Royalty in the 20th Century (Part 2)

CAMBODIA: At the start of the 20th century, Cambodia was a French protectorate. The current king, Norodom Sihanouk, was elected by a royal council in 1941. In 1953, after France refused to grant Cambodia's independence, Sihanouk chose to go into exile. In 1955 he abdicated, but he remained active in Cambodian politics and eventually became head of state. After being ousted in a coup in 1970, he joined forces with a rebel group, the Khmer Rouge, who seized power and made Sihanouk their head of state. He was eventually placed under house arrest by the regime. Over one million people died during the Khmer Rouge's brutal reign. Sihanouk went into exile in 1981 but returned in 1991 after the Khmer Rouge signed a peace treaty with opposing groups. In 1993 Cambodia once more became a constitutional monarchy with Sihanouk as king.

DENMARK was neutral in World War I, but the Germans occupied the country during World War II (1940). The popular King Christian X stood up to the Nazis and was placed under house arrest (actually, castle arrest!) in 1943. Denmark was liberated by the British in 1945. Christian died in 1947 and was succeeded by his son, Frederick IX. After Frederick's death in 1972, the throne passed to his daughter, Queen Margrethe II, who still reigns today.

JAPAN is a constitutional monarchy. The current emperor, Akihito, is said to be descended from Japan's first emperor, Jimmu, whose reign began in the 7th century BC. Akihito's father, Hirohito, became emperor in 1926. He opposed the Japanese military's actions in World War II but was unable to prevent the war. Traditionally the emperor was considered a god, but after the war Hirohito renounced his divinity and his supreme power. Since then the emperor has played a ceremonial role.

JORDAN: At the start of the 19th century, Jordan belonged to the Ottoman empire. For a brief time after World War I, it was part of the kingdom of Syria. Then it fell under the rule of Great Britain and became Transjordan, with Abdullah bin Al-Hussein as its emir. In 1946 the country gained its independence and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Abdullah was its first king. In 1951 Abdullah was assassinated by a Palestinian who resented him for political reasons. The assassin also fired at the king's grandson Hussein, but the bullet bounced off a medal Hussein was wearing over his heart. After Abdullah's death, Hussein's father Talal ascended the throne. He was soon declared unfit to rule because of mental incompetence, and in 1952 sixteen-year-old Hussein was proclaimed king of Jordan. A respected voice for peace in the Middle East, King Hussein ruled until 1999, when he died and was succeeded by his eldest son, King Abdullah II.

Go To Page: 1 2