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William Shakespear (explorer)
Encyclopedia
Captain William Henry Irvine Shakespear (29 October 1878 - 24 January 1915), was an English
civil servant and explorer who mapped uncharted areas of Northern Arabia and made the first official British
contact with Ibn Sa'ud, future king of Saudi Arabia
. He was the military adviser to Ibn Saud from 1910 to 1915, when he was shot and killed in the Battle of Jarrab
by one of Ibn Rashid's men.
and King William's College
, Isle of Man
. He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst on 19 August 1896. He became a second lieutenant on 22 Jan 1898. In 1899, he joined the Devonshire Regiment, 17th Bengal Cavalry.
He then joined the Indian Political Department
. In 1904, he joined the British Foreign Office and became the youngest vice-consul in British India. He was transferred to Kuwait
. From 1909 on, he was the British Political Agent in Kuwait
, subordinated to the respective agent in Bahrain
. Shakespear was a great linguist
who spoke Urdu
, Pushtu, Persian
and Arabic fluently.
of the Nejd. It was Shakespeare who arranged for Ibn Sa'ud to be photographed for the first time. Ibn Sa'ud had never seen a camera before. In March 1914, Shakespear began a 2900 kilometres (1,802 mi) journey from Kuwait to Riyadh
and on to Aqaba
via the Nafud Desert, which he mapped and studied in great detail, the first European to do so. In November 1914, the British
government in India asked Shakespear to secure Ibn Sa'ud's support for the British-Indian Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, which had just taken Basra
.
, Shakespear's friend Ibn Sa'ud asked him to retreat to a place of safety before the fighting began. He declined to do so. He was struck by a bullet and killed. The victorious Rashidis cut off his head. His solar helmet was handed over to the Ottoman
authorities and hung on one of the main gates of Medina
as proof of the Al Sau'ds' collaboration with the British. His grave can be found in downtown Kuwait City
near the Al Hamra Tower
.
, that the Arab Revolt
against the Ottoman Empire
might have been very differently directed if Shakespear had survived, that the British
would have supported and armed Ibn Sa'ud rather than Sherif Hussein ibn Ali.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
civil servant and explorer who mapped uncharted areas of Northern Arabia and made the first official British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
contact with Ibn Sa'ud, future king of Saudi Arabia
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...
. He was the military adviser to Ibn Saud from 1910 to 1915, when he was shot and killed in the Battle of Jarrab
Battle of Jarrab
The Battle of Jarrab was a territorial battle between the Al Sa'ud and their traditional enemies the Al Rashid in January 1915. It was a proxy battle of World War I between the British-supportedSa'udis and the Ottoman-supported Rashidis....
by one of Ibn Rashid's men.
Early life
He was born in Bombay, the son of William Henry Sulivan Shakespear and Annie Caroline Davidson, educated at Portsmouth Grammar SchoolThe Portsmouth Grammar School
The Portsmouth Grammar School was founded in 1732, and is located in the historic part of the city. It is one of the top Public schools in the UK consistently ranking highly in national reviews of teaching quality and examination results.-History:...
and King William's College
King William's College
King William's College is a leading world International Baccalaureate HMC independent school for ages 3 to 18, situated near Castletown on the Isle of Man...
, Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. He entered the Royal Military College, Sandhurst on 19 August 1896. He became a second lieutenant on 22 Jan 1898. In 1899, he joined the Devonshire Regiment, 17th Bengal Cavalry.
He then joined the Indian Political Department
Indian Political Department
The Indian Political Department originated in a resolution passedon September 13, 1783 by the Board of Directors of the East India Company; this decreedthe creation of a department which could help “relieve the pressure” on theadministration of...
. In 1904, he joined the British Foreign Office and became the youngest vice-consul in British India. He was transferred to Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. From 1909 on, he was the British Political Agent in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, subordinated to the respective agent in Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
. Shakespear was a great linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
who spoke Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Pushtu, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Arabic fluently.
Arabian expeditions
While in Kuwait, Shakespear made seven separate expeditions into the Arabian interior, during which he became a close friend of Ibn Sa'ud, then the EmirEmir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
of the Nejd. It was Shakespeare who arranged for Ibn Sa'ud to be photographed for the first time. Ibn Sa'ud had never seen a camera before. In March 1914, Shakespear began a 2900 kilometres (1,802 mi) journey from Kuwait to Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
and on to Aqaba
Aqaba
Aqaba is a coastal city in the far south of Jordan, the capital of Aqaba Governorate at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country's only seaport. Aqaba is best known today as a diving and beach resort, but industrial activity remains important...
via the Nafud Desert, which he mapped and studied in great detail, the first European to do so. In November 1914, the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
government in India asked Shakespear to secure Ibn Sa'ud's support for the British-Indian Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, which had just taken Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
.
Death
In January 1915, at the Battle of JarrabBattle of Jarrab
The Battle of Jarrab was a territorial battle between the Al Sa'ud and their traditional enemies the Al Rashid in January 1915. It was a proxy battle of World War I between the British-supportedSa'udis and the Ottoman-supported Rashidis....
, Shakespear's friend Ibn Sa'ud asked him to retreat to a place of safety before the fighting began. He declined to do so. He was struck by a bullet and killed. The victorious Rashidis cut off his head. His solar helmet was handed over to the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
authorities and hung on one of the main gates of Medina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
as proof of the Al Sau'ds' collaboration with the British. His grave can be found in downtown Kuwait City
Kuwait City
-Suburbs:Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:Al-Salam ""السلام"" -Economy:...
near the Al Hamra Tower
Al Hamra Tower
The Al Hamra Tower is a topped out skyscraper in downtown Kuwait City, Kuwait. Designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the tower is the tallest building in Kuwait on completion in 2011 at . It will also be the tallest sculpted tower in the world.The tower will include of...
.
Aftermath
It has been suggested by some authorities, notably St. John PhilbySt. John Philby
Harry St John Bridger Philby CIE , also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah , his Arabic name, was an Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer...
, that the Arab Revolt
Arab Revolt
The Arab Revolt was initiated by the Sherif Hussein bin Ali with the aim of securing independence from the ruling Ottoman Turks and creating a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen.- Background :...
against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
might have been very differently directed if Shakespear had survived, that the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
would have supported and armed Ibn Sa'ud rather than Sherif Hussein ibn Ali.
"His death... was a great loss to his country, but it was a disaster to the Arab cause. It must certainly be reckoned in the small category of individual events which have changed the course of history. Had he survived to continue a work for which he was so eminently suited, it is extremely doubtful whether subsequent campaigns of Lawrence would ever have taken place in the west..."
Arabia, H. St. John Philby, London (1930), pp 233 - 234.
Literature
- H. V. F. WinstoneH. V. F. WinstoneHarry Victor Frederick Winstone FRGS, known as Victor, was an English author and journalist, who specialised in Middle Eastern topics. He wrote biographies of several influential figures in the history of this region....
: Captain Shakespear: a Portrait, 1976 ISBN 0 224 01194 4 - Zahra FreethZahra FreethZahra Dickson Freeth is a British author, the daughter of H. R. P. Dickson and Dame Violet Dickson , who has written several books on the Middle East....
and H. V. F. Winstone: Explorers of Arabia: from the Renaissance to the end of the Victorian era, London: Allen & Unwin, 1978 ISBN 0 04 953009 7 - Charles AllenCharles Allen (writer)Charles Allen is a British writer and historian. He was born in India, where several generations of his family served under the British Raj. His work focuses on India and South Asia in general. Allen's most notable work is Kipling Sahib, a biography of Rudyard Kipling.- Selected works :* 1975...
: God's Terrorists: the Wahhabi Cult and the Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad, London: Little Brown, 2006 ISBN 0 349 11879 5
External links
- Biography, with a picture.
- The Captain and the King, from Saudi Aramco World.
- Notes by the biographer Harry Victor F. Winstone and David Wingate on a Shakespeare Family Genealogical Site
- Memorial Stone