Birendra of Nepal

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Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
King of Nepal -
Reign	31 January 1972 - 1 June 2001
Born	December 28, 1945
Died	1 June 2001
Predecessor	Mahendra of Nepal
Successor	Dipendra of Nepal
Consort	Aiswarya
Royal House	Shah dynasty
Royal anthem	Shrimann Ghambir
Father	Mahendra of Nepal

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, King of Nepal (विरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव) (December 28, 1945 – June 1, 2001) was king of Nepal from 1972 until 2001, and the son of King Mahendra, whom he succeeded. He was made a British Field Marshal in 1980.

[edit] Early life

Educated at premier institutes in Europe, Asia, and America, including the elite Eton College and Harvard University, he travelled a great deal before ascending the throne.

[edit] Reign

Birendra was more open to parliamentary democracy than his father, and granted a democratic government after a people's movement in 1990. However, the quarrels between various political parties and numerous social problems caused a Maoist rebellion called the Nepalese People's War, which has been escalating since 1996.

[edit] Death

Nepal's stability was threatened even more when he and most of his family (including Queen Aiswarya) were massacred at a royal dinner on 1 June 2001. His eldest son and heir, Dipendra, was apparently the gunman, but he himself died a few days later of gunshot wounds suffered during the massacre. Birendra's brother, Gyanendra, then became king.