Tribhuvan of Nepal

King Tribhuhvan Bir Bikram Shah (त्रिभुवन वीर विक्रम शाह), King of Nepal (June 23, 1906 – March 13, 1955) was King of Nepal from 11 December 1911 until his death (Not considering his exile from 7 November 1950 to 18 February 1951). Born in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, he ascended to the throne at the age of five, upon the death of his father, King Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, and crowned on 20 February 1913 at the Nasal Chowk, Hanuman Dhoka Palace in Kathmandu, with his mother acting as regent. At the time, however, the position of monarch was mainly titular, with real power in the country residing in the powerful, conservative Rana family, which supplied the country with its hereditary prime minister.

Tensions between the royal family and the Ranas came to a head during World War I. The Ranas wanted to join the war in support of Britain, which controlled India to the south. The prime minister, HH Maharaja Sri Sri Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana always had his way with the young king, who eventually ordered the troops to go to war.

By the mid-1930s, popular discontent with the Ranas led to the establishment of several movements, notably the Praja Parishad, to which Tribhuvan himself gave explicit support, to overthrow the Ranas. In each instance, however, the Ranas responded harshly, banning the liberal movements and executing their leadership.

King Tribhuvan worked closely with Praja Parishad to abolish the Rana regime. In November 1950, Tribhuvan went into exile in India in an attempt to bring down the regime, which had ruled Nepal for 104 years. He was accompanied by his son Mahendra and the eldest grandson Birendra, among others. One of his grandsons Gyanendra was, however, left in Nepal. Ranas responded to Tribhuvan's move by making Gyanendra the king. This led to huge mass demonstrations in the country that compelled the last Rana prime minister Mohan Sumsher to come into negotiations with Tribhuvan and the Nepali Congress. On February 18, 1951, King Tribhuvan returned from India as a monarch. Three days after the return, Tribhuvan formally declared an end to Rana's family rule and established a democratic system, but Mohan Sumsher continued as a prime minister for a few more months.

King Tribhuvan died in 1955 in Zürich, Switzerland under mysterious circumstances. He was aged 48. He was succeeded by his eldest legitimate son Mahendra.

The international airport in Kathmandu, Tribhuvan International Airport, a city, Tribhuvannagar in Dang valley, and the country's largest university (Tribhuvan University) are named after him.

Honours

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Supreme Sun of the Kingdom of Afghanistan-1950
• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy-1954
• Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour of France-1954