Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan was the Ruler of

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, one of the

Trucial States The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...

which today form the United Arab Emirates (UAE), from 1845 to 1855.

Accession

Saeed acceded following the murder of his uncle, Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan. The murder led to a period of fighting for the leadership of the

Bani Yas Bani Yas ( ar, بَنُو ياس) is a tribal confederation of Najdi origin in the United Arab Emirates. The tribal coalition which consists of tribes from Dubai to Khawr al Udayd southeast of Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition. The tribe has ...

, with Sheikh Khalifa's maternal nephew and murderer, Isa bin Khalid al-Falahi attempting to take power but being himself killed by Dhiyab bin Isa. Khalid bin Isa then took Dhiyab's life and fled to

Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital o ...

, leaving two influential leaders of the Bani Yas, Mohammed bin Humaid and Rashid bin Fadhil, to remove a claimant to the fort of Abu Dhabi, one of Khalifa's brothers, and nominate a son of the former leader

Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan Sheikh Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1818–1833. Having deposed his brother Muhammad bin Shakhbut Al Nayhan with his father's support, he ruled in his father's name. Under Tahnun, Abu Dhabi became a Trucial Stat ...

, Saeed bin Tahnun. Saeed arrived to Abu Dhabi to a smooth accession, supported by his two influential sponsors as well as approved of by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. He quickly moved to quell a disturbance among the formerly secessionist Qubaisat and brought them to Abu Dhabi, stripped their boats and compelled them to pay their debts, return to the rule of Abu Dhabi and additionally pay a fine.

Buraimi

Saeed also moved on

Buraimi Al Buraimi Governorate ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ٱلْبُرَيْمِي, Muḥāfaẓat Al-Buraimī) is one of the 11 governorates of Oman which was split from the Ad Dhahirah Region. Until October 2006, the area was part of Ad Dhahirah Regi ...

, capturing his two forts back from the

Wahhabis Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic Islamic revival, revivalist and Islamic fundamentalism, fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabians, ...

with the help of both the

Dhawahir The Dhawahir ( ar, ظَوَاهِر, Ẓawāhir; singular ''Adh-Dhaheri'' ( ar, ٱلظَّاهِرِي, Aẓ-Ẓāhirī)) is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The tribe's main centre is (Ain Al Dhawahir) Alain, and ...

and Awamir tribes. He then pulled together the

Bani Qitab The Bani Qitab ( ar, بني كتب) is a tribe of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The singular form of the name, Al Ketbi, is a common family name in the Northern UAE today. Consisting of a settled southern section and a nomadic northern section, t ...

, Ghafalah,

Awamir The Awamir ( ar, العوامر) (singular Al Amri ar, العامري) is a Bedouin Arab tribe in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. Warlike, fiercely independent and frequently murderous, they were camel breeders, raiders and occasionally ...

and

in Khatam and placed the

Manasir The Manasir people ( ar, المناصير) constitute one of many Sunni Arab riverine tribes of Northern Sudan. They are not to be confused with the Manasir of the Persian Gulf region in the Arabian Peninsula-based mainly in the United Arab Emira ...

and Mazari Bani Yas in Dhafrah to block the relieving

Wahhabi Wahhabism ( ar, ٱلْوَهَّابِيَةُ, translit=al-Wahhābiyyah) is a Sunni Islamic revivalist and fundamentalist movement associated with the reformist doctrines of the 18th-century Arabian Islamic scholar, theologian, preacher, an ...

army under Sa'ad bin Mutlaq. By 1850, Saeed's great tribal association had cleared Burami Oasis of Wahhabi forces. He subsequently accepted a stipend from the Sultan of Muscat for the defence of Buraimi.

Uprising

In 1855, Saeed bin Tahnun was embroiled in a dispute involving the murder by a tribal elder of his own brother. The murder was considered not without justification but Saeed was deaf to the imprecations of the Bani Yas and resolved to have the killer put to death. A promise was made to the man of forgiveness, but when he was brought into Saeed's presence, Saeed drew out his own dagger and killed the man. The resulting violent uprising drove Saeed to take refuge first in his fort and then to exile on the island of Qish. Saeed was succeeded by Sheikh

Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan ( ar, زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان; 1835 – 18 May 1909), also known as Zayed the Great or Zayed the First was the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to his death in 1909. He was the grandfather and nam ...

References

{{Rulers of Abu Dhabi Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi 19th-century monarchs in the Middle East History of the United Arab Emirates 19th-century Arabs