Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Sālim bin Thuwainī al Busaidi ( ar, سَالِم بِن ثُوَيْنِي آل سَعِيْد) was the Sultan of Muscat and

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

from 11 February 1866 – October 1868. He was the eldest son of Sultan

Thuwaini bin Said Thuwaini bin Said al-Busaidi ( ar, ثويني بن سعيد ال سعيد, ) (1821–1866) also called (19 October 1856 – 11 February 1866), was the third son of Said bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman. Thuwaini was born in Oman, and never v ...

and his wife Sayyida Ghaliya bint Salim Al-Busaidiyah, and acceded to the throne in succession to his father.

Lewis Pelly Lieutenant General Sir Lewis Pelly, (14 November 1825 – 22 April 1892) was a British East India Company officer, and then an imperial army and political officer. At the end of his life, he was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Hackney ...

and

Henry Bartle Frere Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, 1st Baronet, (29 March 1815 – 29 May 1884) was a Welsh British colonial administrator. He had a successful career in India, rising to become Governor of Bombay (1862–1867). However, as High Commissioner for ...

were deeply disappointed by the death of Sultan Thuwaini bin Said in their hopes for a military action against the Wahhabis, and were well aware of Salim's opposing views and refusal to join the ensuing war. Hence the British Political Resident General in the Gulf at Bushehr, Colonel

, fiercely opposed the recognition of Salim whom he feared was to stop foreign interference and forge a peace deal with the Wahhabis. Salim sent two envoys to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, then under British rule, with a letter soliciting the renewal of relations between the British and Muscat Governments and reiterating his assertions regarding his father's death, namely, that he had died as a result of illness after three days of suffering and was quickly buried in accordance to Islamic tradition, to which the Government of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

acknowledged the reigning prince as sultan in May 1866. Pelly tried to intervene and accused him of patricide through innuendo but was forestalled by the British Viceroy John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence who presented Salim with his government's official recognition. In September 1868,

Azzan bin Qais Imam Azzan bin Qais ( ar, الإمام عزان بن قيس ) was the Imam of Oman between 1868 and 1870. He deposed his distant relative Sayyid Salim bin Thuwaini. Opposing Saudi interference in the Buraimi Oasis, he fought against Salim's uncle ...

, Salim's brother-in-law and distant relative was elected imam by disgruntled tribesmen seeking to lead the country back to the principles of classical Ibadhi state, Azzan led his followers in a rapid series of raids on the Barkah, Mutrah and Muscat forts. With no support, Salim could not hold center and was forced to flee to one of the harbour fortresses. In his precipitate flight, he left his valuables behind together with many heirlooms of the dynasty, all of which were either plundered or destroyed by the invaders. On 11 October 1868, Salim embarked on his ship ''The Prince of Wales'' and sailed for

Bandar-Abbas Bandar Abbas or Bandar-e ‘Abbās ( fa, , , ), is a port city and capital of Hormozgān Province on the southern coast of Iran, on the Persian Gulf. The city occupies a strategic position on the narrow Strait of Hormuz (just across from Musand ...

, from there he made several failed attempts to recover his lost dominions between October 1868 and March 1869. He made a final bid for the throne in 1875, however by that point, the British had formally recognized his uncle

Turki bin Said Turki or Torki bin Said al Busaidi, GCSI (1832 – 4 June 1888) ( ar, تركي بن سعيد, bal, ترکی بن سعید) was Sultan of Muscat and Oman from 30 January 1871 to 4 June 1888. He was the fifth son of Said bin Sultan. He acceded foll ...

as the new Sultan. Salim was captured and expelled aboard H.M.S.''Daphne'' and was exiled to a fortress in

Hyderabad, Sindh Hyderabad ( Sindhi and ur, ; ) is a city and the capital of Hyderabad Division in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the second-largest city in Sindh, and the eighth largest in Pakistan. Founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro of th ...

until he died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

on 7 December 1876.

References

*British Archives. *Archives of the British India company. 1839 births 1876 deaths 19th-century Arabs 19th-century Omani people Al Said dynasty Deaths from smallpox Sons of Omani sultans Sultans of Oman {{MEast-royal-stub