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The Kingdom of Nepal was a Hindu kingdom in South Asia, formed in 1768 by the expansion of the Gorkha Kingdom, which lasted until 2008 when the kingdom became the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. It was also known as the Gorkha Empire, or sometimes Asal Hindustan. Founded by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, a Gorkha monarch who claimed to be of Thakuri origin from chaubisi, it existed for 240 years until the abolition of the Nepalese monarchy in 2008. During this period, Nepal was formally under the rule of the Shah dynasty, which exercised varying degrees of power during the kingdom's existence.
Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev, was the eighth King of Nepal. Born in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, he ascended to the throne at the age of five, upon the death of his father, Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah, and was crowned on 20 February 1913 at the Nasal Chowk, Hanuman Dhoka Palace in Kathmandu, with his mother acting as regent. At the time of his crowning, the position of monarch was largely ceremonial, with the real governing power residing with the Rana family.
The unification of Nepal was the process of building the modern Nepalese state, from fractured petty kingdoms including the Baise Rajya and the Chaubisi Rajya, which began in 1743 AD. The prominent figure in the unification campaign was Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Gorkha. On 25 September 1768, he officially announced the creation of the Kingdom of Nepal and moved his capital from Gorkha to the city of Kathmandu.
The Rana dynasty was a Chhetri dynasty that imposed authoritarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making the Prime Minister and other government positions held by the Ranas hereditary. The Rana dynasty is historically known for their iron-fisted rule in Nepal. This changed after the Revolution of 1951 with the promulgation of a new constitution, when power shifted back to the monarchy of King Tribhuvan.
Surendra Bikram Shah, , was the sixth King of Nepal. He became the king after Prime Minister Jung Bahadur Rana forced the abdication of his father, Rajendra Bikram Shah. Surendra was effectively reduced to a figurehead, with Rana being the de facto ruler of the country.
Pratap Singh Shah, King of Nepal, , was the second King of Nepal. He was the eldest son of Prithvi Narayan Shah, the king who started the unification of Nepal.
Rana Bahadur Shah, King of Nepal was the third King of Nepal, he succeeded to the throne after the death of his father, King Pratap Singh Shah. He ruled under the regencies of his mother, Queen Rajendra Rajya Lakshmi Devi, and then of his uncle, Bahadur Shah. During this time, the kingdom was expanded by conquest to include the Garhwal and Kumaon regions, now part of India. He imprisoned his uncle, Bahadur Shah, who died in jail.
Prince Bahadur Shah was the youngest son of King Prithvi Narayan Shah of modern Nepal. He became the regent of Nepal for a brief period after the death of his predecessor Queen Rajendra Laxmi and accelerated his father's campaign for the conquest of the small and scattered Hindu nations of the Himalayas into modern-day Nepal. Despite his many conquests, he also started the tradition of beheading fellow courtiers against his father's advice which would eventually lead to him meeting the same fate. This, along with the political turmoil created in Nepal after his death eventually led to the rise of Bhimsen Thapa and the Anglo-Nepal War.
Tripurasundari, also known as Lalit Tripura Sundari Devi, was a queen consort of Nepal by marriage to King Rana Bahadur Shah of Nepal. Widowed at a very young age and childless, she served as regent of the kingdom for a long period. She was regent for her stepson Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah in 1806–1819, and for her step-grandson Rajendra in 1819–1832. She was the first woman to publish literature in Nepal.
Rajya Lakshmi Devi was a queen consort of Nepal as the junior wife of King Rajendra of Nepal.
Vamsharaj Pande was a Nepalese politician, military officer and minister of state. He was a significant army commander of Kingdom of Nepal in the second half of the 18th century. He was a follower of Bahadur Shah of Nepal and had a significant rivalry with Swaroop Singh Karki.
The earliest coin minted in today's territory of Nepal was in Shakya Mahajanapada, along the India–Nepal border at around 500 BCE. Shakya coins were an example of a coin invented in the Indian subcontinent which continued to be used in Nepal alongside India for over 1500 years.
Thapa dynasty or Thapa noble family also known as Dynasty of Borlang was a Chhetri political family that handled Nepali administration affairs from 1806 to 1837 A.D. and 1843 to 1845 A.D. as Mukhtiyar. This was one of the four noble families to be involved in the active politics of the Kingdom of Nepal, along with the Shah dynasty, Basnyat family, and the Pande dynasty before the rise of the Rana dynastyor Kunwar family. At the end of 18th century, Thapas had extreme dominance over Nepalese Darbar politics alternatively contesting for central power against the Pande family. Bir Bhadra Thapa was a Thapa of Chhetri group and leading Bharadar during Unification of Nepal. His grandson Bhimsen Thapa became Mukhtiyar of Nepal and established Thapa dynasty to the dominating position of central court politics of Nepal.
Swarup Singh Karki or Swaroop Singh Karki, was a Nepali politician, courtier, military commander and minister. He was popular for his singing prowess and court conspiracies. He was selected as Dewan in the reign of King Pratap Singh Shah and a significant politician in the regent rule of Queen Rajendra of Nepal. He was one of the most influential court politician in the rule of King Pratap Singh and Queen Rajendralaxmi, others being his rival Bahadur Shah of Nepal and Vamsharaj Pande. Vamsharaj was his perceived career rival. His life and career ended when Prince Bahadur Shah was appointed as regent in 1785.
Rajguru Gajraj Mishra also spelled Gajaraj Mishra was a Nepalese politician, ambassador, diplomat and a royal priest of Shah dynasty. He was always inclined to his disciple Prince Regent Bahadur Shah of Nepal. Gajraj Mishra was disfavoured by his disciple King Pratap Singh Shah due to his support to Prince Bahadur Shah. He was also disfavoured by Pratap Singh's son Rana Bahadur Shah.
Pandit Vrajanath Poudyal or Vrajanath Pandit was a Nepalese courtier, politician, minister and royal priest of the Shah dynasty. He played political rivalry against the traditional Gorkhali courtiers i.e. Tharghars as well as against the Prince Bahadur Shah of Nepal and Queen Rajendra Laxmi. His son Pandit Ranga Nath Poudyal became Mukhtiyar of Nepal.
Hiranya Garbha Kumari Devi was a Nepalese maharani and principal wife of Jung Bahadur Rana.
Bilas Kumari Devi was the Queen of Salyan State. Born to King Prithvi Narayan Shah and Indra Kumari Devi, she is best remembered for her contributions to her father's Unification of Nepal campaign.