Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; 1748 – 27 April 1814) ruled the First Saudi State from 1803 to 1814. Saud annexed Mecca and Medina from the Ottoman Empire making him the first Al Saud ruler who received the title of the servant of the Two Holy Cities. He was the eldest son of Abdulaziz bin Muhammad. The mother of Saud was a daughter of Uthman bin Mu'ammar, ruler of Uyaina.
Saud's succession was decided and announced in 1787. Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, religious leader of the state, asked people to express their allegiance to him as heir apparent. It was Abdul Wahhab's last significant function in affairs of state. Saud led the forces of the Emirate in 1789 and conquered Al Hasa region defeating the army of the Bani Khalid Emirate who had been the ruler of the region. Although the rule of Bani Khalid Emir, Abdul Muhsin bin Abdullah Al Hamid, was ended by them, the Emirate could not completely capture the eastern Arabia. In addition, they stole valuable materials in the tomb and killed the inhabitants of the city.
Reign
The reign of Saud bin Abdulaziz began in 1803. Upon his accession to the throne he held the titles of both Emir and Imam like his father.
Saud's reign was a period of religious cleansing in Arabia and in nearby regions. He continued to attack on shrines in Iraq, and Basra was blockaded by his forces for twelve days. and Mecca in 1806. In addition to capturing Hijaz he managed to strengthen his authority there. Furthermore, Bahrain and Oman were annexed to the Emirate, and Saud exerted his influence in Yemen. Following the capture of Mecca he sent a letter to Ottoman Sultan Selim III, inviting him to follow the Wahhabi theology.
In 1807 Saud did not permit pilgrims from Egypt, Syria and Istanbul to enter Hijaz and expelled Turkish soldiers and settlers from Mecca. Such religious transformations did not sit well with other Muslims, and many other Muslims found his actions to be extreme, and were stunned that the holy cities had been taken so easily. The Ottoman Empire did not want to relent control over the cities to local tribesmen. The Ottomans could not retake the cities on their own though as the bulk of their forces were tied up in Europe. Muhammad Ali, the viceroy of Egypt, was assigned to recapture the Arabian territories in 1809. One of his sons, commanding the Egyptian troops, succeeded in re-conquering Hijaz in 1813. He was interested in the material side of rule. He died in Diriyya on 27 April 1814
Saud's other sons included Mishari, Turki, Nasser and Saad. His youngest son, Khalid, ruled the Emirate of Nejd or the Second Saudi State from 1838 to 1841 with the support of the Ottomans. Three of Saud's sons were killed in the siege of Diriyah by Ibrahim Pasha, who also arrested Saud's successor, Abdullah bin Saud. Mishari bin Saud returned to Diriyah in 1819 and attempted to establish his rule, but Mohammed bin Mishari bin Muammar who began to rule the region after the collapse of the Emirate imprisoned him.