Hussein of Jordan

Hussein bin Talal ( ; November 14, 1935 – February 7, 1999) was the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from 1952 to 1999. He ascended after the 1952 abdication of his father, King Talal.

Life and career

Life Before King

Hussein completed his Junior High Education in Jordan, and then moved to Alexandria for more education, and then to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst to complete his education.

Death of King Abdullah I

On July 20, 1951, King Abdullah I traveled to Jerusalem to perform his Friday prayers with his young grandson, Prince Hussein. He was assassinated by a gunman at the instigation of Colonel Abdullah Tell, ex-Military Governor of Jerusalem, and Dr. Musa Abdullah Husseini, on the steps of one of the holiest shrines of Islam, Al-Aqsa Mosque. The assailant shot at Hussein, but the young prince is said to have been saved by a bullet fortuitously striking a medal that his grandfather had recently awarded him and insisted he wear.

The Beginning of Life as King

Abdullah's eldest son, King Talal was crowned as King, but within a year was forced to abdicate because of 'mental illness'. His son Crown Prince Hussein was proclaimed King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on August 11, 1952, at the age of 16, which was under the legal age, so he was enthroned one year later, on May 2, 1953.

Reign

His reign was controversial, and he is described as an opportunist by some political historians. While it saw Jordan remain one of the Western sanctuaries and protectorates in the Middle East, it was also marked by the events of Black September when the king ordered the violent expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization from the country. The country also defied the West and the other allied leaders by siding with Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War — allegedly done for internal political reasons after the Ma'an uprising in 1988 that threatened the throne of the King — which alienated the kingdom from most of the Arab world. In 1994 King Hussein concluded negotiations to end the official state of war with Israel resulting in the Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace which he had begun negotiating in secret with the Israelis in the 1970s. The king wrote three books: Uneasy Lies the Head (1962), about his childhood and early years as king; My War With Israel (1969); and Mon Métier de Roi. According to Benjamin Netanyahu in his book A Durable Peace (1993, revised 2000), Hussein had motivation for obtaining peace with Israel unofficially; indeed, Netanyahu claims Hussein flew to Tel Aviv the day before the Yom Kippur War in secret to warn the Israeli authorities of an imminent attack, and Israeli policy towards Jordan was to guarantee its security by intervening in any attack on its territory (this was directed specifically at Syria and Iraq).

Post-Peace Treaty

After the peace treaty with Israel, King Hussein developed strong ties of friendship to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, whom he had done the negotiations of the peace treaty with. King Hussein gave a powerful speech at the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin:

My sister, Mrs. Leah Rabin, my friends, I had never thought that the moment would come like this when I would grieve the loss of a brother, a colleague and a friend - a man, a soldier who met us on the opposite side of a divide whom we respected as he respected us. A man I came to know because I realized, as he did, that we have to cross over the divide, establish a dialogue, get to know each other and strive to leave for those who follow us a legacy that is worthy of them. And so we did. And so we became brethren and friends.

Improvements in Jordan

Though King Hussein did many controversial things during his reign, he was appreciated by the Jordanian population for his accomplishments. He helped Jordan develop and become more stable. For example, at the beginning of his reign, he paid attention to the development of better water and electricity networks, in addition to sewage networks, which were only available to 10% of the population; by the end of his reign, the percentage had reached 99%. In addition, the Literacy rate of Jordan was 33%, rising to 85.5% in 1996 and still increasing. Other accomplishments include Calories available per individuals, which rose by about 50%, and the reduction in the infant mortality rate.

Death

He died of complications related to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on February 7, 1999. The King had been suffering from the disease for many years and had been treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, United States on a fairly regular basis. Just before his death, he changed his will and the Jordanian Constitution in order to disinherit his brother, Hassan, who had been crown prince for several decades, and designated his eldest son, Abdullah as heir. The King was, at the time of his death, one of the longest-serving leaders in international politics.

Personal life

King Hussein was married four times, although he was never married to more than one woman at the same time: his four wives were

Sharifa Dina bint 'Abdu'l-Hamid, an Egyptian-born third cousin of King Hussein's father, King Talal, on April 19, 1955. A graduate of Cambridge University and a former lecturer in English literature at Cairo University, the bride was 26 to the groom's 19. They separated in 1956 and were divorced in 1957, at which time Queen Dina became known as Princess Dina. She became an Egyptian citizen in 1963, and in October 1970, Princess Dina of Jordan married Asad Sulayman Abd al-Qadir, alias Salah Taamari, a Palestinian guerrilla commando who became a high-ranking official in the Palestine Liberation Organization.
- Daughter: Alia (born 1956). Married first (1977, divorced 1987) Sayyid Nasser Mirza and second (1988) Sayyid Mohammed Al-Saleh. Has issue by both.
Antoinette Avril Gardiner ('Toni Gardiner'), (born Chelmondiston, England, 1941, renamed Princess Muna al-Hussein (she was never to become a Queen because she didn't convert to Islam), ^{Citing sources} on May 25, 1961. An award-winning field hockey player, former typist, and daughter of a British army officer turned innkeeper, Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Percy Gardiner, she was given the title Princess Muna al-Hussein on January 30, 1962, divorced 1972.
- Children:
  - Abdullah II (born 1962)
  - Faisal (born 1963). Lieutenant-General, former Commander of Royal Jordanian Air Force. Married to Aliya Tabaa, has three daughters and one son.
  - Aisha (born 1968). Brigadier-General of Jordan's Royal Jordanian Land Force. Married to Sayyid Zeid Juma, she has a son and a daughter.
  - Zein (born 1968, Aisha's twin). Married to Sayyid Majdi Al-Saleh, she has a son, a daughter and an adopted daughter.

Alia Baha el-Din Toukan (1948–1977), after whom Jordan's international airport (Queen Alia International Airport) is named. She died in a helicopter crash in Amman, Jordan.
- Children:
  - Haya (born 1972). Married to Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai.
  - Ali (born 1975). Married to Rym Brahimi and has a daughter.
  - Adopted daughter: Abir, (born 1972, adopted 1976). She attended Oldfields Prep School in Glencoe, Maryland, USA (boarding school).

Elizabeth Najeeb Halaby ('Lisa Halaby'), (renamed Queen Noor al Hussein on her conversion to Islam),
- Children:
  - Hamzah (born 1980). Married to Noor bint Asem
  - Hashim (born 1981). Married to Princess Fahdah
  - Iman (born 1983)
  - Raiyah (born 1986)

In addition, he had a well publicized affair with Susan Cabot, The 50s B-Movie actress who was killed in 1986. After her son was charged with the murder, Hussein was suspected to be the father of the child, but nothing was proven.

King Hussein was an avid amateur radio operator (callsign JY1). He also loved to fly airplanes (prop and jet) as well as helicopters.

King Hussein was succeeded as king by his eldest son Abdullah II of Jordan.

External links

A Living Tribute to the Legacy of King Hussein I - official Royal Jordanian memorial website

Slide Show - Personal Tribute Page

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