kingdom · Arabia and the Gulf
Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen
Origins
Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid al-Din had led the Zaydi resistance against the Yemen Vilayet and gained autonomy in 1911. When the Ottoman garrisons left after the First World War in 1918, he entered Sanaa as ruler of an independent state, taking the title al-Mutawakkil.
Rule and society
The imams ruled as religious and political heads, with power concentrated in the family and in hostages taken from the tribes to guarantee loyalty. Yahya kept Yemen isolated, built a small army and claimed the British Aden Protectorate. A war with Saudi Arabia in 1934 lost Asir, Jizan and Najran under the Treaty of Ta'if. Yahya was assassinated in 1948, and his son Ahmad ruled from Ta'izz.
Decline and legacy
Ahmad died in September 1962. A week later army officers led by Abdullah al-Sallal overthrew his son Muhammad al-Badr and proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic. Royalists backed by Saudi Arabia fought republicans backed by Egypt until a settlement in 1970.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mutawakkilite-kingdom-of-yemen
- MLA
- “Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mutawakkilite-kingdom-of-yemen. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mutawakkilite-kingdom-of-yemen.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/mutawakkilite-kingdom-of-yemen (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻