Mwambutsa IV Bangiricenge (6 May 1912 โ 26 March 1977) was the king (mwami) of Burundi from 1915 to 1966. He ascended to the throne following the death of his father, Mutaga IV Mbikije who reigned from 1908 to 1915.
Mwambutsa was born while Burundi was under German colonial rule, and his reign mostly coincided with Belgian colonial rule (1916โ62).
Under the policy of indirect rule, the Belgians retained the monarchs of Rwanda and Burundi.
Early life and rule
Mwambutsa IV was born Prince Bangiricenge inย c.โ1912. Like other Burundian kings, he was an ethnicย Ganwaย (Tutsi).
He became king, taking theย regnal nameย Mwambutsa, on 16 December 1915 when he was still an infant following the death of his father in a family dispute.
Because of his age, aย regencyย was declared. Several family members, including the Queen Motherย Ririkumutima, served as regent.
At the time of his coronation, Burundi was part ofย German East Africaย but was captured byย Belgiumย in 1916 during theย East African campaignย inย World War I.
In 1925, a full regency council was established with Belgian approval. Mwambutsa became a ruler in his own right on 28 August 1929.
Post-independence rule and exile
On the independence of Burundi in July 1962, Mwambutsa IV became the head of state of Burundi with far reaching political power. In Rwanda, the monarchyย had been overthrownย between 1959โ62.
He attempted to balance ethnic tensions between ethnicย Hutuย andย Tutsiย subjects by choosing hisย Prime Ministersย from eachย ethnic groupย alternately.
In October 1965, Hutu officersย attempted a coup dโรฉtatย against the monarchy. Despite their failure to take power, Mwambutsa fled into exile in theย Republic of the Congo, eventually moving toย Switzerland.
In March 1966 he designated his only surviving son to exercise his powers in the country. Still in exile, Mwambutsa was officially deposedย in a second coup dโรฉtatย and brought his son to power as Ntare V on 8 July 1966.
The monarchy was finally abolished altogether inย a third coup in November 1966ย and its leader,ย Michel Micombero, came to power as president andย de factoย dictator.
Mwambutsa spent the rest of his life in Switzerland where he died in 1977.
Modern-day view of the ceremonially planted tree (ikigabiro) from the coronation of Mwambutsa IV
Mwambutsaโs remains were exhumed from their burial site in Switzerland in 2012 with a view to repatriating them to Burundi for a state funeral.
After a legal battle, however, the remains were re-interred in Switzerland in 2016 in accordance with his familyโs wishes.