Royalism in Syria after Faysal I: The Struggle for the Crown of Damascus, 1920-1958

Abstract

On 24 July 1920 the first and only king in the modern history of Syria, Faysal I, was dethroned and exiled by the invading army of colonial France. Although later rewarded with the job of king of Iraq, Faysal I never lost his appetite for the crown of Damascus, and nor did any of his brothers, nephews, and other royals from the Hashemite family. Much has been written about Faysal’s era in Syria, which began in October 1918 and lasted until July 1920. Few historians, however, have paid attention to the monarchial current that emerged thereafter in Syria, as ambitious politicians and retired officers tried to restore the Hashemite Crown both during the years of the French Mandate (1920-1946) and well into the independence of Syria. They went for the ballots and, when that failed, they tried to stage a coup that would restore the royalists to power, often with material support from one of Faysal’s many relatives. This paper looks at the post-Faysal monarchial project in Syria, which triggered the emergence of two political parties, and at least two coup attempts during the years 1946-1958. None succeeded, and the monarchial dream was abandoned in July 1958 with the toppling of the monarchy in neighboring Iraq, ruled at the time by Faysal’s grandson, King Faysal II.