Faisal bin Turki Al Saud (Arabic: فيصل بن تركي آل سعود, romanized: Fayṣal ibn Turkī Āl Suʿūd; 1785 – December 1865) was the second ruler of the Second Saudi State and seventh head of the House of Saud.
[1] He was one of the members of the Al Saud family who was taken to Cairo following the capture of Diriyah by Ibrahim Pasha, son of Muhammad Ali, in May 1819.
[3] Faisal was forced to flee the city and take refuge with the al Khorayef princes of the Bani Tamim tribes.
[3] In 1843, he was released in Cairo and returned to Riyadh following the total withdrawal of the remaining Egyptian troops from Najd in 1841.
[9] He easily defeated his third-cousin Abdullah bin Thunayan, who had revolted against the ineffective Khalid and taken control.
This centralized authority required financial resources, prompting Faisal to target Al-Ahsa, Qatif, and Saihat—key economic hubs.
[13] Faisal formally requested the support of the British Political Resident in Bushire through his representative in Trucial Oman in 1848.
Faisal bin Turki, having consolidated his power in central Arabia, sought to extend his influence to the Gulf coast, with the ultimate aim of controlling Bahrain and its lucrative pearl fisheries.
On 2 June, initial clashes resulted in unexpected setbacks for Faisal's forces near Al Bidda (modern Doha).
[16] British sources, notably dispatches from political resident Samuel Hennell, confirm the defeat of Wahhabi forces on June 2 and 4.
[18] Following British interference on the side of Bahrain in order to prevent the Ottoman Empire from gaining a stronghold in the Peninsula and the loss of his ally Mubarak in a major naval engagement near Qatif, Faisal was forced to reassess of his strategy.
Relinquishing his designs upon Bahrain, Faisal made a conciliatory overture on 20 July, 1851, proposing to dispatch his two brothers and son to parley with Ali bin Khalifa aboard his ship.
[20] Following unsuccessful attempts to gain authority in Al Qassim, Faisal appointed his younger brother Jiluwi governor to the region.
[14] Faisal's major income sources included zakat, import duties, pilgrim fees, one-fifth share from raids and warfare, fines, revenues from the ruler’s personal domains, and tributes paid by neighbouring countries such as Bahrain and Muscat.