![Isa Bin Ali House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Isa_Bin_Ali_House.jpg)
Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa (1848–9 December 1932) was the
ruler of Bahrain from 1869 until his death. His title was
Hakim of Bahrain
The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain ( ar, ملك مملكة البحرين) is the monarch and head of state of Bahrain. The House of Khalifa has been the ruling family since 1783. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of Hak ...
. He is one of the longest reigning monarchs of the region, a reign lasting 63 years. He was forced by the British political advisor,
Clive Kirkpatrick Daly
Clive is a name. People and fictional characters with the name include:
People Given name
* Clive Allen (born 1961), English football player
* Clive Anderson (born 1952), British television, radio presenter, comedy writer and former barrister
* ...
, to abdicate in 1923, although this "abdication" was never recognised by Bahrainis who considered his successor Hamad only as a viceruler until Isa's death in 1932.
[Rosemary Said Zahlan, ''The Making of the Modern Gulf States'', Reading 1998 nd ed. p. 98]
Biography
Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa was born on 27 November 1848, in
Riffa Fort
Riffa Fort ( ar, قلعة الرفاع, Qal'at ar-Rifa') is a fort in Riffa, Bahrain.
History
It was built during the reign of Sheikh Salman bin Ahmed Al Fateh Al Khalifa in 1812. In the 19th century the fort was a residence for Sheikh Sal ...
, Bahrain, the fourth-born son of Sheikh
Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
with Tajba bint Ahmad Al Khalifa,
[Family tree]
Salman bin Ahmad Al Khalifa de Bahrain
/ref> daughter of Shaikh Ahmad bin Salman Al Khalifa.
Shaikh Isa’s father, Shaikh Ali, was the ruler of Bahrain in 1868 after Muhammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
Muhammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa (محمد بن خليفة بن سلمان آل خليفة; died 1890) was the ruler of Bahrain between 1843 and 1868. He was the sixth monarch of the Al Khalifa dynasty.
Early life and struggle
Muhammad was the ...
was forced to abdicate by the British after an alleged violation of the 1861 treaty which prevented him from carrying out maritime depredations. In August 1869, a large force led by Nasir bin Mubarak invaded Bahrain and killed the ruler, Shaikh Isa’s father. Nasir’s cousin, Mohammed ibn Abdullah, usurped the throne after the murder and assumed the Sheikhdom. Shaikh Isa fled to Zubarah
Zubarah ( ar, الزبارة), also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined and ancient fort located on the north western coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about 105 km from the Qatari capital of Doha. ...
, to be treated by the Al Noaim tribe who remained loyal to his rule. In December 1869, a British force under the Political Resident Lewis Pelly
Lieutenant General Sir Lewis Pelly, (14 November 1825 – 22 April 1892) was a British East India Company officer, and then an imperial army and political officer. At the end of his life, he was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Hackney ...
with the will and desire of the people of Bahrain, Shaikh Isa arrived and deposed the usurper who was captured by the British and sent to prison in India where he died a captive in 1877. Shaikh Isa ruled from 2 December 1869.
On 22 December 1880, Isa concluded a protectorate treaty with the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
to abstain from making any treaties or engagements with any other foreign power or state without British consent. Isa became sole ruler on the death of his brother in October 1888, when his title was altered from Chief to Ruler of Bahrain (Hakim). The protectorate treaty was confirmed and extended on 13 March 1892, in which Isa also reiterating his desire to retain for himself the right to manage Bahrain's internal affairs. Under these treaties, the United Kingdom managed all of Bahrain's foreign policy and in this way Isa was not authorized to conclude treaties independently with other powers. Shaikh Isa successfully fought off with the assistance of his brother Shaikh Khalid bin Ali, a maritime force of the Al Binali tribe which attempted unsuccessfully in invading the Bahrain islands in 1895.
Isa was forced by the British political advisor, Clive Kirkpatrick Daly
Clive is a name. People and fictional characters with the name include:
People Given name
* Clive Allen (born 1961), English football player
* Clive Anderson (born 1952), British television, radio presenter, comedy writer and former barrister
* ...
, to abdicate in 1923, although this "abdication" was never recognised by Bahrainis who considered his successor Hamad only as a viceruler until Isa's death in 1932.[ From 1926, at an old age, Isa was joined by a British consultant, ]Charles Belgrave
Sir Charles Dalrymple Belgrave KBE (9 December 1894 – 28 February 1969) was a British citizen and advisor to the rulers of Bahrain from 1926 until 1957, as "Chief Administrator" or "adviserate". He first served under Shaikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Kha ...
, who helped him implement administrative reforms aimed at promoting social progress as laws for the regulation of pearl fishing, traditionally one of the main parts of the local economy.
Shaikh Isa died while praying the dawn prayers in his room in Muharraq on 9 December 1932 after a reign of 63 years, and was buried at Al Muharaq cemetery. His was the longest reign in Bahrain’s history, as well as one of the most long-lived rulers in the world. He was officially succeeded by his second-born son Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999.
He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...
, his eldest son of eight having died in 1893.
Family
Isa had four wives:
*(first) Shaikha Haya bint Muhammad Al Khalifa, daughter of Shaikh Muhammad bin Salman bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, the divorced wife of his younger brother, Shaikh Ahmad bin ‘Ali Al Khalifa Al Haj.
*(second) Shaikha Maryam bint Hamad al-Benali (fl 1951), daughter of Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Ali al-Benali.
*(third) Shaikha Munira bint ‘Abdu’l Razak al-Khalifa.
*(fourth) Shaikha Aisha bint Muhammad Al Khalifa (died at Muharraq, 26 December 1943), daughter of Shaikh Muhammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa
Muhammad bin Khalifa Al Khalifa (محمد بن خليفة بن سلمان آل خليفة; died 1890) was the ruler of Bahrain between 1843 and 1868. He was the sixth monarch of the Al Khalifa dynasty.
Early life and struggle
Muhammad was the ...
, Ruler of Bahrain, by his seventh wife, Aisha al-Jalhama.
Isa had five sons:
* Shaikh Salman bin Isa al-Khalifa al-Haj (1873-1893), born at Manama, son of Haya. Died while returning from the Haj, near Riyadh, Arabia.
* Shaikh Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifa (1875–1942), Ruler of Bahrain, son of Haya.
* Shaikh Rashid bin Isa al-Khalifa (1877-1902), born at Manama in 1877, son of Haya. Died from consumption.
* Shaikh Muhammad bin Isa al-Khalifa al-Haj (1878-10 November, 1964), born at Manama, son of Maryam.
* Shaikh ‘Abdu’llah bin Isa al-Khalifa (1883-23 April, 1966), born at Muharraq, son of Aisha.
and four daughters:
* Shaikha Noora bint Isa al-Khalifa. Married Shaikh Ibrahim bin Khalid al-Khalifa (1873-1933), eldest son of Shaikh Khalid bin ‘Ali al-Khalifa.
* Shaikha …bint Isa al-Khalifa. Married (first) Shaikh ‘Ali bin Ahmad al-Khalifa, son of Shaikh Ahmad bin ‘Ali al-Khalifa, and (second) September 1917, Shaikh Salman bin Khalid al-Khalifa, a cousin.
* Shaikha Moza bint Isa al-Khalifa, wife of Shaikh Ali bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.
* Shaikha Munira bint Isa al-Khalifa, daughter of Munira. Married Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmad al-Khalifa (1875-??), son of her paternal uncle, Shaikh Ahmad bin ‘Ali al-Khalifa al-Haj.
Titles
*1848–1869: Sheikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
Isa ibn Ali Al-Khalifa
*1869–1909: Sheikh Isa ibn Ali Al-Khalifa, Hakim of Bahrain
The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain ( ar, ملك مملكة البحرين) is the monarch and head of state of Bahrain. The House of Khalifa has been the ruling family since 1783. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of Hak ...
*1909–1914: ''His Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...
'' Sheikh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
Isa ibn Ali Al-Khalifa, Hakim of Bahrain
*1914–1919: ''His Excellency'' Sheikh Isa ibn Ali Al-Khalifa, Hakim of Bahrain, CSI
*1919–1930: ''His Excellency'' Sheikh Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
Isa ibn Ali Al-Khalifa, Hakim of Bahrain, KCIE, CSI
*1930–1932: ''His Highness
Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style (manner of address), style used to address (in grammatical person, second person) or refer to (in grammatical person, third person) certain members of a reigning or formerl ...
'' Sheikh Sir Isa ibn Ali Al-Khalifa, Hakim of Bahrain, KCIE, CSI
Honours
*Style of ''Excellency''-1909
*Personal 11-gun salute-1909
*Companion of the Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:
# Knight Grand Commander (GCSI)
# Knight Commander ( KCSI)
# Companion ( CSI)
No appointments ...
(CSI)-1914
*Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:
#Knight Grand Commander (GCIE)
#Knight Commander ( KCIE)
#Companion ( CIE)
No appoi ...
(KCIE)-1919
*Style of ''Highness''-1930
See also
* Al Khalifa
The House of Khalifa ( ar, آل خليفة, translit=Āl Khalīfah) is the ruling family of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Al Khalifas profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe, some members of this tribe joined the Utub alliance which m ...
* History of Bahrain
Bahrain was a central location of the ancient Dilmun civilization. Bahrain's strategic location in the Arabian Gulf (Omar Ebn Elkhatab gulf) has brought rule and influence from mostly the Persians, Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Portuguese, ...
* Bahrain administrative reforms of the 1920s
The administrative reforms of the 1920s were a series of British-led reforms that have laid the foundations of modern Bahrain. They took place between 1919 and 1927, but their background extends to the early 19th century. Britain signed a number o ...
* List of longest reigning monarchs of all time
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
References
External links
* Photos of Isa bin Ali's house in Muharraq
Muharraq ( ar, المحرق, al-Muḥarraq) is Bahrain's third largest city and served as its capital until 1932 when it was replaced by Manama. The population of Muharraq in 2012 was 176,583.
The city is located on Muharraq Island. Bahrain Int ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isa Ibn Ali Al Khalifa
1848 births
1932 deaths
House of Khalifa
Bahraini monarchs
20th-century Bahraini people
Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
Honorary Companions of the Order of the Star of India
19th-century Arabs