The social and political activities of Captain William Henry İrvine Shakespear in the Middle East

Shakespear, who was born in Mumbai as a son of a wealthy family on 29 October 1878, for his education got back to his homeland, England and then, as an advanced soldier, turned to those lands where he was born. Shakespear, who got momentum in a short time in India, took charge of various duties against plague and cholera. Shakespeare, who was successful there in the military, was commissioned to go Bender Abbas as a Deputy Police Chief of High Commissar Percy Cox and Political Resident of Persian Gulf. Especially under the title of British Political Representator of Bender Abbas, he took part in both foundation of the Telegraph Office and the formation process of telegraph lines. These shining successes led him to be the representative of Kuwait. Shakespeare, who found himself in an ambiance full of tribal infightings, got used to living in Kuwait in a short time. Here, thanks to his friendship with Sheikh Mubaraq, he had a chance to know Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. Shakespear, who had contact with Saud, for a future Arabic State, saw Suud as a proper leader. Controlling the tribal leaders in the Arabian Peninsula, where there was no clear domination, was a great advantage for those who wanted to rule the region. When the Ottomans State declared Jihad, Shakespear, who was with Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, got involved in the situation in an indirect way. Shakespear, by being commissioned by Percy Cox, performed the first official contacts with Saud, who was the political representative of Whabbism. On 24th January 1915, when ongoing infightings between Suud and Rashidi Tribe, which was a supporter of the Ottoman State in the North part of Arabia, intensified; the Battle of Jarrab outbroke, and Shakespeare died there. This study was carried out upon Shakespear's social and political activities in India, Iran and Arabian Peninsula.