Farouk I King of egypt Date of Birth: 11.02.1920 Country: Egypt

Biography of Farouk I

Farouk I, the King of Egypt, was born on February 11, 1920, as the son of King Fuad I and Queen Nazli. He received a home education, being raised by English governesses and teachers, and at the age of 15, he was sent to England for further studies. Farouk ascended to the throne after his father's death on April 28, 1936. During the period between this date and Farouk's coronation, a regency council, dominated by representatives of the Wafd, a influential nationalist party, negotiated the Anglo-Egyptian treaty, which granted Egypt full independence. Farouk did not have much sympathy for the Wafd. When Egypt became an independent state and was admitted to the League of Nations, the Wafd focused on resolving internal issues but failed to achieve success, leading to a decline in their popularity. On February 2, 1938, Farouk dissolved the parliament, and in the subsequent elections, the Wafd suffered a defeat. Shortly after, the party split, resulting in the formation of the Saad party. Throughout his reign, Farouk maintained a focus on close economic and military ties with Great Britain. With British assistance in 1937, the capitulations regime (old agreements containing provisions on extraterritoriality) was abolished. In 1939, pro-German and pro-Italian sentiments started to gain strength within the Egyptian government. Meanwhile, Farouk sought to lead the Pan-Arab movement. His deep devotion to Islam, participation in public prayers, abstention from alcohol and tobacco, endeared him to the population. Farouk's interest in the Palestinian Arabs, his sister's marriage to an Iranian prince, and a diplomatic mission to Turkey in 1939 brought Egypt closer to other Muslim states.

In 1940, the new Prime Minister Hassan Sabri, with the support of the Wafd, managed to change the government's political course. In 1942, his government fell, and Farouk was forced to entrust the formation of a new government to Mustafa an-Nahhas. Great Britain suspected Farouk of having sympathies towards the Axis powers and changed its traditional policy, supporting the Wafd and the idea of creating a people's government. At the beginning of World War II, Farouk severed diplomatic relations with Italy, Germany, and Japan, but did not declare war on Germany and Japan until February 24, 1945. In the final years of his reign, Farouk carried out some reforms, but his political opponents capitalized on his weaknesses - a tendency towards luxury, a fondness for gambling, and love affairs. He was blamed for the failures of the Egyptian forces during the war with Israel. A group called the "Free Officers," led by Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, organized a conspiracy against the king and carried out a coup on July 23, 1952. Farouk was forced to abdicate the throne. Taking his children with him, the king and queen went into exile in Italy, where Farouk adopted the title of Prince Farouk Fuad of Egypt. His palaces and most of his wealth were confiscated.

On January 21, 1939, Farouk married Farida Zulfikar, who gave birth to three daughters, but he did not have a male heir. Therefore, he divorced his wife in 1948 and married Nariman Sadek on May 6, 1951, a girl from a humble family. As a result of this marriage, an heir to the Egyptian throne was born, who was proclaimed the King of Egypt and Sudan, Ahmed Fuad II, after Farouk's abdication. On June 18, 1953, the revolutionary government established a republican regime in Egypt, putting an end to the 142-year rule of the Muhammad Ali dynasty. Queen Nariman left Farouk in 1953 and returned to Egypt, leaving their son under his father's care. Farouk continued to live in Italy. On April 29, 1958, the Egyptian government revoked the Egyptian citizenship of Farouk, his son Ahmed Fuad, his mother Queen Nazli, and other members of the former king's family. In 1959, Farouk became a citizen of Monaco. He passed away in Rome on March 18, 1965.