King of Burundi

Mwami of Burundi
Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Burundi
Details
Style	His Majesty the Mwami of Burundi
First monarch	Mwami Ntare III Rushatsi
Last monarch	Mwami Ntare V Ndizeye
Formation	c.1680
Abolition	28 November 1966
Residence	Gitega and Bujumbura, Rwanda
Pretender(s)	Princess Rose Paula Iribagiza

This page contains two versions of the list of Kings of Burundi, the traditional version before 1680 and the modern genealogy. The regnal names of Burundian sovereigns, titled Mwami, followed a cycle: Ntare (meaning 'lion'), Mwezi (meaning 'moon'), Mutaga, and Mwambutsa. Traditionally, it was thought that there had been four complete cycles but the modern genealogy indicates that there were only two complete cycles, starting with Ntare III Rushatsi.

In the 16th century, Burundi was a kingdom characterized by a hierarchical political authority and tributary economic exchange. A king (mwami) headed a princely aristocracy (ganwa) which owned most of the land governing its subjects with superiority and required a tribute, or tax, from local farmers and herders who lived in forests. The Tutsi monarchy ruled the nation for centuries, but became largely ceremonial with the colonization of the nation by the German Empire in 1899. The kings continued through the colonial period, but the last king was deposed in a coup d'état. Burundi ceased to be a monarchy when king Ntare V Ndizeye was deposed by his Prime Minister and Chief of Staff, Capt. Michel Micombero, who abolished the monarchy and declared a republic in 1966.

The traditional list of Kings of Burundi. The dates before 1900 are estimates.

This is the modern genealogy: