Royal Title: | Mwami |
Realm: | Rwanda |
Coatofarms: | Royal coat of arms of Rwanda.png |
Coatofarmssize: | 100px |
Coatofarmscaption: | Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Rwanda |
Type: | Majesty |
His/Her: | His |
First Monarch: | Gihanga I |
Last Monarch: | Kigeli V Ndahindurwa |
Formation: | Unknown |
Abolition: | 28 January 1961 |
Residence: | Nyanza, Rwanda |
Appointer: | Royal Council of Abiru |
Pretender: | Prince Emmanuel Bushayija |
This article contains a list of kings of Rwanda. The Kingdom of Rwanda was ruled by sovereigns titled mwami (plural abami), and was one of the oldest and the most centralized kingdoms in the history of Central and East Africa.
Its state and affairs before King Gihanga I are largely unconfirmed and highly shrouded in mythical tales.
On 28 January 1961, in the coup of Gitarama during what was dubbed the Rwandan Revolution by the Belgian-favored Hutu extremist party Parmehutu, the Belgian colonial overseers abolished the monarchy and Rwanda became a republic (retroactively approved by a Hutu led referendum held on 25 September of the same year).[4] Afterwards, Kigeli V Ndahindurwa continued to maintain his claim to the throne until his death on 16 October 2016 in Washington, D.C. On 9 January 2017, the Royal Council of Abiru announced Prince Emmanuel Bushayija as the new heir to the throne. Prince Emmanuel adopted the regnal name Yuhi VI.[5]