Khalifa ibn Shahbut al-Nahyan

In April 1833, Khalifa took power with his brother and accomplice Sultan, overthrowing his nephew Tahnun ibn Shahbut and killing him during the coup. Of the two conspirators, Khalifa was the most capable, and the Sultan quickly took a subordinate position to him. Khalifa declared allegiance to Sheikh Abu Dhabi to the Emir of Najd . From the very beginning of his reign, Khalifa was faced with the threat of a conspiracy to remove him and put his cousin in his place, but he acted decisively and executed the three leaders of the conspiracy. The public discontent and interference of the Sultan stopped him from taking the same measures against two prominent merchants, as a result one of them was physically punished and exiled to Lingekh, and his property was confiscated ^[2] .

Khalifa's policies led to the separation of most of the Al-Bu-Falasah section from the Bani Yas tribal confederation during the pearl-mining season that year. They established themselves in the city of Dubai north of Abu Dhabi. Dubai at that time was dependent on Abu Dhabi and was ruled by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Hazza ibn Zaal ^[3] . With his support, 800 members of Al-Bu-Falasah, led by Maktub ibn Buti and Ubeid ibn Saeed ibn Rashid, occupied the city ^[4] , which then included about 250 houses in the Shindaghi region and Al-Fahidi fort on the other side of the Khubayba Bay ^{[ 5]} . Resettlement was a difficult task and took place for some time during and after the pearl mining season that year (from May to November) ^[6] .

Almost immediately after this, Sheikh Sharjah Sultan ibn Sakr set off on a campaign in Abu Dhabi, besieging the city. This was followed by the separation of the Kubaisat tribe from Bani Yas, who set off and settled in Khor al-Udeide . They engaged in piracy until in May 1837 Khalifa, with British consent, attacked their settlement and sacked it, falling asleep wells, destroying buildings and killing at least 50 people. While part of the tribe fled to Dubai, Khalifa’s treatment of those who returned to Abu Dhabi was condescending, and ultimately the separatists, including their leader, were completely forgiven ^[2] .

Khalifa bin Shahbut was killed in July 1845 as a guest at a beach holiday in Abu Dhabi, which was a blatant violation of Bedouin hospitality laws. At the end of the event, when most of the city's inhabitants were engaged in pearl mining or caring for date palms, a man named Isa ibn Khalid killed the sheikh ^[7] .

His death led to a short and bloody struggle for succession, when a number of applicants for death vied for the place of ruler.