The Death of Captain Shakespear

Abstract

• A little known first-hand account, that the British Agents in Bahrain garnered by chance, sheds light on William Henry Irvine Shakespear’s death. Captain William Henry Irvine Shakespear is an enigmatic figure in the history of Anglo-Saudi relations. Although he was one of the youngest Political Agents to serve in the Gulf, he is more famed for his explorations and photography of the Arabian desert, as well as his close relationship with ‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Āl Sa’ūd (Ibn Sa’ūd). In particular, much legend and romanticism has developed surrounding his life and death at the Battle of Jarrāb.