Who Was T.E. Lawrence, A.K.A. Lawrence Of Arabia?

 

Thomas Edward Lawrence was born on 16 August 1888 in North Wales, the illegitimate son of Sir Thomas Chapman. At an early age, Lawrence showed an interest in history, culture and travel as he took himself to the English countryside on bikes to study various castles and churches. He attended Jesus College in Oxford to study history, but more important than his studies was his experience during his summer vacation in 1908, when he traveled all the way from France to Syria (then a part of the Ottoman Empire). Ride a bike. He got his first true taste of cultures other than his own and set his sights on a life of adventure and exploration.

After graduating in 1910, Lawrence spent some time working as an archaeologist in northern Syria, but soon, the British government had other plans for him. As the Great War broke out on Europe, they sent him to the strategically important Negev desert to survey the land, accurately predicting the future when France and England would prepare the region during and after the war. When war broke out in 1914, it shook the Lawrence family, as two of his brothers were killed in action just months from each other.

The following year, Lawrence took a position in the Arab Bureau of Intelligence, which he held in the same position with the Arab Rebellion in June 1916. Britain recognized and expected a unified Arab state, especially since it would weaken them. enemy, the Ottoman Empire, so he sent Lawrence to meet King Hussein and his sons. Lawrence was most influenced by Faisal i bin al-Hussein bin Ali al-Hashmi, and together, they planned to attack Aqaba in modern-day Jordan. Aqaba was considered impossible because of its geography and well-preserved Red Sea coastline, but Faisal had the great and notorious fighter Auda Abu Taih and his men, so he took the risk.

Lawrence and the soldiers traveled for two months by camel and sailed through the less-protected mountains before killing more than 300 Aqaba soldiers, with only two casualties. Lawrence himself was not much of a fighter, despite what Lawrence suggested in the post-Arabic film epic. Standing only five-feet-five-inches and with no military training, he was no threat at all compared to skilled swordsmen like Taeyeh. In fact, at the Battle of Aqaba, Lawrence accidentally shot and killed his own camel as his army advanced into battle and fell to the ground with a sigh. The stuff doesn't really make movies, but the fight was a huge success and Lawrence's reputation got a major boost both at home and abroad.

However, on November 20, 1917, when Lawrence was captured by Turkish operatives, things took a dark turn. According to his book Seven Pillars of Wisdom, he was tortured and sexually assaulted by guards, leaving him psychologically injured for years to come. Despite this, he continued to work diligently for Arabia after his release, as he hoped it would help them gain some political independence and preserve their culture rather than being subjugated or used as a pawn by European powers. will help to maintain. He also tried to help Faisal move to Damascus, but the Australians captured the city before he had a chance. Eventually, Lawrence's fears of capture came true when France occupied Syria, sparking the Franco-Syrian War, by which point Lawrence was a colonel in his homeland of England. Lawrence spent the rest of his life writing books and serving in various military occupations until 1935, when he died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 46.