The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Saud
(Ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud) (´bn abdäl äzz´ ´bn säd´) (KEY) , 190269, king of Saudi Arabia (195364), son of Ibn Saud, brother of Faisal. Saud, who had distinguished himself in several of his fathers early campaigns, became viceroy of Nejd in 1926 and heir apparent in 1933. In 1953 he became foreign minister and minister of defense, and the same year, following his fathers death, he assumed the throne. A poor administrator, Saud nearly bankrupted his country by his fiscal mismanagement and lavish personal spending. He surrendered some of his powers in 1958 to his brother Faisal, with whom he had disagreed over policy matters. In 1960, Saud reasserted his royal prerogatives but was formally deposed and replaced by his brother four years later. He died in exile in Athens.