Mansour bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, منصور بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Manṣūr ibn ‘Abdul‘azīz Āl Su‘ūd''; 1921 – 2 May 1951) was a Saudi royal and politician who served as the

defense minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in s ...

of Saudi Arabia between 1943 and 1951. During his lifetime Prince Mansour was the third most powerful son of

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...

after Prince Faisal and

Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...

Saud.

Early life and education

Prince Mansour was born in Qasr Al Hukm, Riyadh, in 1921. He is widely believed to be the ninth son of King Abdulaziz, but William A. Eddy argues that Prince Mansour is the sixth son of Abdulaziz. His mother was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

woman, Shahida (died 1938), who was reportedly the favorite wife of King Abdulaziz. She was of Christian origin. Prince Mansour's full siblings were Prince Mishaal, Prince Mutaib, and Princess Qumash. At age seven Prince Mansour's education began with a private tutor, and he studied Quran and Arabic. Then he was sent to the Saudi Institute in

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

for further education where he received high school-level education on religion, mathematics and geography.

Career

Prince Mansour's first government post was the supervision of the royal palaces in Riyadh which he was appointed in 1938. In 1940 he was made minister of war. In 1942 he participated in King Abdulaziz's meeting with the British ambassador in Riyadh. Prince Mansour was also the emir of

Murabba Palace The Murabba Palace (Arabic: Qasr al Murabba; the Square Palace) is one of the historic buildings in Al Murabba, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The palace is the first building that was erected outside the walls of the old city. It was named after its squa ...

in 1943. He officially visited

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

when King Abdulaziz sent him there to support the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Muslim officers and men just before the

Battle of El Alamein There were two battles of El Alamein in World War II, both fought in 1942. The Battles occurred in North Africa, in Egypt, in and around an area named after a railway stop called El Alamein. * First Battle of El Alamein: 1–27 July 1942 * Secon ...

. Prince Mansour also acted as an aide to Prince Faisal during the latter's post of viceroy of

Hijaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provi ...

. Then Prince Mansour was appointed minister of defense by King Abdulaziz on 10 November 1943 when the office was established which had been titled as the ministry of war since 1940. Therefore, he is the first defense minister of Saudi Arabia. In fact, the body was first named the ministry of defense and aviation. Between October and December 1943 King Abdulaziz sent Prince Mansour to Palestine to investigate the situation in the region. Two of the King's sons,

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

and Mansour, accompanied their father in his meetings with the US President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on 14 February 1945 and British Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

in Egypt on 17 February 1945. During Prince Mansour's term the first Saudi military personnel were sent to the United Kingdom to receive aviation training at several institutions, including the Training University Air Service, near

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, and the Academy of Aviation in Perth, Scotland. Prince Mansour visited the latter group. He also officially visited both the United Kingdom and the United States as a guest of these governments, and his visits were concerned with arms deals. Prince Mansour's term as defense minister lasted until his death in 1951, and he was replaced by his full brother Prince Mishaal who had been his deputy at the ministry.

Personal life

Prince Mansour was married and had two children, Talal and Muhdi. Prince Talal (born 1951) was raised by his uncle Prince Mutaib following the death of his father. Prince Mutaib's daughter, Princess Nouf, married Prince Talal who was made a member of

Allegiance Council The Allegiance Council ( ar, هيئة البيعة ''Hay’at al-Bay‘ah''), also known as the Allegiance Commission or Allegiance Institution or Succession Commission, is the body responsible for determining future succession to the throne of ...

in December 2007. Prince Mansour's daughter, Mudhi, published a book entitled ''Al Hijar Wa Natayjiha Fi 'Asir Al Malik 'Abdul'Aziz'' in 1993.

Death

Prince Mansour died of a heart attack in Paris on 2 May 1951. However, a USA diplomatic cable dated 2006 claims that he died of alcohol poisoning after a party hosted by his half-brother and governor of Riyadh

Nasser bin Abdulaziz Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1911 – 15 September 1984) was a Saudi Arabian businessman who served as the governor of Riyadh Province from 1938 to 1951. He was a member of the House of Saud. Early life and education Prince Nasser was born in Q ...

. It is further reported that upon hearing of this event, King Abdulaziz threw Prince Nasser in jail who subsequently lost his post and never returned to public life. Concerning the cause of Prince Mansour's death there are two other reports arguing that he died of kidney disease. Prince Mansour was buried in

Al Adl cemetery The Al-Adl cemetery ( ar, مقبرة العدل, Maqbarat al-‘Adl, lit=Cemetery of Divine Justice) is one of the earliest and largest and of six resting places in Mecca. It is also the second substantial cemetery in the city. History and locat ...

in Mecca.

Ancestry

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Mansour Abdulaziz Mansour 1921 births 1951 deaths Mansour Mansour Mansour Mansour