The British intervention in the aftermath of the Al Khalifa family conflict in 1869 resulted in the immediate cessation of the Al ‘Abdullah's rule and the installation of ‘Isa bin ‘Ali. This unprecedented move was to make the British Government more involved in protecting the youthful new ruler, and in preventing another war. This chapter focuses on the internal and external arrangements that ‘Isa bin ‘Ali made, under British protection, to repair the ruling house and inhibit rulership rivalries. It illustrates the measures taken to deal with the Al ‘Abdullah and the sons of the deposed ruler, Muhammad bin Khalifa. The chapter also shows how ‘Isa bin ‘Ali would revive the joint rulership practice, and how he would fill the vacuum after the death of his brother and co-ruler Ahmad. In doing this it follows the origin of the present-day custom of hereditary primogeniture. Reaching a new understanding would cost Shaykh ‘Isa weighty concessions to members of his tribe, with whom he would, in effect, draw up a new social contract. Most of these costs would be on the account of the Baharna, the indigenous people of Bahrain, through a shared-leverage feudal system.

Rearrangements of the House of Al Khalifa

Shortly after the tragic termination of the 12-month rule of ‘Ali bin Khalifa (co-r. 1843–68; r. 1868–9) at the hands of his kinsmen, with the participation of his elder brother and former co-ruler, Muhammad, the British Political Resident, Colonel Lewis Pelly, boarded a battleship and blockaded Bahrain to halt the three-month rule of the vanquishers, the Al ‘Abdullah. To avoid a power vacuum and to prevent any possible local chaos or regional intervention, Colonel Pelly made instant decisive steps to maintain tranquillity in the Gulf and particularly to preserve the British Government's interests in Bahrain: as discussed in Chapter 4, he captured five of the tendentious ringleaders, including the self-appointed ruler, Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah, and his cousin Muhammad bin Khalifa. All the captives were deported to India where they were imprisoned540 in the Fort of Asirgarh and later at Chumar.