ABSTRACT
ESTABLISHINGTHEPREREQUISITESFORFUNDAMENTAL CHANGE:CONSOLIDATIONOFALKHALIFARULEAND CREATIONOFASTABLEORDERINBAHRAIN,1783-1875 Between1783and1875Bahrainevolvedfromalocalesubjectto chronicupheavaltoonecharacterizedbyconsiderableorderand internalstability.Fiveinter-relatedprocessesproducedthischange. First,between1783and1828,theancientpatternwherebythe archipelagowasperiodicallyand,insomeperiods,moreorless continuallysubjectedtoattack,invasion,andoccupationby succeedinggroupsofclaimants,graduallyfadedastheAlKhalifahold overtheislandswasessentiallyestablished.Second,between1828 and1869,Bahrainenduredaperiodofsevereanddamaginginternal strifecausedbyrivalryamongleadingAlKhalifashaikhs.Violence wasparticularlyintensefrom1834to1846andfrom1867to1869. Theperiodconcluded,however,withtheSalmanbranchoftheAl Khalifa,representedbyShaikhIsaibn'Ali,informcontrolofa basicallypacifiedBahrainin1869.Third,between1861and1975, Bahrain'srulers,reluctantlysubmittingtoBritishpressure,ceasedto activelyasserttheirerstwhilesupremacyoverlargepartsofthe ArabianmainlandinQatarandreconciledthemselvestoadministeringarealmrestrictedtoBahrainanditsislanddependencies.Fourth, aftertheirinitialcontactswithBahrainin1814untiltheirdecisionin 1875todisallowAlKhalifaclaimstosovereigntyoveranypartof Qatar,theBritishplayedanexpandingroleintransformingan environmentofviolenceandfluxintooneofenforcedstability.By 1875BahrainwasoneofseveralsmalleasternArabianstateswhose separateexistencewasprotectedandregulatedbya'PaxBrittanica' establishedovertheGulfFifth,throughouttheyearsbetween1783 and1875adistinctivesocioeconomicorderemergedonBahrain. Originallybasedonfeudalprinciples,thisensuredAlKhalifacontrol ofmajoreconomicresources,reinforcedtheprevailingtendency towardabifurcatedsociety,butalsoencouragedcommercialand maritimeenterprise.Together,thesefivemovementsproducedthe prerequisitesforthemorefundamentalchangesexperiencedby Bahrainsincethelatenineteenthcentury. 12
WhenBahrainwasannexedbyAlKhalifain1783theirregime
remainedcenteredatZubarahinQatarandtherulingshaikh,Ahmad ibnKhalifa(ruler1782-1796),residedthereuntilhisdeathin 1796. 13ShaikhAhmad'ssons,Salmanand'Abdallah,sharedthe administrationofthenewAlKhalifapossessionontheirfather's behalf.
