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Sheikh Abdullah II Sabah II Al-Jabir I Al-Sabah (c. 1814 – 1892) (Arabic: الشيخ عبد الله الثاني صباح الثاني الجابر الصباح) was a cavalry commander in the Military of Kuwait and was the fifth ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait from 1866 to 1892. The eldest son of the fourth ruler of Kuwait, Sabah II, his reign was marked by efforts to manage natural disasters, maintain stability, and fortify ties with the Ottoman Empire, a key supplier of drinking water for Kuwait. Notably, the first coins were minted in Kuwait during his tenure.

Early life

On his father's orders, Abdullah II signed, on 24 April 1841, a one-year naval truce with Samuel Hennell, who spoke on behalf of the British. The truce, which was never renewed upon expiry, prohibited Kuwait from undertaking any form of maritime offense as well as handing over all mediation efforts in maritime disputes to the British Empire.

Reign

Assuming power from November 1866 to 1892, Abdullah inherited a Sheikhdom experiencing a century of growth in merchant and naval activity, largely stabilized through British support. As ruler, he shifted alliances towards the Ottoman Empire, distancing from British influence while negotiating with the Al Saud family for power retention. Throughout his reign he rebuffed requests from the British Commissioner, Lewis Pelly, speaking on behalf of the British Empire, to oppose the Ottomans. Known for his modesty and simplicity, Abdullah’s leadership marked a strategic transition in regional allegiances.

A great deal of this approval hinged on his relief work during natural disasters. In 1868 a great famine struck and he worked to bring an end to the rampant starvation. In September 1871 disaster struck again, this time in the maritime industry of Kuwait. Hundreds of Kuwaiti pearling vessels were sunk along with their crews due to extremely high waves. Historians are split on whether this was due to great storms in the Indian Ocean or caused by the eruption of Bushehr.

In 1886–87, under Abdullah II, Kuwait began minting coins in copper due to the lack of Indian rupees circulating in the local economy.

Abdullah sided with the Jabir bin Mardaw, Emir of Khorramshar during the Basra and Muhamarrah conflict with the Al-Nasser tribe under his reign, and helped him consolidate power in the region.

In 1871, in recognition of his significant contributions to the Al-Ahsa expedition, or the Ottoman conquest of Al-Ahsa, Midhat Pasha bestowed him with the honorific title of Kaymakam, signifying a provincial sub-governor.

Physical description

In his later years he was described as tall with a heavy athletic body and a long white beard. He wore a purple bisht made of silk and adorned with gold embroidery over a thawb, with a white silk scarf used as a belt. On both hands rested many diamond rings. At his waist was an ornate janbiya with a hilt made of solid gold, encrusted with pearls and gemstones.

Notes

1. ^ Michael S. Casey (2007). The History of Kuwait. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 143. ISBN 978-0313340734.
2. ^ Salwa Alghanim (15 October 1998). The Reign of Mubarak-Al-Sabah: Shaikh of Kuwait 1896-1915. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9781860643507.
3. William Facey; Gillian Grant (1999). Kuwait By the First Photographers. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9781860642715.
4. David H. Finnie (1992). Shifting Lines in the Sand: Kuwait's Elusive Frontier with Iraq. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 9781850435709.
5. Stuart Laycock (29 February 2012). All the Countries We've Ever Invaded. The History Press. ISBN 9780752483351.
6. Francesca Davis DiPiazza (2006). Kuwait in Pictures. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 978-0-8225-6589-5.
7. E. Lauterpacht; C. J. Greenwood; Marc Weller; Daniel Bethlehem (1991). The Kuwait Crisis: Basic Documents. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-46308-9.
8. Alan Rush (1987). Al-Sabah: History & Genealogy of Kuwait's Ruling Family, 1752-1987. Ithaca Press. ISBN 978-0-86372-081-9.
9. Mahmoud Zakaria (5 May 2015). "Spotlight on the history of Kuwait". Kuwait Times. Kuwait. Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
10. Rajiv Sinha; Rasik Ravindra (14 August 2012). Earth System Processes and Disaster Management. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-3-642-28845-6.
11. B. Slot (2005). Mubarak Al-Sabah: Founder of Modern Kuwait 1896-1915. Arabian. ISBN 9780954479244.
12. M. S. El-Azhary (2012). The Iran-Iraq War. UK: Routledge. p. 30. ISBN 978-1136841750.
13. Peter Sluglett (December 2002). "The Resilience of a Frontier: Ottoman and Iraqi Claims to Kuwait, 1871-1990". The International History Review. 24 (4): 790. JSTOR 40111134.
14. Soloman A. Isiorho; Charles F. Gritzner (2009). Kuwait. Infobase Publishing. p. 34. ISBN 9781438105215.
15. A. Locher (1889). With Star and Crescent: A Full and Authentic Account of a Recent Journey with a Caravan from Bombay to Constantinope, Comprising a Description of the Country, the People, and Interesting Adventures with the Natives. Aetna publishing Company. pp. 54-68.

External links

v t e Emirs of Kuwait
Sheikhdom of Kuwait (1752–1961)	Sabah I Abdullah I Jaber I Sabah II Abdullah II Muhammad Mubarak Jaber II Salim Ahmad Abdullah III
State of Kuwait (1961–present)	Abdullah III Sabah III Jaber III Saad Sabah IV Nawaf Mishal
Kuwait portal

• 19th-century monarchs in the Middle East
• 19th-century Ottoman military personnel
• 1810s births
• 1892 deaths
• House of Al-Sabah
• Rulers of Kuwait
• Arab people from the Ottoman Empire