House of Saud

The House of Saud is like a super important royal family that has been in charge of a country called Saudi Arabia for a very long time. They are like the main characters in the story of Saudi Arabia! They are descendants of a man named Muhammad bin Saud, who started a kingdom a long, long time ago.

Today, the family is led by the descendants of his grandson, Ibn Saud. They are a very big family, with about 15,000 people in total, but a smaller group of about 2,000 people hold most of the power and money. It's like a big school with a few students who are the class leaders!

The story of the House of Saud started way back in the year 1446. That's even before your grandparents' grandparents were born! Over hundreds of years, their family grew and their kingdom changed.

They had different periods, like a time when they built a big state called the Emirate of Diriyah, and another time when they had to deal with lots of arguments within the family. Then, in 1902, a leader named Ibn Saud started to bring everything back together, and eventually, in 1932, the country we know as Saudi Arabia was formed. It's like building with LEGOs, sometimes you have to take it apart and build it even better!

Get ready for a WOW fact! The House of Saud is considered the wealthiest family in the entire world, and maybe even in all of history! Their riches are so huge, they are estimated to be worth about $1.4 trillion.

That's a number with 12 zeros! This is partly because they have a lot of oil, which is like black gold that people use for cars and electricity. They are so powerful that the King of Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarch, which means he has the final say on almost everything.

It's like being the captain of a huge ship!

The leaders of the House of Saud used to pass down their power from father to son. But now, it's a little different! After the first king, Ibn Saud, his sons took turns being king.

Now, a special group of princes gets to choose who will be the next king. This is to make sure the family works together. The current king, King Salman, has even changed who his main helper, the Crown Prince, is.

It's like a team deciding who gets to be the team captain next, making sure the best person is chosen!