Coming out of a great military tradition, the Hashemites might seem poised to provide for a pan Arab vision to contend with Nasser’s Egypt. The country was changing though and growing with people who are not loyal to the great traditions that were of no benefit to them. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Jordan had it’s King and it’s army. The population was poor but growing and mainly were displaced persons from the Holy Land. The Army was capable and the King flexible and the people are under marshal law.So why not celebrate King Hussein. No one would have predicted a long reign and a death by natural causes. People under marshal law can be made to say Long Live the King, but it is really something when it is achieved.
Todays stamp is issue A170, a 40 Fills stamp issued by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1983. It was part of a 6 stamp issue in various denominations that honor King Hussein, who was on his 30th year on the throne. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 40 cents mint.
King Hussein ascended to the thrown in 1953. The Hashemite tribe of Bedouin warriors had been defenders of the Saudi holy places until displaced by the House of Saud in that role. A relationship developed between them and the British that resulted in a quite capable military force and Hashemites on the thrones of Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and even briefly Syria. However, one by one these territories faded to just Jordan. Hussein’s father was assassinated and his brother was removed from the Throne due to mental incompetence. No one saw a long rule from Hussein as he was only 18. The country was taking in so many refugees from Palestine that they were two thirds of the population. The area lacked oil and many of that generation saw a socialist pan Arab future that did not include Hashemite Kings. Israel saw a majority Palestinian country that could function as a homeland if they could just get rid of the Hashemite King. Not so fast though.
The army was competent. Enough so that Israel tried to avoid fights with it. When the local Palestinians armed Fedayeen(self sacrificer) fighters to attack Israel from Jordan and get rid of Hussein. The King ordered the Jordanian Army into action. The Fedayeen was defeated and sent to Lebanon, an allied with the Fedayeen Syrian relief force was quickly defeated and martial law was expanded. The King remained. The Palestinians tried to form a Black September Organization to exact revenge on King Hussein but the terrorism was only successful at uniting the world against them and they quickly promised attacks only on Israel.
So Hussein stays in power but without oil wealth and the majority of the people poor exiles it sounds pretty miserable. Well not entirely. He was King after all and while the people were kept under marshal law he was not. He had 4 Queens including one British and one American. Through them he fathered 12 children. He also had a child out of wedlock with American actress Susan Cabot. He flew fighter planes, rode Harley Davidsons through the desert and even collected stamps. He maintained enough of a relationship with all sides in the middle east that he was the go to for any peace talks. These efforts were perhaps his second greatest legacy, after surviving 36 years in power. His son Abdullah, by the second English Queen Antionette(titled Nuna) has now himself ruled 19 years and counting. Maybe pan Arabism under Hashemites would not have been so bad, unless you are the exile under marshal law.
Well my drink is empty and I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.