve scholarship from historians associated with Oxford University, SOAS University of London, American University of Beirut, and the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, as well as archival research in the National Archives (UK), Library of Congress, and Ottoman records in Istanbul. His portrait endures in monuments, numismatic issues, and cultural memory across the Levant, Hijaz, and among Hashemite diasporas, informing debates about legitimacy, colonial promises, and the map of the modern Middle East.

Category:Hashemites Category:Kings of Hejaz Category:People from Mecca