Faisal II, Faisal ibn Ghazi ibn Faisal of Hashim (1935–1958)

King of Iraq 1939–58, with a regent until 1953. Although in 1956, in the aftermath of the Suez intervention, he formally declared that Iraq would continue to stand by Egypt, rivalry later grew between the two incipient Arab blocs. In February 1958 he therefore concluded, with his cousin King Hussein of Jordan, a federation of the two countries in opposition to the United Arab Republic of Egypt and Syria. In July 1958, he and his entire household were assassinated during a military coup and Iraq became a republic.

Born in Baghdad, he was the great grandson, with King Hussein of Jordan, of Hussein ibn Ali. He succeeded his father, Ghazi I, the king of Iraq from 1933, who was killed in a car accident in 1939. After an education at the Harrow public school in England, he was installed, on his 18th birthday, in May 1953 as the third king of modern Iraq, thus ending the 14-year regency of his uncle, Emir Abdul Illah.

With Nuriel el-Said, he pursued a pro-Western policy and, in 1958, became head of the declared ‘Arab Federation’ of Iraq and Jordan. The coup that overthrew the monarchy was led by Brigadier Kassem, a left-wing Arab nationalist army officer. A republic was then established in Iraq and the Arab Federation ceased to exist.