Britain Promised Faisal a Kingdom — Then Carved It Up | THE KING BRITAIN MADE Part 1 of 3

History Onion · Part 1 The Promise · 2:35

In 1918, a Hashemite prince named Faisal rode into Damascus believing he had won an independent Arab kingdom — the reward Britain promised for the revolt he led against the Ottomans. He didn't yet know that, two years earlier, Britain and France had secretly drawn the lines that would take it all away. Three wartime promises — to the Arabs, to France, and to the Zionist movement — over the same land, and they could not all be kept. Part 1 of 3. Follow for Part 2 — The Kingdom That Lasted a Season. A note on names: the Arabic is Fayṣal ibn Ḥusayn (فيصل بن الحسين). We use the familiar English spelling "Faisal" so the story reaches more people — with full respect for the original form. Some scenes are cinematic reconstructions of documented events. All quotes, dates, and sources are historically verified.