A Bit of History

In March, 1920, the Syrian National Congress proclaimed Prince Faisal as the king of an independent kingdom of Greater Syria. The San Remo conference a month later awarded to France the Mandate over Syria.

In a clash between the French and Faisal’s nationalist army at The Battle of Maysalun, Faisal was expelled from Syria and fled to the United Kingdom. Abdullah then mobilized forces in the Hejaz and prepared to launch an attack on Syria to remove the French. He arrived in southern Transjordan in November 1920 and marched towards Amman. Winston Churchill learned of Abdullah’s plans, and invited him to tea in March 1921, where he convinced him to abandon his campaign. Abdullah agreed, and as a reward, a protectorate was set up in Transjordan after the area was stripped from the territory of the Jewish National Home.

In Transjordan, Abdullah ruled over a semi-autonomous entity known as the Emirate of Transjordan, although the British still had a hand in its administration and it was part of the Palestine Mandate. The British mandate did not actually end until 1946, at which point Abdullah was crowned king of the now-independent Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.