List of kings of Saudi Arabia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This is a list of kings of Saudi Arabia:

King Abdul Aziz (Ibn Saud) (1902/1932-1953)

King Saud, son of King Abdul Aziz (1953-1964)

King Faisal, son of King Abdul Aziz (1964-1975)

King Khalid, son of King Abdul Aziz (1975-1982)

King Fahd, son of King Abdul Aziz (1982-2005)

King Abdullah, son of King Abdul Aziz (2005-)

King Abdul Aziz began conquering today's Saudi Arabia in 1902, by restoring his family as emirs of Riyadh. He then proceeded to conquer first the Nejd (1922) and then the Hejaz (1925). He progressed from Sultan of Nejd, to King of Hejaz and Nejd, and finally to King of Saudi Arabia (1932).

The other kings have all been sons of his, and all likely immediate successors to King Abdullah are likewise his sons. Sons of Ibn Saud are considered to have primary claim on the Kingship of Saudi Arabia. It is intended that a family assembly choose heirs from their or the next generation at some time in the future, but the line of succession is never set beyond the appointed Crown Prince at any given time. This makes the Saudi Monarchy quite distinct from Western monarchies, which usually feature large, clearly defined royal families and orders of succession. The current Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is Abdullah's half-brother, Prince Sultan.

The King of Saudi Arabia is also considered the Head of the House of Saud.

It is interesting to note that although Saudi Arabia is ruled by Islamic law and purports to be an Islamic state, many Muslims see a monarchy as being a non-Islamic system of government. This attitude towards monarchy stems from Muhammad's own injunction against hereditary rule, and rather in favor of selecting rulers based on who is most qualified. However, it should also be noted that for most of Islamic history, the caliphate was a hereditary system.