The Main Vectors of the Foreign Policy of Bani Khalid Emirate in the Second Half of the 17th - the First Half of the 18th Century

The topic of the current study is of exceptional relevance due to the rather poor knowledge of the life of Eastern Arabia in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the least studied issues in this field of study is the socio-political history of the Bani Khalid emirate, one of the most significant powers of the Arabian Peninsula during the mentioned period. The main purpose of the article is the reconstruction and primary analysis of the main directions of its foreign policy as well as the factors that influenced its formation. The core of the study consists of data from the Arabian chronicles of the 17th-19th centuries. Its systematization and comprehensive analysis showed that the determining factor in the formation of the foreign policy of the newly formed emirate was the weakening of Ottoman influence in the Persian Gulf, which led to the independence of the East Arabian province of Al-Hasa under the rule of the Khalidites. The absence of serious external threats, the large number of the ruling tribe, the wealth of the lands under its control, as well as the specifics of social life of the emirate allowed its rulers to begin active subjugation of one of the main trade routes of the peninsula, which ran through the southern regions of Central Arabia. New chronicle materials also enable division of this process into three main ones, which differ by the strategies of Bani Khalid leaders in achieving their goals. In general, this work is one of the few studies covering this topic that can also serve as a basis for further research on the history of the Arabian Peninsula.