The third Saudi state is the current Saudi state and successor to the two earlier states: the first and the second, founded by Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman (also known as "Ibn Saud"), who managed to capture the city of Riyadh on January 13, 1902. A long series of conflicts and conquests ultimately led to the establishment of the modern and contemporary Saudi state, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The third Saudi state was known at the beginning of its reign as "the Emirate of Riyadh" (1902–1913) and "the Emirate of Nejd and Hasa" (1913–1921). After the overthrow of the rival Emirate of Ha'il, which gave the Emirate of Najd and Al-Ahsa control of the entire Nejd region, it became known as the Sultanate of Nejd. Abdul Aziz conquered the Kingdom of Hejaz in 1925. He raised Nejd to a kingdom in 1927, and his dominions became known as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd and its annexes. Abdul Aziz administered the two portions of his dual kingdom separately until the annexation of the Southern Territory and the announcement of the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
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History
Emirate of Riyadh
The Emirate of Riyadh was the first iteration of the third Saudi state from 1902 to 1913. It was a monarchy led by the House of Saud. The state was formed after Saudi forces seized Riyadh from the control of the Emirate of Jabal Shammar, led by the House of Rashid, during the Battle of Riyadh. It was the direct antecedent of the Emirate of Nejd and Hasa, and the earliest legal predecessor of present-day Saudi Arabia. Al-Hasa was conquered in 1913.
Emirate of Nejd and Hasa
The Emirate of Nejd and Hasa was the second iteration of the third Saudi state from 1913 to 1921. It was a monarchy led by the House of Saud. The state was formed after Saudi forces seized al-Hasa from the control of the Ottoman Empire garrison, during the Conquest of al-Hasa. It was the direct antecedent of the Sultanate of Nejd, and a legal predecessor of modern-day Saudi Arabia.
Sultanate of Nejd
The Sultanate of Nejd (Arabic: سلطنة نجد, Salṭanat Najd) was the third iteration of the third Saudi state, from 1921 to 1926. It was a monarchy led by the House of Saud, and a legal predecessor of modern-day Saudi Arabia. This version of the third Saudi state was created when Abdulaziz ibn Saud, Emir of Riyadh, declared himself sultan over Nejd and its dependencies. On 2 December 1922, the Nejd signed an agreement with Kuwait defining their border with each other, which would be a straight line along the 29th parallel. On 19 December 1925, the Kingdom of Hejaz surrendered to the forces of Ibn Saud, who was thereafter proclaimed king of the Hejaz on 8 January 1926 and merged his dominions into the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd.
Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd
The Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd (Arabic: مملكة الحجاز ونجد, Mamlakat al-Ḥijāz wa-Najd), initially the Kingdom of Hejaz and Sultanate of Nejd (Arabic: مملكة الحجاز وسلطنة نجد, Mamlakat al-Ḥijāz wa-Salṭanat Najd), was a dual monarchy ruled by Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud) following the Saudi conquest of Hejaz by the Sultanate of Nejd in 1925. It was the fourth iteration of the third Saudi state.
On 8 January 1926, Abdulaziz (Ibn Saud), the Sultan of Nejd, was crowned King of the Hejaz in the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, and he elevated Nejd to the status of a kingdom on 29 January 1927. At the Treaty of Jeddah on 20 May 1927, Abdulaziz's realm was recognised by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and was addressed as the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd.
For the next five years, Abdulaziz administered the two parts of his dual kingdom as separate units. On 23 September 1932, Abdulaziz proclaimed the union of the main Saudi dominions of al-Hasa, Qatif, Nejd and the Hejaz as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd could pursue its expansionist policy with British arms supplies because of its close relations with the United Kingdom.
In 1926, the Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd was recognised by the Soviet Union, followed by the United States of America in 1931. By 1932, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, the Soviet Union, Turkey, the Imperial State of Iran, Kingdom of Italy and The Netherlands maintained legations in Jeddah; the Kingdom of Egypt maintained unofficial consular representatives.