Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah (, 1895 – 24 November 1965) was the eleventh ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait from 1950 to 1961 and the first Emir of the State of Kuwait after the country gained its independence from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

on 19 June 1961.

Biography

Abdullah was the eldest son of

Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah (; born 1864 – 23 February 1921) was the ninth ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait. The second son of Mubarak I he is the progenitor of the Al-Salim branch of the Al-Sabah family ruling from 5 February 1917 to 23 Febr ...

. He was the

minister of finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from 1939 to 1940. He took power after the death of his cousin

Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Damat Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1885 – 29 January 1950) () was the tenth ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait from 29 March 1921 until his death on 29 January 1950. Biography Ahmad was the son of Jaber II Al-Sabah, who was the eighth r ...

and also ruled as regent upon the death of his father until the election of Sheikh Ahmad. The anniversary of his coronation, 25 February, serves as Kuwait's national day. Gamal_Abdel_Nasser_with_Shaikh_Abdullah_III_Al-Salim_Al-Sabah

Gamal_Abdel_Nasser_with_Shaikh_Abdullah_III_Al-Salim_Al-Sabah

Unlike his predecessors, Abdullah was more pro-Arab than pro-British. He effectively ended the British "

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

" status of Kuwait by signing a treaty with 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

on 19 June 1961. He is regarded as the founder of modern Kuwait. He introduced the

Constitution of Kuwait The Constitution of Kuwait (, ) was framed by the Constitutional Assembly in 1961–1962 and signed into law on 11 November 1962 by the Emir, the Commander of the Military of Kuwait Sheikh Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah. History In June 1961, ...

in 1962, followed by the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in 1963. He is regarded as having been more committed to

constitutionalism Constitutionalism is "a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law". Political organizations are constitutional to ...

and

parliamentary democracy A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of the legisl ...

than successive rulers.

Death

Abdullah Al-Salim died on 24 November 1965, after suffering from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

during the opening session of the National Assembly.

Honours and awards

National

Sovereign Grand Master of the Order of National Defence * Sovereign Grand Master of the Military Duty Order

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdullah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah 1895 births 1965 deaths Date of birth unknown House of Al-Sabah Rulers of Kuwait Finance ministers of Kuwait Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights of Grace of the Order of St John Honorary companions of the Order of the Indian Empire 20th-century Kuwaiti people