Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah
King of Nepal from 1881 to 1911
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Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah (Nepali: श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज पृथ्वी वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 18 August 1875 – 11 December 1911) was King of Nepal from 1881 until his death. He succeeded his grandfather Surendra Bikram Shah while still a child, and his entire reign was dominated by the Rana prime ministers who held actual power.[1]
| Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah Dev पृथ्वी वीर विक्रम शाह देव | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| King of Nepal | |||||
| Reign | 17 May 1881 – 11 December 1911 | ||||
| Coronation | 1 December 1881[1] | ||||
| Predecessor | Surendra Bikram Shah | ||||
| Successor | Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah | ||||
| Prime ministers | |||||
| Born | 18 August 1875 Basantapur, Nepal | ||||
| Died | 11 December 1911 (aged 36) Kathmandu, Nepal | ||||
| Spouse | Raman Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah Divyeshwari Lakshmi Devi Shah Kirti Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah Durga Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah | ||||
| Issue | Princess Lakshmi Princess Rama Princess Tara King Tribhuvan Princess Suman | ||||
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| Dynasty | Shah | ||||
| Father | Crown Prince Trailokya | ||||
| Mother | Lalit Rajeshwori Rajya Lakshmi Devi | ||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||
Early life
Prithvi was born on 18 August 1875 at the Hanuman Dhoka Palace in Kathmandu. He was the son of Crown Prince Trailokya Bir Bikram Shah Deva and his wife Lalit Rajeshwori Rajya Lakshmi Devi, a daughter of Jung Bahadur Rana.[2] Trailokya died unexpectedly in 1878, making the young Prithvi heir apparent to his grandfather King Surendra. When Surendra died on 17 May 1881, Prithvi was proclaimed king at the age of five; his formal coronation took place on 1 December of the same year.[1][3]
Reign
Because Prithvi was a minor, and even after he reached adulthood, the government of Nepal remained entirely in the hands of the hereditary Rana prime ministers. The four premiers who served during his reign—Ranodip Singh Kunwar, Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, Dev Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, and Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana—treated the king as a ceremonial figurehead.[3] Prithvi was confined to the Narayanhiti Palace and had no independent authority.
His younger brothers, who were his closest companions, were gradually exiled to palaces in Palpa, Birgunj and Dhankuta to prevent any attempt by the royal family to regain political influence. Under Chandra Shumsher, restrictions on the king’s movements and his contacts with his half‑brothers became even more severe.[4]
The reign saw a few symbolic modernisations. The first automobiles arrived in Nepal during Prithvi’s rule, and some modern water‑supply and sanitation systems were introduced in Kathmandu.[3] However, these projects were controlled by the Rana regime, not the crown.
Family
Prithvi married several wives, the most prominent being Divyeshwari Lakshmi Devi Shah, who was the mother of his successor, King Tribhuvan. His eldest child, Princess Lakshmi, was married to Field Marshal Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, a grandson of Jung Bahadur.[5] For a time, before the birth of his son Tribhuvan, Princess Lakshmi was treated as the heir apparent.[6] Tribhuvan was born on 30 June 1906, and he succeeded his father after Prithvi’s death.
Death
Prithvi died in Kathmandu on 11 December 1911, aged 36. The circumstances of his death have been described as suspicious, much like the untimely death of his father Trailokya.[2] His son Tribhuvan ascended the throne as an infant, beginning a reign that would see the end of the Rana autocracy.
Honours
Sovereign of the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu (from its foundation in 1896).[7]
Works cited
- Gregson, Jonathan (2002). Massacre at the Palace: The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal. Talk Miramax Books. ISBN 978-0786868780.
- Stiller, Ludwig F. (1976). The Silent Cry: The People of Nepal, 1816‑1839. Sahayogi Prakashan.
- Whelpton, John (2005). A History of Nepal. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-80470-7.