Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani (; 17 September 1932 – 23 October 2016) was the Emir of Qatar from 27 February 1972 until he was deposed by his son Hamad bin Khalifa in a coup on 27 June 1995. He died during the reign of his grandson, the current Emir,

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (; born 3 June 1980) is Emir of Qatar, reigning since 2013. Tamim is the fourth son of former emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nasser, Moza bint Nassir. He became heir ...

Early years

Sheikh Khalifa was born in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

in 1932. He was the son of Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani and grandson of Emir Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani.

Career

In 1957, Khalifa was appointed Minister of Education. Then, he was appointed Deputy Emir. He was named as the heir apparent on 24 October 1960. In the 1960s, he also served as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. On 22 February 1972, Sheikh Khalifa became the Emir of Qatar, seizing power from his cousin, Emir Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani in a bloodless

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

. While many Western news outlets referred to it as an overthrow, the Qatari population merely considered it to be a succession of power. His initial activity was the process of the reorganization of the government. He also limited the financial privileges of members of the ruling family. Next, he appointed a foreign minister and an adviser to himself regarding the day-to-day affairs. On 19 April 1972, he amended the Constitution and expanded the Cabinet by appointing more ministers. Diplomatic relations were also established with a number of foreign countries at the ambassadorial level. Khalifa's reorganization of the system of government saw a dramatic shift in the hierarchy of authority. He immensely reduced the traditional powers afforded to the heir-apparent and gave all of the power to himself. On 18 July 1989, the Cabinet was reshuffled for the first time, replacing most of the previous ministers and making it consist of 15 ministers. The Cabinet was again reshuffled under his premiership on 1 September 1992, expanding it to 17 members. The state revenue from the oil sector had increased as the result of the rising of a number of production sharing agreements with foreign oil companies. Two production-sharing agreements were signed with the Standard Oil Company of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

in January 1985 and

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in February 1986. In January 1989, another production sharing agreement was signed between Qatar and the French state-owned oil company

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. In the middle of 1991, production of gas in the Qatar North Field, the world's largest single field of non-associated gas (proven gas reserves of around 250 trillion cubic feet and probable reserves of 500 trillion cubic feet), commenced. While the search for finding more oil deposits in Qatar continued, Qatar built an industrial base in order to reduce dependence on the oil sector.

Deposition and death

While Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was staying in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, Switzerland, in June 1995, his son Hamad bin Khalifa seized power in another bloodless coup d'état. Hamad bin Khalifa accused his father of treason and demanded that

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

arrest him. He charged his father with 4 counts that included his execution. Khalifa lived in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

until he returned to Qatar in 2004. He died on 23 October 2016 at the age of 84.

Marriages and children

Sheikh Khalifa had five sons and twelve daughters from four wives. *Sheikha Amna bint Hassan bin Abdullah Al Thani ** Sheikh Abdelaziz bin Khalifa, Petroleum and finance minister (1972–1992) **Sheikha Maryem Bint Khalifa **Sheikha Noora bint Khalifa **Sheikha Hissa bint Khalifa **Sheikha Jafla bint Khalifa **Sheikha Moza bint Khalifa *Sheikha Aisha bint Hamad Al Attiyah ** Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, Emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013. *Sheikha Rudha bint Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani **Sheikha Aisha Bint Khalifa **Sheikha Sheikha bint Khalifa ** Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa **Sheikha Amna Bint Khalifa **Sheikha Muna bint Khalifa **Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa **Sheikha Lolwa Bint Khalifa **Sheikha Amal Bint Khalifa **Sheikha Al Anoud bint Khalifa *Sheikha Moza bint Ali bin Saud Al Thani **Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa **Sheikha Nouf bint Khalifa

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalifa Hamad Al Thani 1932 births 2016 deaths Qatari Muslims Emirs of Qatar Muslim monarchs Khalifa Hamad Abdullah Education ministers of Qatar Prime ministers of Qatar Finance ministers of Qatar Leaders who took power by coup Leaders ousted by a coup Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George 20th-century Arab people Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Sudan Recipients of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa 20th-century monarchs in the Middle East