Transjordan (1921-1949) was an emirate of the Middle East located in present-day Jordan. Ruled by the Hashemites, Transjordan was a protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1946 it became independent, and in 1949 it became Jordan.
History[]
On 21 March 1921, the Kingdom of Hedjaz's lands in Palestine were annexed into the United Kingdom as a part of the 1916 Sikes-Picot Agreement that carved the former Ottoman Empire into new "mandates" ruled by Britain and France. Transjordan, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen, and Kuwait were annexed into the British Empire while Syria and Lebanon were now parts of France's colonial empire. Transjordan's king was Abdullah I, but Britain appointed "representatives" to govern their mandates for them. Transjordan was officially an emirate that was merged with Palestine as one of the conglomerated areas in the mandate, but in reality, it was a province of the United Kingdom.
Transjordan was a vassal of the UK and Ma'an and Aqaba were annexed to Transjordan under Britain's rule. From 1922 to 1924 the Ikhwan Utaybah tribe of Nejd raided Transjordan with 4,500 camel raiders, but with 130 losses, the British and Transjordanians defeated the Nejdis and slew 500+ of them, while 1,500 civilians were killed by both sides. During World War II, Transjordan provided troops for the British in their campaigns in Lebanon-Syria against Vichy France and in Iraq against Iraqi rebels and Nazi Germany.
In 1946, Transjordan was elevated to kingdom following the end of the second world war that they had fought. On 25 May 1946 they were given full independence from the United Kingdom, and they became an independent monarchy still ruled by the Hashemites. Transjordan was one of the primary suppliers of troops during the Israeli War of Independence in the invasion of Israel by Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. "The Catastrophe" ended when the Arabs were defeated. However, on 31 January 1949 they were recognized as the United States and several other nations as "Jordan".