King Talal bin Abdullah (1909-1972)

King Talal bin Abdullah assumed the throne shortly after the martyrdom of King Abdullah on July 20, 1951. However, and due to health reasons, he abdicated the throne less than a year later, on August 11, 1952, in favor of his eldest son Hussein, the heir apparent. During his tenure, King Talal did much to further the previously strained relations between Jordan and Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He was also largely responsible for the development of a new, liberalized constitution. This document made the government collectively, and the ministers individually, responsible before parliament and was ratified on January 1, 1952. The smoothness with which the reins of power were transferred through Abdullah, Talal and Hussein was remarkable, indicating the extent to which King Abdullah had succeeded in putting the Jordanian monarchy in constitutional order.