Rulers of the First Saudi State

The rulers of the First Saudi State are the Imams who assumed power in the First Saudi State that extended over most parts of the Arabian Peninsula after centuries of political disunity and instability that dominated the region following the weakness and fall of the Abbasid state and the succeeding states.

Four rulers, called Imams, assumed power in the First Saudi State. The first Imam, Mohammad Bin Saud, was succeeded by his eldest son, Imam Abdulaziz, his grandson, Imam Saud Bin Abdulaziz, and finally Imam Abdullah Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Mohammad Bin Saud. Their rule lasted ninety-four years, from 1727 until 1818.

The lineage of the First Saudi State rulers traces back to Banu Hanifa, one of the Bakr Bin Wael tribes, whose branch is related to Nizar Ibn Ma'ad Ibn Adnan, the grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Their ancestor, Mani' al-Muraydi, came in the fifteenth century AD from the east of the Arabian Peninsula to its center. He settled in Diriyah, which his sons and grandsons ruled after his time. They expanded their rule by establishing the First Saudi State.

The establishment of the First Saudi State coincided with Imam Muhammad bin Saud's assumption of power in 1726 in Diriyah. The Imams were able to lead the state and unify most parts of the Arabian Peninsula, starting from the Arabian Gulf in the east and reaching Iraq to the north and Yemen to the south, thus forming the first Arab state that extended over most parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The rule of the Saudi state prevailed under their leadership for more than nine decades. The four Imams formed the first seed for the rule of al-Saud's family outside Diriyah, which persisted over three hundred years and remains stable and prosperous today.

The era of the first ruler of the Saudi state, Imam Mohammad Bin Saud, was marked by the consolidation of stability, the formation of allies, and the annexation of neighboring towns. The rule of his son Abdulaziz focused on liberating the Arabian Peninsula's regions and establishing the Saudi state's rule. Imam Saud Bin Abdulaziz followed in his father’s footsteps and expanded the state beyond the borders of Iraq to reach the Levant. Finally, Imam Abdullah who was able to push back and defeat the campaigns of the Ottomans in a series of battles. However, the Ottoman army besieged Diriyah for around six months, which led to its destruction after bombing it with artillery and gunpowder in 1818. This allowed the Ottoman aggressors to enter and loot the city and displace its remaining residents.

Muhammad Bin Saud was born in 1679 and established the state after he assumed power in 1727. The establishment of the First Saudi State represented the beginning of a new era in the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the Arab world. The policy followed by the Imam led to the establishment of the Saudi state at an early time. His political and diplomatic legacy made him one of the most famous and admirable founders of states in the history of the Arabian Peninsula and its surroundings. He laid the foundation for a distinguished state that continued despite its eventual decline in two phases of its history, followed by its revival through the Second Saudi State and then the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Imam Muhammad Bin Saud successfully liberated many cities and towns from the control and influence of the forces opposing the state's establishment. He lost the lives of his two sons, Faisal and Saud, on the battlefield. After forty years of rule, he died in 1765, and his son, Imam Abdulaziz, assumed power.

Imam Abdulaziz Bin Muhammad Bin Saud became the second ruler of the First Saudi State following the passing of Imam Muhammad. During his reign, the state's borders expanded from the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea, as he liberated and unified most of the regions of the Arabian Peninsula under his rule. He led the state's armies for twenty-five years since the start of the unification campaigns in 1746 and was able to annex Riyadh in 1773 without resistance. Imam Abdulaziz successfully defeated Ottoman campaigns, the Emirate of al-Hamid, the Sharifs of Hejaz, and the campaigns of Najran rulers. He built the state and liberated all the regions of Najd, al-Ahsa, al-Qatif, and many regions in the east of the Arabian Peninsula. Moreover, his power had reached the southern regions, most importantly Aseer, Najran, Jazan, and parts of the Hejaz region.

Imam Abdulaziz Bin Muhammad Bin Saud was assassinated in 1803, while he was praying in al-Tarif Mosque in Diriyah.

Imam Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Muhammad Bin Saud is the third ruler of the First Saudi State. He assumed power in 1803 and is nicknamed Saud the Great, as the state reached its maximum expansion and strength during his reign. Imam Saud was born in Diriyah in 1748. He assumed command of his father's armies, Imam Abdulaziz, throughout the thirty-six years of his rule. He extended the state’s influence to the southwest of Mesopotamia and the south of the Levant. State resources flourished during the reign of Imam Saud, who draped the Kaaba twice and secured the roads of the Two Holy Mosques. He passed away on Saturday night, April 30, 1814.

Imam Abdullah Bin Saud Bin Abdulaziz was the last ruler of the First Saudi State. He assumed power in 1814 and was the great-grandson of the founder of the First Saudi State and its fourth Imam. His reign witnessed the national and retaliatory repercussions of the Ottoman state against the First Saudi State to halt the unification of the Arabian Peninsula pursued by the Saudi Imams. Muhammad Ali Pasha, the ruler of Egypt, was instructed to attack the Saudi state. The Ottoman assault began in 1811, during the reign of Imam Saud the Great, when Tusun, Muhammad Ali Pasha's son, was appointed commander of the first army to invade Medina. He reached its southern border but was defeated in his first confrontation with the Saudi forces.

In 1816, fleets led by Ibrahim Pasha and aiming at ending the Saudi state arrived through Yanbu. These forces marched to the state's center and besieged the city of ar-Rass for three months, as Imam Abdullah Bin Saud had taken the city as his base. They only managed to conquer it by reconciliation. Then, they headed towards Buraydah and then to Washm and Dhurma, a move that inflicted heavy losses on the Ottoman army.

Diriyah resisted the siege of the aggressing Ottoman army led by Ibrahim Pasha for about six months. To end the siege, which was very harsh on its people, Imam Abdullah Bin Saud decided to leave the city in return for the safety of its people and to preserve the town from destruction. Ibrahim Pasha agreed to these terms but reneged and ordered his army to destroy Diriyah, which had been looted and brutally bombed with canons, leading to the displacement of its people. Ibrahim Pasha's forces arrested Imam Abdullah and transferred him to Istanbul, where he was executed in revenge. Consequently, he was referred to as the Martyr Imam (al-Imam al-Shaheed,) thus ending the era of the First Saudi State in 1818. He assumed power after the death of Imam Saud and ruled for four years.