Emir of Qatar from 1972 to 1995
Sheikh
Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani
GCB
GCMG
(
Arabic
:
????? ?? ??? ?? ????
; 17 September 1932
[1]
[2]
? 23 October 2016) was the
Emir of Qatar
from
27 February 1972
until he was deposed by his son
Hamad bin Khalifa
in a
coup
on 27 June 1995.
[3]
[4]
He died during the reign of his grandson, the current Emir,
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
.
Early years
[
edit
]
Sheikh Khalifa was born in
Doha
in 1932.
[5]
[6]
He was the son of Sheikh
Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani
and grandson of Emir
Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani
.
Career
[
edit
]
In 1957, Khalifa was appointed Minister of Education.
[7]
Then, he was appointed Deputy Emir.
[7]
He was named as the heir apparent on 24 October 1960.
[8]
In the 1960s, he also served as Prime Minister and
Minister of Finance
.
[7]
On 22 February 1972, Sheikh Khalifa became the Emir of Qatar, seizing power from his cousin, Emir
Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani
in a bloodless
coup d'etat
.
[9]
While many Western news outlets referred to it as an
overthrow
, the Qatari population merely considered it to be a succession of power.
[8]
His initial activity was the process of the reorganization of the government.
[6]
He also limited the financial privileges of members of the ruling family.
[8]
Next, he appointed a foreign minister and an adviser to himself regarding the day-to-day affairs.
[6]
On 19 April 1972, he amended the Constitution and expanded the Cabinet by appointing more ministers. Diplomatic relations were also established with a number of foreign countries at the
ambassadorial level.
[
citation needed
]
Khalifa's reorganization of the system of government saw a dramatic shift in the hierarchy of authority. He immensely reduced the traditional powers afforded to the heir-apparent while projecting all of the power onto himself.
[10]
On 18 July 1989, the cabinet was reshuffled for the first time, replacing most of the previous ministers and making it consist of 15 ministers. The Cabinet was again reshuffled under his premiership on 1 September 1992, expanding it to 17 members.
[11]
The state revenue from the oil sector had increased as the result of the rising of a number of production sharing agreements with foreign oil companies. Two production-sharing agreements were signed with the Standard Oil Company of
Ohio
in January 1985 and
Amoco
in February 1986. In January 1989, another production sharing agreement was signed between Qatar and the French state-owned oil company
Elf Aquitaine
. In the middle of 1991, production of gas in the Qatar North Field, the world's largest single field of non-associated gas (proven gas reserves of around 250 trillion cubic feet and probable reserves of 500 trillion cubic feet), commenced. While the search for finding more oil deposits in Qatar continued, Qatar built an industrial base in order to reduce dependence on the oil sector.
[
citation needed
]
Dethronement and death
[
edit
]
While Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani was staying in
Geneva, Switzerland
, in June 1995, his son Hamad bin Khalifa seized power in another bloodless
coup d'etat
.
[12]
The son accused his father of treason and demanded that Interpol arrest him. The former Emir charged his father with 4 counts that include his execution.
[4]
Khalifa lived in
France
until he returned to Qatar in 2004.
[13]
He died on 23 October 2016 at the age of 84.
[14]
[15]
Marriages and children
[
edit
]
Sheikh Khalifa had five sons and twelve daughters from four wives.
- Sheikha Amna bint Hassan bin Abdullah Al Thani
- Sheikh Abdelaziz bin Khalifa
, Petroleum and finance minister (1972?1992)
- Sheikha Maryem Bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Noora bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Hissa bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Jafla bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Moza bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Aisha bint Hamad Al Attiyah
- Sheikha Rudha bint Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani
- Sheikha Aisha Bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Sheikha bint Khalifa
- Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa
- Sheikha Amna Bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Muna bint Khalifa
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa
- Sheikha Lolwa Bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Amal Bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Al Anoud bint Khalifa
- Sheikha Moza bint Ali bin Saud Al Thani
- Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa
- Sheikha Nouf bint Khalifa
References
[
edit
]
Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani
Born:
1932
Died:
23 October 2016
|
Regnal titles
|
Preceded by
|
Emir of Qatar
1972?1995
|
Succeeded by
|