Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (1781–1866) was the Sheikh of the Qawasim and ruler variously of the towns of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, Jazirah Al Hamra and Rams, all Trucial States in their time and now part of the United Arab Emirates. Briefly a dependent of the first Saudi Kingdom, his rule over Ras Al Khaimah ran from 1803–1809, when he was deposed by order of the Saudi Amir and restored in 1820, going on to rule until his death in 1866 at the age of 85. He was Ruler of Sharjah from 1814–1866, with a brief disruption to that rule in 1840 by his elder son Saqr. He was a signatory to various treaties with the British, starting with the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 and culminating in the Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853. Rule A characteristic of Sultan's rule is that he placed relatives as walis or headmen of the emirates under his rule and so Ras Al Khaimah was effectively ruled by Mohammed bin Saqr, Sultan's brother, from 1823 until his death in 1845, while another brother, Salih bin Saqr, ruled Sharjah until 1838, when he was replaced with Sultan's son, Saqr. In 1840, however, Saqr declared independence from his father and reduced the tax on pearl divers to bolster his support in the town. Sultan eventually agreed to accept tribute from Sharjah in return for allowing Saqr to rule, but in December that year, Salih bin Saqr and a group loyal to him surprised Saqr bin Sultan in his sleep and took him prisoner. Escaping, he was allowed to resume his position in Sharjah by his father until 1846, when he was killed in a fight with Umm Al Quwain. He was replaced by Abdullah bin Sultan who was, however, killed in fighting with Hamriyah in 1855. With the death of Abdullah, Sultan placed his grandson, Muhammed bin Saqr, as wali of Sharjah. However, Khalid bin Sultan, a son of Sultan's, disputed his rule and in 1859, Sharjah was divided between the two. Sultan was by now in his dotage and took no active role in the conflict over Sharjah, which was eventually settled when Khalid shot Mohammed and threw his body into a well in the desert in late 1860. Accession Sultan bin Saqr became Sheikh of the Qawasim at a time when the tribe was at war with the Sultan of Muscat,