FU'AD I

born March 26, 1868, Cairo died April 28, 1936, Egypt original name Ahmed Fuad Pasha the first king of Egypt (192236) following its independence from Great Britain. After serving in a number of administrative posts, Fu'ad became sultan of Egypt in 1917, at which time Egypt was still a British protectorate. In 1919 Britain indicated a willingness to negotiate a treaty that would give Egypt more independence. Most Egyptians welcomed this prospect, but they differed over who would formulate and present Egyptian demands to the British. The sultan had strong popular support and was determined to be the leading influence in the direction of governmental affairs; but a strong nationalist movement had emergedthe Wafd partyunder the leadership of Sa'd Zaghlul. Zaghlul saw himself as the proper person to lead the negotiations with the British. A stalemate between the supporters of Fu'ad and Zaghlul resulted in the collapse of Anglo-Egyptian talks. Britain responded in 1922 with a unilateral declaration of Egyptian independence, subject to strong British influence in Egyptian affairs. Accordingly, Fu'ad assumed the title of king in 1922. Dissatisfied with the British unilateral declaration, Fu'ad struggled unsuccessfully throughout his reign to secure a bilateral treaty of independence that would be acceptable to the British and the Egyptians. In 1923 Fu'ad promulgated a constitution at a time when Zaghlul was in exile. When Zaghlul and other exiles returned, however, the king was confronted with an enormously popular Wafd, which used institutions created by the constitution to strengthen its opposition. The Wafd won commanding majorities in national elections held in 1923, 1925, and 1929, but Fu'ad usually managed to form his governments with non-Wafdist ministers who were amenable to his influence. Socially and religiously, Fu'ad aligned himself with the outlook and interests of al-Azhar, Cairo's great institution of Muslim learning, which won him important popular support. In 1930 he made a determined attempt to stabilize his political position: he dissolved the Parliament, revoked the old constitution, and promulgated both a new constitution and a new electoral law. The 1931 elections yielded a cooperative, non-Wafdist parliament, and domestic political tranquillity prevailed until 1935, when, under strong nationalist pressure, Fu'ad restored the original 1923 constitution.