List of Kings of Rwanda
Encyclopedia
This page contains a list of Kings (Mwami, plural Abami) of Rwanda
. Note that the only evidence for the existence of the earlier monarchs comes from oral history
sources. Their dates are very rough estimates.
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. Note that the only evidence for the existence of the earlier monarchs comes from oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
sources. Their dates are very rough estimates.
1st Dynasty
- Ndahiro I: c.1350 – c.1386
- Ndoba: c.1386 – c.1410
- Samembe: c.1410 – c.1434
- Nsoro: c.1434 – c.1458
- Ruganzu I: 1458 - 1482
- Cyirima I: 1482 - 1506
2nd Dynasty
- Kigeli I: 1506 - 1528
- Mibabwe I: 1528 - 1552
- Yuhi I: 1552 - 1576
- Ndahiro II: 1576 - 1600
3rd Dynasty
- Ruganzu II: 1600 - 1624
- Mutara I: 1624 - 1648
- Kigeli II: 1648 - 1672
- Mibambwe II: 1672 - 1696
- Yuhi II: 1696 - 1720
- Karemeera: 1720 - 1744
- Cyirima II: 1744 - 1768
- Kigeli III: 1768 - 1792
- Mibabwe III: 1792 - 1797
- Yuhi IIIYuhi III of RwandaYuhi III Gahindiro was the king of Rwanda from approximately 1797 to 1830, according to Rwandan tradition. It is not certain whether Yuhi III Gahindiro was a real or mythological person.-External links:*...
: 1797 - 1830 - Mutara II: 1830 - 1853
- Kigeli IVKigeli IV of RwandaKigeri IV was the ruler of the Kingdom of Rwanda from 1853 to 1895. He was a Tutsi with the birth name Rwabugiri. He established an army equipped with guns and prohibited most foreigners from entering his kingdom....
(Rwabugiri): 1853 - 1895 - Mibambwe IVMibambwe IV of RwandaMwami Mibambwe IV Rutarindwa was the King of Rwanda 1895-1896. He was the son and heir of Kigeli IV of Rwanda. He was assassinated in Rucunshu in November 1896 and was succeeded by his brother Yuhi IV....
: 1895 - November 1896 - Yuhi IVYuhi IV of RwandaYuhi Musinga , king of Rwanda, came to power in 1896 and collaborated with the German government to strengthen his own kingship. In 1931 he was deposed by the Belgian administration because of his inability to work with subordinate chiefs and his refusal to be baptized a Roman Catholic...
: November 1896 - November 12, 1931 - Mutara IIIMutara III of RwandaMutara III was the Mwami, or monarch of Rwanda between 1931 and 1959. As a member of the Tutsi people in Rwanda, stereotyped as tall, he stood a symbolic 6'8" tall...
: November 12, 1931 - July 25, 1959 - Kigeli V: July 25, 1959 - January 28, 1961 (In 1961, Rwanda became a republic, while Kigeli still maintains his claim to the throne)