EncyclopediaSaud
Saud (Ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud) (i'bun abdäl äzēz' i'bun säOOd') [key], 1902–69, king of Saudi Arabia (1953–64), son of Ibn Saud, brother of Faisal. Saud, who had distinguished himself in several of his father's early campaigns, became viceroy of Nejd in 1926 and heir apparent in 1933. In 1953 he became foreign minister and minister of defense, and the same year, following his father's death, he assumed the throne. A poor administrator, Saud nearly bankrupted his country by his fiscal mismanagement and lavish personal spending. He surrendered some of his powers in 1958 to his brother Faisal, with whom he had disagreed over policy matters. In 1960, Saud reasserted his royal prerogatives but was formally deposed and replaced by his brother four years later. He died in exile in Athens.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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