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Royalty in the 20th Century (Part 6)

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SAMOA (formerly called Western Samoa) began the 20th century as a German protectorate. It came under New Zealand's control in 1920 and did not achieve independence until 1962. Today the country is a constitutional monarchy. The paramount chief, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, is descended from Samoa's traditional royal family. His power is minimal. He will remain in office for life; after his death, heads of state will be elected by the legislative assembly to serve five years terms.

SAUDI ARABIA did not exist as a nation one hundred years ago. The Saud clan, which had ruled part of the Arabian peninsula, was expelled from the emirate of Nejd in the 19th century by the rival Rashid dynasty. In 1902, a member of the Saud family, Abdul Aziz (called Ibn Saud), and his small band of supporters captured Nejd's capital, Riyadh. He went on to conquer central Arabia, and in 1932 his domains officially became the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ibn Saud died in 1952 and was succeeded by his son Saud. An extravagant and incompetent ruler, Saud was deposed by his family in 1964 and replaced by another of Ibn Saud's sons, Faisal. King Faisal did much to moderize Saudi Arabia and was respected around the world, but in 1975 he was assassinated by a disgruntled relative. The next two kings, Khalid and Fahd, were also sons of Ibn Saud. King Fahd still reigns today. The royal family has thousands of members and controls the country's government.

SPAIN's first 20th century monarch was King Alfonso XIII (born 1886). He was lucky to escape death in 1906, when a bomb exploded beneath his carriage as he and his bride left the church in which they had just been married. Alfonso survived several more assassination attempts, but went into exile in 1931 after the Republicans came to power. Although he never abdicated, he also never returned to Spain before his death in 1941. In 1947 Spain became a monarchy once more, but it was not until 1975 that Alfonso's grandson, King Juan Carlos, ascended the throne. He continues to reign today, playing a mostly ceremonial role.

SWAZILAND was a British territory at the beginning of the 20th century. The king, Sobhuza II, was a minor, so his grandmother, Queen Labotsibeni Gwamile Ndluli, acted as regent until 1921. She rallied the Swazi people to begin buying back their lands from foreigners. In the 1960s Sobhuza founded the the Imbokodvo National Movement, which worked for Swazi independence. That goal was achieved in 1968. In the '70s Swaziland adopted a constitution which gave the king supreme power. King Sobhuza II died in 1982. His wife Dzeliwe Shongwe ruled as regent for a year, then was replaced by another of Sobhuza's widows, Ntombi Latfwala. Her son Makhosetive became King Mswati III in 1986. The king and his mother, whose title is Ndlovukazi (Great She-Elephant), rule jointly.

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