Faisal I became famous for his role in the Arab Uprising, along with the famous Lawrence of Arabia. He was king of Syria for a short time, but the French expelled him from that country. Nevertheless, the British recognized in him a good candidate for the king of Iraq and appointed him to that position as early as the following year.
Faisal I was the son of the powerful Hussein ibn Ali - the sheriff and emir of Mecca, who after the fall of the Ottoman Empire proclaimed himself even the caliph of Islam (the supreme religious leader of all Muslims), and previously the king of the Hajj in Arabia.
He is especially known for his role in the Arab Uprising, along with the famous Lawrence of Arabia (T. E. Lawrence). Namely, Faisal collaborated with the British during the First World War, fighting against the Ottoman rule. Recall, the Ottoman Empire then ruled over almost the entire territory of the present-day Middle East, including Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and much of the Arabian Peninsula.
Faisal I became the first king of Iraq in 1921, but interestingly, this was not his first royal title. Namely, he was briefly the king of Syria a year earlier, but the French expelled him from the country over which they were given a mandate (a kind of semi-colonial government). Thus Faisal I was king of Syria for only 4 and a half months and then went into exile. Nevertheless, the British recognized in him a good candidate for the king of Iraq and appointed him to that position as early as the following year.
Finally settling in Iraq, Faisal had his capital in Baghdad. Interestingly, at the same time his older brother Ali ruled as king in Hejaz (based in Mecca), and the other brother - Abdullah - was an emir in Transjordan (he later became king of Jordan). Thus, three brothers from the Hashemite dynasty were kings in three different states
On September 8, 1933, the first king of Iraq - Faisal I - a member of the famous Hashemite dynasty died. This dynasty has its origins in Muhammad himself, the founder of Islam. He died under suspicious circumstances in the Swiss city of Bern, where he went for a medical examination. Doctors said he was in good health, so his death at the age of just 48 was surprising. There is a theory that it is poisonous.
