Bahrain and its Dependencies

Bahrain and its Dependencies البحرين وتوابعها al-Baḥrayn wa Tawābi‘hu
1783–1971
Left: Flag (1932–1971) Right: Flag (1820–1932)
Territory controlled by Bahrain in 1849
Status	Protectorate of the United Kingdom (1861–1971)
Capital	Muharraq (1783–1921) Manama (from 1921)
Common languages	Arabic
Religion	Islam
Government	Authoritarian absolute monarchy under a caretaker government
Hakim
• 1783–1796	Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Khalifa
• 1961–1971	Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Chief Political Resident
• 1861–1862	James Felix Jones
• 1970–1971	Geoffrey Arthur
Historical era	Early modern period / Cold War
• Established	23 July 1783
• British protectorate	31 May 1861[1]
• Qatari–Bahraini War	1867–1868
• Independence	15 August 1971
Population
• 1941[2]	89,970
• 1959[2]	143,135
• 1971[2]	216,078
Currency	British Indian rupee (19th century–1947) Indian rupee (1947–1959) Gulf rupee (1959–1965) Bahraini dinar (1965–1971)
ISO 3166 code	BH
Preceded by Succeeded by Zand dynasty State of Bahrain Qatar
Today part of	Bahrain Qatar

Part of a series on the
History of Bahrain
Ancient Bahrain Dilmun Tylos Awal
Historical region Islam in Bahrain Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami
Reigning Dynasties Qarmatians Uyunid dynasty Usfurid and Jarwanid dynasties Jabrid dynasty
Portuguese occupation Muqrin ibn Zamil Antonio Correia
Safavid hegemony 1717 Omani invasion of Bahrain
1783–1971 1783 Bani Utbah invasion of Bahrain Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship (1861) 1895 coup d'etat attempt Administrative reforms of the 1920s first oil well (1932) National Union Committee March 1965 Intifada Bahraini independence survey, 1970
State of Bahrain State Security Law era 1981 coup d'état attempt 1990s Uprising
Kingdom of Bahrain 2000s in Bahrain 2011 uprising
Bahrain portal
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The Bahrain and its Dependencies covers the history of Bahrain since the invasion of Al Khalifa until the independence from the British Empire.

Bahrain was a dependency of the Persian Empire when in 1783, the Bani Utbah tribe led by Al Khalifa invaded it from their base in Al Zubarah (British Protectorate of Qatar). The ruler of Al Khalifa was Ahmed bin Muhammad who became known as the conqueror. His successors faced many challenges over the next 75 years, yet they managed to keep Bahrain under their control. Externally, the island was under continuous threats from Oman and Wahhabis, both of which controlled it for short periods. Persians and Ottomans also made several claims over the country. In 1820 and later in 1861, Britain signed peace treaties with Bahrain and acknowledged Al Khalifa as its rulers.

In 1867, a war erupted between Bahrain and Qatar, leading to British intervention and independence of Qatar from Bahrain. The British appointed a new Al Khalifa ruler, Isa bin Ali. During Isa's reign (1869–1923), there were no external challenges to the country as Britain defended it. He and his family enjoyed absolute powers, ruling over people as subjects and controlling much of the country as feudal estates. The public revenue of the country, collected then mostly as taxes and rents was the ruler's private income. The ruler used a special militant group to execute his orders via physical coercion. The backbone of the economy was palm cultivation, fishing and pearl diving. Palm cultivation, which the Shia practiced, was tightly controlled by Al Khalifa. Control over pearl diving on the other hands was relaxed, as it was controlled by the Sunni tribes who kept a high level of autonomy and resisted intervention. The Shia power came from their jurists who had strong social power combined with large assets.

In the end of the nineteenth century, Britain placed Bahrain under its protection and by the end of the First World War tightened its grip on the island. Starting from 1919, successive British political agents began implementing reform plans. The reforms of the twenties as they became known were administrative in nature. The Shia supported them, while the Sunni tribes and parts of the ruling family opposed them. Many petitions and counter petitions were submitted to various British officials. The country was divided and violence erupted from the opposing faction. The British intervened and replaced the ruler with his elder son, Hamad bin Isa, who supported the reforms. The reforms included the pearl industry, private properties, judicial system, policing system and education. In 1932, oil was discovered, leading to significant economical and social changes in the island. Pearl industry and palm cultivation were soon wiped out due to oil growing industry.