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Stamp with an image of Talal – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Talal of Jordan

Talal bin Abdullah was King of Jordan from the assassination of his father, King Abdullah I, on 20 July 1951 until his forced abdication on 11 August 1952. He was also a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921.

Talal was born in Mecca as the eldest child of Abdullah bin Hussein and his wife Musbah bint Nasser. Abdullah was a son of Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, who led the Great Arab Revolt during World War I against the Ottoman Empire in 1916

During Abdullah’s absence, Talal spent his early years alone with his mother. Talal received private education in Amman, later joining Transjordan’s Arab Legion as the second lieutenant in 1927. He then became an aide to his grandfather Sharif Hussein, the ousted king of the Hejaz, during his exile in Cyprus. By 1948, Talal became a general in the Arab Legion.

Here are 10 interesting facts about Talal of Jordan.

1. Talal was a 39th-generation direct descendant of Muhammad

The Hashemites are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz, Syria, and Iraq. The family had ruled the city of Mecca continuously from the 10th century, frequently as vassals of outside powers, and were given the thrones of the Hejaz, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan following their World War I alliance with the British Empire.

Their eponymous ancestor is traditionally considered to be Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, great-grandfather of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

2. Talal became crown prince upon his father’s designation as king of Jordan

King Talal in Lebanon, 1952 –

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy. The king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is Jordan’s head of state and monarch. He serves as the head of the Jordanian monarchy, the Hashemite dynasty. The king is addressed as His Majesty.

Crown prince as a descriptive term has been used throughout history for the prince who is first-in-line to a throne and is expected to succeed.

3. Talal became king after his father’s assassination in 1951

Talal ascended the Jordanian throne after the assassination of his father, Abdullah I, in Jerusalem. His son Hussein, who was accompanying his grandfather at Friday prayers, was also nearly a victim. 

On 20 July 1951, Prince Hussein traveled to Jerusalem to perform Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque with his grandfather, King Abdullah I. An assassin, fearing that the king might normalize relations with the State of Israel, killed Abdullah, but the 15-year-old Hussein survived.

4. Talal’s biggest achievement as King was the establishment of Jordan’s modern constitution

Flag of Jordan – Wikimedia Commons

King Talal’s adoption of a constitution made Jordan, his kingdom a constitutional monarchy. 

The Constitution of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was adopted on 11 January 1952 and has been amended many times. 

It defines the hereditary monarchic rule with a parliamentary system of representation. It stipulates the separated powers of the state from the executive, legislative and judicial, the citizens’ rights and duties, financial affairs, and other constitutional regulations.

5. Talal is regarded to have resented British affairs in the affairs of his country

Talal has been described by his cousin Prince Ra’ad bin Zeid in a 2002 interview as having very anti-British sentiments, caused by Britain’s failure to fully comply with their agreement with his grandfather Sharif Hussein ibn Ali in the McMahon–Hussein Correspondence to establish an independent Arab kingdom under his rule.

Furthermore, at the time of the succession crisis that occurred after King Abdullah I’s assassination, Talal was described by contemporary Egyptian and Syrian press as a great patriotic anti-imperialist leader.

6. Talal’s reign as King lasted less than thirteen months

Talal of Jordan – Wikimedia Commons

A year into Talal’s reign, Arab Legion intelligence officer Major Hutson reported that Amman was seething with a rumor to the effect that the Legion, or Cabinet, intend on handing over West Jordan to Israel and that King Talal was deported by the British for refusing to agree.

At this time, Talal was reported by British resident Furlonge, Queen Zein who was the mother of Talal’s son and successor Hussein, and Prime Minister Tawfik Abu Al-Huda as experiencing a mental illness. 

Furlonge particularly suggested that Talal be forced out of Amman and forced into a French clinic. Talal was subsequently flown in a civil plane to Â鶹APP for treatment.

7. Talal suffered from schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdrawal, decreased emotional expression, and apathy.

Talal’s reportedly unwell medical condition is highlighted by an incident on 29 May 1952 when Queen Zein sought refuge in the British embassy in Â鶹APP, claiming that Talal threatened her with a knife and attempted to kill one of his younger children.

8. Talal spent the rest of his life at a sanatorium in Istanbul until his death

The house of the late King of Jordan Talal Bin Abdullah – Wikimedia Commons

Contrary to his wish to live in Saudi-ruled Hejaz after his abdication, Talal was sent to live the latter part of his life at a sanatorium in Istanbul. He died there on 7 July 1972. Talal was buried in the Royal Mausoleum at the Raghadan Palace in Amman.

9. After his diagnosis, Talal was forced to abdicate by Parliament

Prime Minister Tawfik Abu al-Huda consequently attempted to induce Talal into abdicating; however, he was harshly reproached by Talal. This led Abu al-Huda into summoning both houses of parliament to an extraordinary session, requesting their approval of a motion dictating that Talal be deposed for medical reasons, specifically schizophrenia. 

Abu al-Huda backed up his requests with medical reports and argued that Talal’s medical condition was irrevocable, and Talal’s deposition was unanimously accepted by parliament later that day.

10. Talal was succeeded by his oldest son Hussein

Prime Minister Abu al-Huda proceeded to rule Jordan, from the day of Talal’s deposition on 11 August 1952 until Talal’s son Hussein came of age on 2 May 1953.

Hussein was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was a 40th-generation direct descendant of Muhammad.