The “Queen” of Iraq

British history is filled with intrepid adventurers who took off to foreign climes in search of wealth, fame, and freedom from British conventions. While many of these adventurers did tend to look on “natives” with a more sympathetic eye than Brits at home, prejudice and British patriotism still played a large role in their actions. Gertrude Bell is one such famous British adventurer. While her role is unusual because she was a woman, her actions and sentiments are not really much different from her male counterparts. At least not so far as I can see.

Born in 1868 to a rich British steel magnate, her mother died when she was young. She was fairly rebellious and caused enough disquiet at home that her stepmother and Father decided to send her away to a women’s college when she was a teenager. Bored with the restricted life of a woman away from her family she immersed herself in school work and managed to get into Oxford. She was the first woman to graduate from Oxford with a distinguished History degree. Yet, unfortunately she was not very marriageable. Her family sent her abroad in hopes of teaching her some manners and getting her a husband. Well, she did meet someone in Persia, however, he was not rich enough for her family’s taste so she was not allowed to marry him. As time went on it became clear that Gertrude would probably never marry. So she threw herself into a project with some help from friends she had met while abroad. She went to Jerusalem to learn Arabic and travel into the wilds of the Arabian desert. She wanted to write books, discover and map ruins, and be respected for her work. She began to take family-funded expeditions into the desert, meeting the feared Druze, going to Syria, visiting archaeological digs, meeting Bedouin tribes, and making maps for the Geographical Society. At this time the Ottoman empire ruled the Middle East so she was always one step ahead of the authorities who did not want her traveling about the desert interacting with tribes prone to rebellion.

Once the first World War began she was recruited by the British government for their Middle Eastern intelligence department. She was sent to what is now Iraq, first in Bosrah during British occupation and then in Baghdad. She helped British authorities navigate the complex tribal and religiously fractured communities of Mesopotamia through her knowledge of the language and culture as well as contacts made during her earlier expeditions. The main British strategy during the war was to ally with Iraqi and Arab nationalists against the Turks. Once the area of Iraq was wrested from the Turks the main concern of Britain was keeping the area safe from outside Turks, Russians, and unstable Persia as well as exploring options for post-war Iraqi government. Although Gertrude was regularly scoffed at by fellow male officials, her expansive expertise meant she was an invaluable resource. She even played the “amusing game” of drawing the borders for the nation of Iraq and helped bring it’s first king, Faisal, to power. Certainly this headstrong lady can be a role model to young woman. She was multi-lingual, unafraid, and forceful in her opinions. However, she did not think highly of women. Perhaps this is because she was bitterly disappointed at remaining unmarried. In her letters she does seem to berate women for being dull and maybe this is a result of jealousy. She never really made female friends and generally disdained the Muslim women in the area. She was constantly surrounded by males. She even campaigned against Women’s suffrage—although this was normal for upper class women. In the end, she commit suicide with sleeping pills 3 days before her 58th birthday. Certainly an interesting and enigmatic woman who’s difficult to assess. A brilliant bastion of the British empire, a headstrong woman, and regret filled woman she certainly excelled in her profession. Yet, in the long run did she really help Iraq? I would say “no.”

Source: Wallach, Janet. “Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell, adventurer, adviser to Kings, ally to Lawrence of Arabia.”   New York : Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, 1996.