The Kingdom of Rwanda was a unique African kingdom in the location of the modern-day Republic of Rwanda, which was ruled by a Tutsi monarchy. It was one of the oldest and the most centralized kingdom in the Central and East Africa region. Rwandan oral history provides that a lineage of god-Kings known as Abami bimushumi during a period believed to be before Christ.

The Abami bimishumi had also inherited their right to rule from an earlier group of gods known as Ibimanuka.

Rwanda was in the 19th and early 20th century annexed under German and Belgian colonial rule while retaining some of its autonomy. The Belgians began to incite resentment among the Hutu groups against the Tutsi in 1959 and soon abolished the monarchy in 1961. They immediately sponsored a Hutu uprising. This led to the first ethnic violence against the Tutsi which saw a great number of Tutsi families flee their homeland to neighboring countries from that time up until 1973.  After a 1961 Belgian-supported referendum, Rwanda became a Hutu-dominated republic and Belgium granted its independence in 1962.

After the referendum, the last ruling monarch, Kigeli V, was exiled to Kenya and eventually settled in the United States where he lived the rest of his life. A monarchical court in exile has nevertheless been maintained outside Rwanda ever since the abolition of the monarchy in the 60s. As of 9 January 2017, the current proclaimed King of Rwanda is Yuhi VI.

History

In the 14th century, one kingdom, under King Kigeli Mukobanya, managed to incorporate several of its close neighboring territories re-establishing the Kingdom of Rwanda. It is narrated in Rwandan oral accounts that the kingdom had been established by one Rurenge and later his great offspring Gihanaga and the kingdom had been in existence since a time believed to that the bronze age. It is narrated as a  period in which Rwanda is reported to have been ruled by gods known as ibimanuka in Kinayrwanda.  The Hutu majority, 82–85% of the population, were mostly free peasants while the kings, known as Mwami, were exclusively Tutsis of the Nyiginya clan. Certainly, some Hutus were nobility and, equally, considerable intermingling took place.

Before the 19th century, it was believed that the Tutsis held administrative leadership power while the Hutus possessed agricultural skills. The two groups along with the Twa shared military responsibilities against invading enemies of the land.

The position of the Queen Mother was an important one, managing the royal household and being heavily involved in court politics. When their sons ascended the throne, the queen mothers would take a new name. This would be composed of nyira-, meaning "mother of", followed by, usually, the regal name of the new king, such as Nyira-Yuhi only kings named Mutara do not follow this convention, their mothers taking the name Nyiramavugo (mother of good counsel).

Land was for the most part was communal although some chiefs who were both Hutu and Tutsi owned private land.

Most of the chiefs appointed by the Mwamis were Tutsi, Hutu and a few instances where members of the Twa became distinguished members of the King’s counsel. 

Under Mwami Rwabugiri, Rwanda became an expansionist state.

Rwabugiri safeguarded and protected the borders of the Kingdom. Although the borders had been rounded out earlier in the 16th century by Mwami Kigeli Nyamuheshera who is regarded as one of Rwanda’s greatest kings. Nyamusheshera had expanded the realm of Rwanda by etending it into parts of eastern DRC in the areas of Masisi and into parts of southwestern Uganda near the border with Busongora.

By 1890s, Rwanda under King Rwabugiri had already become a unified modern state with a formidable centralized administrative structure and military force.

Owing to its isolation, Rwanda's engagement with the Indian Ocean Arab slave trade was nonexistent. Thanks to a harsh policy by king Rwabugiri which required foreigners to declare their intentions as soon as they approached Rwanda form the borders. Every guest into the land had to first seek permission and audience form the King. The first Europeans had to request to mee the King first. They did not arrive in Rwanda until 1894, making Rwanda one of the last regions of Africa to have been explored by Europeans. In 1897, Germany established a presence in Rwanda with the formation of an alliance with the king, beginning the colonial era.