Free Princes
Encyclopedia
Free Princes Movement was a Saudi
liberal political movement
from 1958-64. Its members were known as the Young Najd, Free Princes, and Liberal Princes.
It was founded by Prince Talal due to the tensions between King Faisal
and King Saud. It was heavily idealized around the iconic figure of Gamal Abdel Nasser
and his pan-Arab nationalism. It called for political reforms and a constitution
.
It received support from liberal Saudi middle class but generally did not have a broad base with the entire population. The movement was supported by Prince Fawwaz, and Prince Badr. King Faisal expelled many of its members to Lebanon
and later on pardoned them.
. Its constitution placed more power in the hands of the cabinet
, removed most of the authorities of the King, and created a partially elected advisory committee. Most members of the Al Saud were strongly opposed to the movement and both King Saud and Crown Prince Faisal repudiated its reforms initially. It was also attacked as "crypto-communist" by King Saud
.
Talal suggested the creation of a national council in 1958.
In May 1960, Prince Talal told Egyptian newspaper Al-Jumhuriyah (The Republic) of a gradual trend towards a "constituent assembly, first constitution, supreme court, and a supreme planning commission". He went on to say "the problem is how to accomplish this experiment".
But in December 1960, Talal's supporters formed a coalition with King Saud to undermine Faisal's growing influence. Saud promoted Talal from Minister of Transport to Minister of Finance. But in a turn of events, the movement began to support many of Crown Prince Faisal's reforms.
In late 1961, King Saud began to lose considerable support in the House of Saud. He increasing became dependent on the few Nasserite nationalists in his Cabinet. Saud reconciled with Faisal, under Faisal's precondition to remove the movement entirely from the cabinet.
The movement was exiled to Lebanon
. Talal moved in and out of Beirut
and Cairo
for the next few years.
, a group led by Nasser which overthrew the Egyptian monarchy.
Talal applauded Nasser after Egypt's successful long-range missile tests. Even after Nasser called for the overthrow of the Al Saud in Saudi Arabia by stating “to liberate all Jerusalem, the Arab peoples must first liberate Riyadh”, Talal went to Cairo to meet Egypt's military brass. Talal's supporters — Prince Fawwaz
, Prince Badr
, and a cousin- Saad bin Fahd — also self-exiled to Cairo.
Yemen's revolution, which evolved into a cold war between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, led to increased power for the Free Princes movement which did not call for the complete overthrow of the Saudi monarchy but simply major democratic reforms. In September 1962 Egyptian, Syrian, and Yemeni radio stations openly encouraged Saudis to rebel against their "corrupt" and "reactionary" monarchy and to supplanting with members of the Free Prince movement.
Within Riyadh, Prince Abdul-Muhsin vocally supported the movement and suggested a constitutional monarchy.
In August 1963, Talal declared that he was "entirely wrong" in the past and praised Faisal's reforms. By early 1964, the Free Princes returned from exile in Beirut. The movement had ended.
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
liberal political movement
Political movement
A political movement is a social movement in the area of politics. A political movement may be organized around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a social group...
from 1958-64. Its members were known as the Young Najd, Free Princes, and Liberal Princes.
It was founded by Prince Talal due to the tensions between King Faisal
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975. As king, he is credited with rescuing the country's finances and implementing a policy of modernization and reform, while his main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamic Nationalism, anti-Communism, and pro-Palestinian...
and King Saud. It was heavily idealized around the iconic figure of Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
and his pan-Arab nationalism. It called for political reforms and a constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
.
It received support from liberal Saudi middle class but generally did not have a broad base with the entire population. The movement was supported by Prince Fawwaz, and Prince Badr. King Faisal expelled many of its members to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and later on pardoned them.
Internal royal opposition
The group drafted its own constitutionConstitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
. Its constitution placed more power in the hands of the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
, removed most of the authorities of the King, and created a partially elected advisory committee. Most members of the Al Saud were strongly opposed to the movement and both King Saud and Crown Prince Faisal repudiated its reforms initially. It was also attacked as "crypto-communist" by King Saud
Saud of Saudi Arabia
Saud bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964. He was removed from power by Faisal because of Saud's mismanagement and waste. He was the eldest surviving son of Ibn Saud and became Crown Prince in 1933. He died in exile in Greece.-Early life:Saud was born in 1902 in Kuwait...
.
Talal suggested the creation of a national council in 1958.
In May 1960, Prince Talal told Egyptian newspaper Al-Jumhuriyah (The Republic) of a gradual trend towards a "constituent assembly, first constitution, supreme court, and a supreme planning commission". He went on to say "the problem is how to accomplish this experiment".
But in December 1960, Talal's supporters formed a coalition with King Saud to undermine Faisal's growing influence. Saud promoted Talal from Minister of Transport to Minister of Finance. But in a turn of events, the movement began to support many of Crown Prince Faisal's reforms.
In late 1961, King Saud began to lose considerable support in the House of Saud. He increasing became dependent on the few Nasserite nationalists in his Cabinet. Saud reconciled with Faisal, under Faisal's precondition to remove the movement entirely from the cabinet.
The movement was exiled to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Talal moved in and out of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
for the next few years.
Egyptian link and Yemen revolution
Its name originates from the Free Officers MovementFree Officers Movement
In Egypt, the clandestine revolutionary Free Officers Movement was composed of young junior army officers committed to unseating the Egyptian monarchy and its British advisors...
, a group led by Nasser which overthrew the Egyptian monarchy.
Talal applauded Nasser after Egypt's successful long-range missile tests. Even after Nasser called for the overthrow of the Al Saud in Saudi Arabia by stating “to liberate all Jerusalem, the Arab peoples must first liberate Riyadh”, Talal went to Cairo to meet Egypt's military brass. Talal's supporters — Prince Fawwaz
Fawwaz bin Abdul Aziz
Prince Fawwaz bin Abdul-Aziz was a senior member of the Saudi royal family. He was Governor of Riyadh from 1960-1961 and was part of the Free Princes Movement from 1962-1964. He served as Governor of Makkah from 1971-80 for which he was removed from office after the 1979 Grand Mosque Seizure...
, Prince Badr
Badr bin Abdul Aziz
Prince Badr bin Abdul-Aziz is a senior member of the Saudi royal family. He is a former Deputy Commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard . He participated in the Free Princes movement in 1962-1964 during which time he lived in exile, mostly in Beirut and Cairo...
, and a cousin- Saad bin Fahd — also self-exiled to Cairo.
Yemen's revolution, which evolved into a cold war between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, led to increased power for the Free Princes movement which did not call for the complete overthrow of the Saudi monarchy but simply major democratic reforms. In September 1962 Egyptian, Syrian, and Yemeni radio stations openly encouraged Saudis to rebel against their "corrupt" and "reactionary" monarchy and to supplanting with members of the Free Prince movement.
Within Riyadh, Prince Abdul-Muhsin vocally supported the movement and suggested a constitutional monarchy.
Estrangement with Nasser
Radio Yemen (an Egyptian controlled organ) called for the assassinations of the Al Saud without any exceptions, including the Free Princes. Because of this and various other reasons, the Free Princes became increasingly embittered with Nasser.In August 1963, Talal declared that he was "entirely wrong" in the past and praised Faisal's reforms. By early 1964, the Free Princes returned from exile in Beirut. The movement had ended.