King of Nepal

History

The Kingdom of Nepal was founded on 25 September 1768 by Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha king who succeeded in unifying the kingdoms of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur into a single state under his Shah dynasty. The Kingdom of Nepal was de jure an absolute monarchy for most of its history. However, from 1846 until the 1951 revolution, the country was de facto ruled by the hereditary prime ministers from the Rana dynasty, reducing the role of the Shah monarch to that of a figurehead. In November 1990, after the Jana Andolan movement, a new constitution was adopted and the country became a constitutional monarchy.

Nepalese Civil War

On 13 February 1996, the Nepalese Civil War was launched by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), with the aim of overthrowing the kingdom and establishing a "people's republic".

Nepalese royal massacre

Main article: Nepalese royal massacre

On 1 June 2001, nine members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, were killed in a mass shooting at the royal residence. Crown Prince Dipendra was implicated in an official investigation. There is a huge controversy concerning this, as there was no practical investigation on that which proves his involvement. Many Nepali people believe that there might be many other people involved in the massacre. Immediately after the massacre, Dipendra was proclaimed king while in a coma, but he died on 4 June 2001, after a three-day reign. His uncle, Prince Gyanendra, was appointed regent for the three days, then ascended the throne himself after Dipendra died.

Post-massacre

On 1 February 2005, as the security situation deteriorated in the civil war, King Gyanendra staged a coup d'état, declared a state of emergency, suspended the constitution and assumed direct control over the country. On 24 April 2006, after the Loktantra Andolan movement, the king agreed to give up absolute power and to reinstate the dissolved House of Representatives. On 21 November 2006, the civil war was ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord. On 15 January 2007, the King was suspended from exercising his duties by the newly formed interim legislature. Finally, on 28 May 2008, the kingdom was officially abolished by the 1st Constituent Assembly and the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was declared. The subnational monarchies in Mustang, Bajhang, Salyan, and Jajarkot were also abolished in October 2008.

Royal standard and crown

File:Royal standard of Nepal (circa 1928).svg|Royal Standard of Nepal () File:Royal standard of Nepal (circa 1969).svg|Royal Standard of Nepal () File:Royal standard of Nepal.svg|Royal Standard of Nepal () File:Crown of Kingdom of Nepal "श्रीपेच".jpg|Royal Crown of Nepal, Shripech

References

References

1. (28 May 2008). "Nepal votes to abolish monarchy".
2. "Abolishment of subnational monarchies".
3. (15 August 2013). "Why Nepal's Crown Prince Went on a Killing Spree | Public Radio International".
4. (2 June 2001). "Nepal mourns slain king". BBC News.
5. Staff writer. (2005-02-01). "Nepal's king declares emergency". BBC News.
6. Sengupta, Somini. (25 April 2006). "In a Retreat, Nepal's King Says He Will Reinstate Parliament". The New York Times.
7. (24 April 2006). "Full text: King Gyanendra's speech". BBC.
8. (21 November 2006). "Peace deal ends Nepal's civil war". BBC News.
9. (28 May 2008). "Nepal votes to abolish monarchy".
10. "Abolishment of subnational monarchies".