Muhammad ibn Abdullah Ar-Rashid

Muhammad ibn Abdullah opposed his nephew Bandar ibn Talal in 1872 and seized the throne ^[1] . Despite the fact that Bandar appointed Muhammad to the lucrative and honorable position of head of the caravan of pilgrims, Muhammad still killed him ^[1] . Fearing blood feud, he killed four of the five Bandar brothers ^[1] . The reign of Muhammad was the heyday of Jebel Shammar ^[1] .

By the beginning of Muhammad’s reign, the territory of the emirate did not go beyond Jebel Shammar and the surrounding oases , such as Khaibara, Tayma and Jauf. The ruler of Jebel Shammar bore the title of Emir or “Sheikh Sheikhs”, that is, he was the head of the association of Shammar tribes ^[2] . Rashidids usually ruled through relatives and personal servants, but Muhammad, who raised the throne on other people's bones, relied more on combatants, as well as Egyptian and Turkish mercenaries ^[2] . The emir’s squad was about 200 people, of which 20 of the most reliable were his personal guard ^[1] . Many vigilantes came out of the Abds (slaves). Of these, Muhammad appointed officials and top military leaders ^[1] .

In the 1870s, Muhammad conquered El-Al and villages in Wadi Sirhan. Taking advantage of the weakening of the Saudis , he extended his power to Qasim. After the strife of the mid 1870s, one province after another began to break away from the weakened Riyadh ^[2] . Tired of turmoil, residents were drawn to strong power and passed under the wing of the emir of Jebel Shammar . In October 1887, the Riyadh emir Abdallah ibn Faisal was captured by his own nephews and turned for help to the emir of Khail ^[1] . Muhammad ibn Abdallah set out on a campaign against Necd with a large army. He freed the emir Abdullah and took him to Hail as an honorary captive, and appointed his commander Salim al-Subhan as governor of Riyadh ^[1] .

In the fall of 1889, Muhammad ibn Abdallah raided the Hijaz ^[2] . Upon returning to Hail, he discovered that his captive, Abdallah ibn Faisal, was seriously ill and released him to Riyadh with his younger brother Abdurrahman , who was appointed emir. Abdurrahman immediately began to assemble an anti-Rashidid coalition. Muhammad sent messengers to all the edges of his possessions and gathered a large army ^[2] . After several months of hostilities in January 1891, he managed to provoke opponents into a decisive battle ^[2] . During it, Muhammad pretended to be retreating, after which he switched to a sharp counterattack ^[2] . The allies of Abdurrahman ibn Faisal were defeated, and he himself, without coming to their aid, fled to the desert. Muhammad al-Rashid strengthened for several years as the undisputed ruler of Central Arabia ^[2] . But he got a drained, ruined country, devoid of access to the sea. And agriculture, and livestock, and trade fell into decay. Only Muhammad’s personal influence kept the country from rebellion ^[2] .

In 1897, Muhammad ibn Abdullah died without leaving behind children. He was succeeded by the nephew of Abd al-Aziz ^[2] ( 1897 - 1906 ), the son of Mitab ibn Abdallah. The state of Rashidids quickly collapsed.

• Ryzhov K.V. All monarchs of the world. Muslim East of the 15th – 20th centuries Moscow , Veche, 2004 ISBN 5-9533-0384-X , Art. 64-66
• Vasiliev A. History of Saudi Arabia. 1745-1973