Idrīs << ih DREES or EYE drihs >> I (1890-1983) became king of the newly independent nation of Libya in December 1951. He was overthrown by military officers led by Mu’ammar Muhammad al-Qadhāfī in September 1969. Idrīs was born Muhammad Idrīs al Mahdi al-Sanusi in what is now Al Jaghbub, Libya. He was the religious leader of his desert tribes, the Muslim Sanusi Order. This society supported independence, and opposed the Italian rule of Libya. In 1923, Idrīs fled from the Italians to Egypt. During World War II (1939-1945), he aided the United Kingdom in the North African campaigns. He returned to Libya in 1943. Following his removal from power, Idrīs lived in exile in Greece and Egypt until his death in Cairo on May 25, 1983.
