Mahendra of Nepal

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Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev (महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाहदेव), King of Nepal (June 11, 1920 - January 31, 1972) was king of Nepal from 1955 to 1972. He was also made a British Field Marshal in 1960. He succeeded his father, Tribhuvan, who had, after years as a puppet of the Rana family, finally managed to break their more than 100-year hegemony over the country. Unlike his father, however, Mahendra was not a supporter of parliamentary democracy, and he banned opposition parties in the 1960s. After his sudden death, he was succeeded by his son Birendra.

A younger son, Gyanendra, was king as a small child from 1950 to 1951 when Tribhuvan, Mahendra and Birendra had fled the country to escape from the Rana family. After 50 years, Gyanendra reassumed the throne when his brother King Birendra was killed in 2001.

[edit] See also

• History of Nepal

Preceded by Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah	Crown Prince of Nepal 1920–1950	Succeeded by Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah
Preceded by Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah	Crown Prince of Nepal 1951–1955	Succeeded by Birendra Bir Bikram Shah
Preceded by Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah	King of Nepal 1955–1972

1. ^  Possibly no heir for the time period of 1911 through 1920. Previous Crown Prince: Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah, from 1906 to 1911.