Kingdom of Nepal
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| Mahārājdhirāja of Nepal | ||
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| [[Image:|150px]] Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Nepal |
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| Gyanendra, the last King of Nepal | ||
| First monarch | Mahārājdhirāja Prithvi Narayan Shah | |
| Last monarch | Mahārājdhirāja Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev | |
| Style | His Royal Highness the Mahārājdhirāja of Nepal | |
| Official Residence | Narayanhity Royal Palace, Kathmandu, Nepal | |
| Monarchy started | September 25, 1768 | |
| Monarchy ended | May 28, 2008 | |
The Kingdom of Nepal was a monarchy in South Asia, established in 1768 under Prithvi Narayan Shah and the predecessor state of the 2008 Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.
The King of Nepal was traditionally known as the Mahārājādhirāja (श्री 5 महाराजधिराज); his queen was known as the Badāmahārānī (श्री ५ बडामहारानी). The monarchy was founded in 1768 and was abolished on 28 May 2008 by the Nepalese Constituent Assembly. [1] The subnational monarchies in Mustang, Bajhang, Salyan, and Jajarkot were also abolished in October. [2]
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[edit] Shah dynasty (1768–1846)
| Shah dynasty | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Kaski, Gorkha, Nepal | ||
| Titles | Prince of Kaski, King of Gorkha, King of Nepal | ||
| Founder | Yashobramha Shah | ||
| Final ruler | Gyanendra of Nepal | ||
| Current head | Gyanendra of Nepal | ||
| Founding year | 16th century | ||
| Deposition | 28 May 2008 | ||
The Shah dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Nepal.
The former royal family of Nepal claims descent from the Sisodia dynasty of Chittor, later ruling at Udaipur[3]. Ajaya Simha claims himself as Prince of Nayakot, Lambjang, Kaski, and Tanhun in ca. 1495. Later on, historians of Bahun ethnicity claimed his descent from the Sisodia dynasty of Chittor. His successor, Jagdeva, conquered the principality of Kaski and was awarded the title of Shah from the Emperor of India during the sixteenth century.
Drabya Shah, great-grandson of Jagdeva, conquered Gorkha, establishing himself as the founder of the fortunes of the dynasty. His descendant, Prithvi Narayan, entered the Kathmandu valley and defeated the Malla dynasty, becoming King in 1768. His successors conquered all the remaining petty principalities and unified the kingdom.[4]
[edit] Origin
In the sixteenth century Yashobramha Shah gained the ruling title over the principality of Kaski.
The rulers of neighboring Kingdom of Gorkha were Magar people. They had a tradition of choosing a ruler every fall by way of a running match open to everyone. Whoever won the race was to become the ruler for a year.
However, when Dravya Shah tricked his way to the win and eventually gotten away with the tradition of choosing a ruler every fall. He ruled with an iron fist and executed anyone who suggested the reinstatement of the very tradition of choosing a ruler by which he himself became a ruler[citation needed].
Dravya Shah himself was not a physically robust man. He, however, had the backing of the Bhattarai, Aryal, Adhikari and Acharya clans of Bahun to propel him to the throne by defeating Magar aspirants to the throne by trickery and cheating instead of pure physical perfection as was the norm. Once he became the king, however, he discontinued the race that was essential among the Magar to anoint the ruler for the next year. By the time of his death in 1570, Dravya Shah had managed to erase the memory of the tradition of choosing the ruler by way of running a match open to everyone. He was a shrewd politician, and with the backing of the above mentioned clan of Bahun, he additionally sought the help of the Pant clan of Bahun. He was a totalitarian king who ruled with an iron fist to silence any dissent. He used the power and might of the multi-ethnic army to increase the size of the kingdom to include some of the neighbouring states. His successors continued to increase the kingdom's territory.
[edit] Unification of Nepal
In 1743 Prithvi Narayan Shah succeeded to the throne of Gorkha and set out for the unification of Nepal. By September 1768, he became the King of Nepal.
In 1815 the Gurkha War broke out between Nepal and the British East India Company. By the end of the war in 1816 Nepal had lost one third of its territory.
During the mid-19th century the Shah dynasty lost control of Nepal to the Rana dynasty, who reduced the King of Nepal to a figurehead while they ruled the country through hereditary government positions.
[edit] Rana dynasty
The Rana dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1953, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and other government positions hereditary. It is descended from one Bal Narsingh Kunwar (Ranaji) of Kaski, who moved to Gorkha in the early 18th century and entered the service of Raja Nara Bhupal Shah around 1740. Originally, the Rana dynasty originated from the Royal family of Udaipur in India, also known as Mewar.
Jang Bahadur was the first ruler from this dynasty. His original family name was Rana but in Nepal people mistook his Rajput title of Kunwar for his family name, Kunwar is a title denoting royal lineage used by Rajput princes in northern India. Rana rulers were titled "Shri Teen" and "Maharaja", whereas Shah kings were "Shri Panch" and "Maharajdiraj". Both the Rana dynasty and Shah dynasty are Chandravanshi/Rajput caste in the Hindu tradition, in contrast with the native Himalayan culture which is largely Buddhist and Bön.
Jung Bahadur was the grandson of the famous Nepalese hero and Prime minister Bhimsen Thapa. Originally Jung Bahadur and his brother Ranodip Singh brought a lot of upliftment and modernisation to Nepalese society, the abolishment of slavery, upliftment of the untouchable class, public access to education etc. but these dreams were short lived when in the coup d'état of 1885 the nephews of Jung Bahadur and Ranodip Singh (the Shumshers J.B., S.J.B. or Satra (17) Family) murdered Ranodip Singh and the sons of Jung Bahadur, stole the name of Jung Bahadur and took control of Nepal.[10][11] This Shumsher Rana rule is regarded by some as one of the reasons for Nepal lagging behind in modern development. The children of Jung Bahadur and Ranodip Singh mainly lived outside of Kathmandu, in Nepal and mainly in India after escaping the coup d'état of 1885.[12]
After the murder of Sri Teen Maharaja Ranodip Singh, the Shamshers occupied the hereditary throne of Prime Minister and added "Jung Bahadur" to their name, although they were descended from Jung's younger brother Dhir Shumsher. This was done after Sri Teen Maharaja Chandra Shumsher realised the British gave more weight and importance to the "Jang Bahadur" name.
Crown Prince General Dhoj Narsingh Rana, adopted son of Sri Teen Maharaja Ranodip Singh (His biological father was Badri Narsingh Rana) had to go into exile with his family to India along with many of Jung Bahadur's surviving descendants. Many of Crown Prince General Dhoj Narsingh's children and family remained with Sri Teen Ranodip Singh's widow in Benares and were then relocated later relocated to Udaipur upon the invitation by Maharana Fateh Singh, who sought to give refuge to his Rana cousins. The British government did not help any of the exiled princes whose fathers had saved the British and their Empire in 1857.
The shortest serving Rana was Deva Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana who ruled for two months in 1901, he was deposed by his brothers because of his open display of guilt for what has happened during the coup. Known as "The Reformist" for his progressive policies, he proclaimed universal education, began to building schools, took steps to abolish slavery, and introduced several other social welfare schemes[citation needed]. He also made improvements to the arsenal at Nakkhu (south of Kathmandu) and started The Gorkhapatra newspaper. Dev Shumsher felt guilty for what had transpired during the coup, also a key incident happened during the coup which affected him deeply. He was held at gunpoint by General Dhoj Narsingh Rana, but was allowed to live and forgiven. For this he felt a lot of guilt and asked for the exiled fmaily members to return to Nepal. This brought him in clash with his immediate brothers. He was deposed by his relatives, where he settled in Jhari Pani, near Mussoorie, where his Fairlawn Palace once stood. A developer purchased the palace and tore it down, replacing it with cottages. All that remains are a few of the original gates and a small portion of the palace skeleton.
Under the British Raj, the Ranas were acclaimed and given much prestige and a 19-gun salute; all with the exception of Deva Shamsher received knighthoods.
The Rana dynasty developed into a powerful family clan and are still very influential in the country today. The family formed a close alliance with the Shah dynasty via marriage and business alliances.
[edit] Rana Prime Ministers
Nine Rana rulers took the hereditary office of Prime Minister. All were styled Maharaja of Lamjung and Kaski.
- Maharaja Sir Jang Bahadur, GCB, GCSI (18 June 1816–25 February 1877)
- Ruled 1846 to 25 February 1877. Received the hereditary rights to the title of Rana and a salute of 19 guns from the British.
- Maharaja Sir Renaudip Singh aka Ranodip Singh Rana, KCSI (3 April 1825–22 November 1885
- Ruled 25 February 1877 to 22 November 1885.
- Maharaja Sir Bir Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI (10 December 1852–5 March 1901)
- Ruled 22 November 1885 to 5 March 1901.
- Maharaja Deva Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana (17 July 1862–20 February 1914)
- Maharaja Sir Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO, Kaiser-i-Hind (8 July 1863–26 November 1929)
- Ruled 27 June 1901 to 26 November 1929.
- Maharaja Sir Bhim Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI, GCMG, KCVO (16 April 1865–1 September 1932)
- Ruled 26 November 1929 to 1 September 1932.
- Maharaja Sir Juddha Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCIE (19 April 1875–20 November 1952)
- Ruled 1 September 1932 to 29 November 1945, whereupon he abdicated in favor of his nephew.
- Maharaja Sir Padma Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCSI, GBE, KCIE (5 December 1882–11 April 1961)
- Ruled 20 November 1945 to 30 April 1948, whereupon he abdicated in favor of his cousin.
- Maharaja Sir Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCIE, GBE (23 December 1885–6 January 1967)
[edit] Shah dynasty (1951-2008)
It wasn't until 1951 that the Shah dynasty regained control with the resignation of Mohan Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, the last Rana prime minister.
[edit] Constitutional monarchy (1990–2008)
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In 1990 King Birendra turned Nepal into a constitutional monarchy. On June 1, 2001, a number of members of the Shah dynasty were murdered by Crown Prince Dipendra. Among the dead were the Crown Prince's father King Birendra and his brother Prince Nirajan. Following the death of Birendra, the comatose Dipendra was declared king but only reigned for a few days until his eventual death, at which point his uncle Prince Gyanendra succeeded him. In February 2005 King Gyanendra dismissed Parliament and took over control of the government.
Birendra believed in the consensus between the absolute power of the monarchy and open democratic governance. However, his brother Gyanendra of Nepal and his wife consort Aishwarya of Nepal staunchly opposed this view.
The Nepalese Constituent Assembly came to fruition on December 24, 2007 when it was announced that the monarchy would be abolished in 2008 after the Constituent Assembly elections;[5] and on May 28, 2008, Nepal was declared a Federal Democratic Republic and the dynasty was removed from power.
[edit] List of Kings of Nepal (1768-2008)
[edit] Shah dynasty
- Prithvi Narayan Shah (25 September 1768 - 11 January 1775) (ruler of Gorkha from 1743)
- Pratap Singh Shah (11 January 1775 - 17 November 1777)
- Rana Bahadur Shah (17 November 1777 - 23 March 1799) (abdicated)
- Girvan Yudha Bikram Shah (23 March 1799 - 20 November 1816)
- Rajendra Bikram Shah (20 November 1816 - 12 May 1847) (abdicated)
- Surendra Bikram Shah (12 May 1847 - 17 May 1881)
- Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah (17 May 1881 - 11 December 1911)
- Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah (1st reign) (11 December 1911 - 7 November 1950) (in exile in India from 7 November 1950 until 7 January 1951)
- Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (1st reign) (7 November 1950 - 7 January 1951)
- Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah (2nd reign) (7 January 1951 - 13 March 1955)
- Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah (14 March 1955 - 31 January 1972)
- Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (31 January 1972 - 1 June 2001) (assassinated in the Nepalese royal massacre)
- Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (1 June 2001 - 4 June 2001) (three days, incapacitated)
- Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (2nd reign) (4 June 2001 - 28 May 2008) (deposed, suspended from 15 January 2007)
Prithvi Narayan Shah was the first ruler of "unified" Nepal. However, prior to 1768, the modern-day Nepal consisted of various small kingdoms, among which Shah Kings continued to rule in a few of them (notably in Gorkha). So the actual history of the Shah dynasty dates much before Prithvi Narayan Shah. [6]
[edit] See also
- History of Nepal
- Line of succession to the Nepalese Throne
- Nepalese royal massacre
- Kingdom of Mustang
[edit] References
- ^ Nepal votes to abolish monarchy
- ^ Abolishment of subnational monarchies
- ^ http://www.mewarindia.com/ency/41.html A chronology of Mewar's 76 Rulers and their times
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20070601154619/http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Nepal/nepal.htm The Royal House of Nepal
- ^ "Nepalese monarchy to be abolished". BBC. 2007-12-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7158670.stm. Retrieved on 2007-12-25.
- ^ url = http://www.infoclub.com.np/nepal/history
[edit] External links
- Royal Court of Nepal
- Nepal at Royal Ark
- Royal Court of Nepal
- The Royal House of Nepal
- Massacre at the Palace; the doomed royal dynasty of Nepal, Gregson, Jonathan, 2002
- Lambjang and Kaski - Brief History at Royalark.
