At first, Maldives was a matriarchal society with each atoll ruled by a chief queen according to some accounts or by others, several theocratic societies ruled by priests known as Sawamias of heliolatric, selenolatric and astrolatric religions. After that, the first kingdom was established, named Dheeva Maari.[1]
The Mapanansa,[2] the copper plates on which the history of the Kings of Solar Dynasty was written were lost quite early on.
A 4th century notice written by Ammianus Marcellinus (362 CE) speaks of gifts sent to the Roman emperor Julian by a deputation from the nation of "Divi". The name "Divi" is very similar to "Dheyvi" who were the first settlers of Maldives.[2]
Srimati Damahara
unknown
unknown
Last ruler of the Solar Dynasty. It is unclear from the records how many other rulers ruled between the reigns of King Sri Srudasarunaditya and Queen Damahara. Married Prince Sri Baladitya from the Kalinga kingdom who later became the first king of the Lunar Dynasty.
Lunar dynasty (Soma Vansa)
Although the first kings of Maldives were of Solar dynasty, the last queen of the solar dynasty, Queen Srimati Damahara married a prince from Lunar dynasty (Soma Vansa) who came from Kalinga thus establishing the line of Soma Vansa.[2]
Name
Monarch from
Monarch until
Notes
Sri Baladitya
around 990
unknown
Prince from Kalinga kingdom of India. Married Queen Damahara of the Solar dynasty to become the ruler of Dheeva Maari. Early during his reign King Rajaraja I of Chola captured the northern atolls Minicoy and Thiladhummathi. Although some sources indicate the start of the reign as when Rajaraja I invaded Maldives, a Chinese document from the Tang dynasty, records the visit of Maldivians to China bringing with them gifts from their king, Baladitya in 658 CE and also in 662 CE.[3] The king mentioned might have been a king of the Solar dynasty.
Sri Laukabarana
unknown
unknown
King of the Lunar dynasty. He is son or grandson of Svasti Sri Damahara Maha Rehendi.
Sri Maha Sandura
unknown
unknown
Son of King Laukabarana. He had a daughter Princess Kamanhaar (also known as Kamanara or Rehendihara), who was banished to the island then called Is-Midu (Addu Meedhoo today). With her she took the Mapanansa, the copper plates in which the history of the kings of Solar dynasty was written. The Mapanansa were later buried by Al-Muhaddith Hasan, and this is why such little information survived about the Solar dynasty.[2]
Sri Bovana Ananda
unknown
unknown
Son of King Laukabarana and brother of King Maha Sandura. He is the father of King Koimala.
Svasti Sri Somavamsa Adipati Sri Theemuge Sri Maha Parama Aditya Maha Radun[citation needed] became the first king to rule over the whole of Maldives after reclaiming the northern atolls from the Indian invaders.
Reigned as a Buddhist until 1153. Son of Henevi Maava Kilege, sister of Koimala. A member of the Soma or Homa (Lunar) dynasty. Converted to Islam in 1153, assumed the title Sultan and founded the Theemuge dynasty. He was the famous Dharumavantha Radun[2] or the Benevolent King.
Hassan I, Sultan Hassan al-Hilali Sri Dhiru Buwana Maha Radhun
Prince Ibrahim al-Hilali Kalaminja, Sultan Ibrahim I al-Hilali
Prince Usman Ras Kilege, Sultan Usman II ibnu
Prince Abu Bakar Kalaminja, Sultan Abu Bakar I
Princess Rekka
Dorimena Kilegefaanu
Al-Amir Dombula Ali Farina Kilege, Sultan Ali V
Buraki Rani ( Queen regent or Rani ruled with Sultan Kalu Muhammedh )
Reki
Princess Kaba Dio
Shaikh Hassan, Sultan Hassan VI
Hussain I, Sultan Husain al-Hilali, Sultan of the Maldives ( Twins with brother Hassan )
Ma'afai Kalo Kilege
Kaulanna'a Kalo Kilege
Ali Heneve Ras Kilege, Sultan Ali IV
Prince Yusuf Kalaminja, Sultan Yusuf II
Sultan Haji Nasir ul-Mukhatib Hassan III
Prince Umaru Kalaminja, Sultan Umar II
Sultan Yusuf III
Sultan Hassan VII
Prince Hassan Kalaminnja, Sultan Hassan V
Prince Ibrahim Kalaminja Ras Kilege, Sultan Ibrahim II
Prince Yusufu Kalaminja Ras Kilege, Sultan Yusuf III
Sultan Hassan VII
Prince Kalu Muhammad Kalaminja, Sultan Kalu Muhammad
Prince Hassan Dobula Fa'aruna'a, Sultan Hassan VIII
Prince Umar Ma'afai Kilege, Sultan Hilali Muhammad
Sultan Muhammad
Prince Hemanin Kalaminja
Prince Ahmad Manikufa'anu Kalaminja
Sultan Hilali Hassan IX ( Later Dom Manoel )
Dom Francisco de Malvidas
Dom João de Malvidas, King Dom Felipe
Dom Felipe de Malvidas, King Dom Felipe
Infanta Dona Inez de Malvidas
Dom Luís de Souza, King Dom Luís
Manuel de Sousa da Silva
Dom Manoel Malavis
Dom Pedro de Malvidas
Dona Leonor de Malvidas
Dona Catarina de Malvidas
Princess Aisha Kabafaanu Rani Kilege + Sultan Ali IV
Kuda Kalafaanu
Sitti Maryam Ma'ava'a Kuda Kamanafa'anu Rani Kilege (d/o Aisha Kabafa'anu). m. at Malé, 1573, Al-Amir Hassan Rannabanderi Kilegefa'anu, younger son of Kalege Husain Thakuru'fa'anu, Khatib of Uthimu Island, Tiladummati Atoll
Kalege Kalu Hassan, of Bararu, Tiladummati Atoll ( Start of The Uthimu Dynasty )
Kalege Kalu 'Ali Thakurufa'anu, Khatib of Uthimu Island, Tiladummati Atoll
Kalege Husain Thakuru'fa'anu, Khatib of Uthimu + Amina Dio
Kalu Thukkala, Sultan Shuja'at Muhammad Imad ud-din I, Bodu Rasgefaanu
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I
Prince Kuda Muhammad, who succeeded as Sultan Muhammad I
Maryam + the son of Thakandhu 'Ali Bandeyri Thakurufa'anu.
Princess Rendi Kaba'afa'anu
A son, unknown name
Amira Amina Kamba'adi Kilege + Al-Amir Mahmud Fandiyaru Kilegefa'anu (d. 8 March 1678), Chief Judge 1663-1678, son of Don Boi Naib Thakurufa'anu, the step-son of Addu Bodu Fandiyaru Thakurufa'anu.
Funadhu Muhammad Siraj ud-din Thakurufa'anu, Khatib.
Princess "Fulana" + Al-Amir Hassan Farina Kilege Dorimena, younger son of Al-Amir Husain Fa'amuladeri Kilegefa'anu
Princess Mariyam Kaba'adi Kilege
Kalege Muhammed Bodu Thakurufa'anu Khatib, who succeeded as Sultan Ghazi Muhammed Thakurufa'anu al-'Azam
Al-Amir Hassan Thakurufa'anu Khatib + Princess Aisha Kabafa'anu, daughter of Sultan Kalu Muhammad
Kuda Kalafa'anu
Al-Amira Kuda Kalu Kamanafa'anu
Eduru Thakurufa'anu, Khatib of Bararu, Tiladummati Atoll
Al-Amir 'Umar Oligina Kilege, of Maduvari Island
Al-Amir Husain Fa'amuladeri Kilegefa'anu
Al-Amir Muhammd Dorimena Kilegefa'anu
Al-Amir Hassan Farina Kilege Dorimena
Muhammad Manikufa'anu, Sultan Muhammad Muhi ud-din
First of the Hilaaly dynasty.[citation needed] Son of Golhaavahi Kambulo ( Kalavahi Kabulo ) and Kulhiveri Hilaalu Kaeulhanna Kaloge son of Muslim Abbas of Hulhule.
Son of Sultan Hassan I half brother of Sultan Yoosuf II. Killed in battle with the Portuguese who came to summon the Council of Ministers of the Maldives to Cochin.
Second reign. Son of Sultan Omar II Deposed for a second time, this time by his nephew Hassan.
Sultan Hassan VII
Singa Veeeru
1510
1511
Son of Sultan Yoosuf III.
Sultan Sharif Ahmed
Suddha Bavana
1511
1513
An Arab from Mecca. Possible descendant of Muhammad.
Sultan Ali III
Aanandha
1513
1513
Killed in a duel with his sister Burecca (Buraki Raani). Grandson of Sultan Aboobakuru I. Son of Mohamed Farhana Kalo and Recca daughter of Aboobakuru I
Third accession assisted by his wife Queen Burecca who killed her brother Ali III
Sultan Hassan VIII
Ran Mani Loka
1529
1549
Son of Sultan Kalu Mohamed and Fatuma Dio, a concubine from Shiraz in Persia.
Sultan Mohamed III
Singa Bavana
1549
1551
Assassinated by his brother Hassan succeeded him. Son of Golhavahi Aysha Rani Kilege and Omar Maafaiy Kilege son of Kalu Mohamed and Aysha Rani Kilege daughter of Korari Kilege. Therefore, Grandson of Sultan Kalu Mohamed.
Sultan Hassan IX
Dhirukusa Loka
1551
1552
Brother of Mohamed III. He was the first Maldivian and only member of its royalty to renounce Islam and convert to Christianity. He was deposed upon conversion, and known subsequently by the Lusitanian name of Dom Manoel.
Son of Ibrahim Faarhana Kilege and Sanfa Dio. Former Prime Minister to Dom Manoel.
Sultan Ali IV
Audha Siyaaka Katthiri
1557
1558
Killed in battle. Son of Prime Minister Abdur Rahman Dorhimeyna Kaloge and Sitti Rani Kilege. He was married to Princess Aysha Rani Kilege, aunt of Dom Manoel and daughter of Kalu Mohamed.
King Dom Manoel
Dhirikusa Loka (in absentia)
1558
1573
Restored as the king. Formerly known as Sultan Hassan IX. A Maldivian Catholic named Andiri Andirin acted as his regent, while Manoel lived in Goa.
Maldives ruled by Kateeb Mohamed Thakurufan of Utheemu after he assassinated Andiri Andirin, the regent of King Dom Manoel. As per a treaty he got refuge from Ali Raja of Cannanore, Mohamed Thakurufan's base of operation was Minicoy under the sovereignty of Cannanore. Keteeb Mohamed Thakurufan did not honour this promise. The Ali Raja demanded dominion over the Maldives, as promised to him by the Kateeb of Uteem. The nature of the relationship between Kateeb Mohamed Thakurufan and the Ali Raja of Cannanore was outlined in a letter sent by a later Ali Raja, Mariambe Ali-Adi Raja Bibi, to the Sultan Mohamed Mueenuddine I of the Maldives. The letter was dated Friday 17 Jamada-el-oula Anno Hegirae 1243 (7 December AD 1827). According to the letter Mohamed Thakurufan had entered into a treaty ceding sovereignty of the Maldives to the Ali Raja of Cannanore in the event Thakurufan was established in power in Male. (refer page 294 of Divehi Tarikh).
King Dom Manoel
Dhirikusa Loka
1573
1583
Kateeb Mohamed Thakurufan concluded a Treaty with King Dom Manoel in order to ward off the Ali Raja of Cannanore with whose help the Kateeb seized power in Male.
Under the treaty, Dom Manoel was restored but remained in Goa. The co-regents were Kateeb Mohamed Thakurufan of Utheem and his brother Hassan Thakurufan. The kateeb conferred on himself the title of sultan in 1583 upon Dom Manoel's death. This was in breach of the Treaty and was not legally binding.
King Dom João
Keerithi Maha Radun (no coronation)
1583
1603
Son of King Manoel, who remained in Goa. He had two brothers, Dom Francisco and Dom Pedro. Kateeb Mohamed Thakurufan and his brother Hassan Thakurufan ruled for King Dom João as co-regents. Kateeb Mohamed Thakurufan assumed the title of Sultan following the death of King Dom Manoel. He married a Portuguese Christian noblewoman, Donna Francisca Vasconelles and had two children, Dom Philippe and Dona Inez.
Ibrahim, also known as Kalaafaan[7] (literally "Lord") was the de facto sultan, but legally the regent of Kings Dom João and Dom Philippe who resided in Goa. He reigned from
1585 to 1609. Son of Mohamed Thakurufan, kateeb of Utheemu and Rehendiye Goyye daughter of Cat Fatima of Boarhi Woods in Baarah.
Ibrahim Kalaafaan was the regent at the time of François Pyrard de Laval's[7] detainment in the Maldives after the shipwreck.
King Dom Philippe
Keerithi Maha Radun (no coronation)
1603
1632
Son of King Dom João and Donna Francisca Vasconelles.
She was the daughter of Hassan Thakurufaan and Sitti Maryam Maavaa Kuda Kamanafaanu Rani Kilege, daughter of Sultan Ali VI, Sultan of the Maldives, by his wife, Princess Aisha Kabafa'anu, daughter of Sultan Kalu Mohamed[6]
Hussain Faamuladeyri Kilege acted as regent from 1609 to 1620.
Muhammad Imaduddin I acted as regent from 1620 to 1632. De-recognised in the Maldives after an abortive expedition with Portuguese assistance in order to abolish regency and assume power.
Son of Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar I. His mother Princess Maryam acted as regent due to his age. Killed with his mother while at sea in an explosion.
Sultan Muhammad Mohyeddine
Naakiree Sundhura
1691
1692
Re-established the Islamic penal code. Son of Dharanboodhoo Kadida Dio and Abu Naibu Hassan Dorhimeyna Kilege son of the Regent Hussain Famuladeyri Kilege.
Hamavi dynasty
Sultan
Name
Regnal Name
Monarch from
Monarch until.
Notes
Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen I
Mikaalha Madhaadheettha
1692
1692
Arab mentor of Sultan Muhammad Mohyeddine. He first visited Male during the reign of Ibrahim Iskandar I. He was Probably poisoned to death. He coutured the re-establishment of the Islamic Penal code held by the previous Sultan Muhammad Mohyeddine and assigned Scholars to teach in Mosques. In his Sultanate Maldives was very peaceful and citizens became educated and religious. (refer page 67 to 69 of Divehi Tarikh)
First Sultan of the Dhevvadhoo dynasty.[8] Popularly known as Dhevvadhoo Rasgefaanu,[9] son of Ali Mafahaiy Kilege of Dhevvadhoo and Kakuni Dio. Sultan Mohamed IV was married to Khadheeja Kanba, daughter of Ibrahim Shah Bandar of Isdhoo ( Isdhoo Bodu Velaanaa Thakurufaan )
First Sultan of the Isdhoo dynasty. Son of Ibrahim Shah Bandar Kilege of Isdhoo and Aysha Dio.
Sultan Hasan X
Keerithi Maha Radun (no coronation)
1701
1701
Son of Sultan Ali V. Deposed by his cousin Ibrahim Mudzhiruddine. He is not listed in Radhavalhi, the official chronicle.
Sultan Ibrahim Mudzhiruddine
Muthey Ran Mani Loka
1701
1704
Cousin of Sultan Hasan X. Deposed by his Prime Minister Muhammad Imaduddin during the regency of his spouse, Fatima Kabafa'anu, while on the Hajj pilgrimage.
Prime Minister to Sultan Ibrahim Mudzhiruddine. First of the Dhiyamigili dynasty. Son of Ibrahim Dorhimeyna Kaloge and Amina Dio.
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar II
Rannava Loka
1720
1750
Son of Sultan Muhammad Imaduddin II and Amina Dio of Fenfushi.
Sultan Muhammad Imaduddin III
Navaranna Keerithi
1750
1757
Son of Sultan Muhammad Imaduddin II and Amina Dio of Fenfushi. Held captive on Kavaratti island from 1752 until his death in 1757. In 1752 he was seized by the Ali Raja of Cannanore and transported to Kavaratti island in the Laccadives. Male was occupied. The occupation was ended by Muleegey Dom Hassan Maniku, a direct descendant of the penultimate Christian King Joao. The sultan died in captivity. During this time Maldives was ruled by the captive sultan's niece Amina I of Maldives and his daughter, Amina II. The de facto regent was Muleegey Dom Hassan Maniku.
Daughter of Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar II. Amina assumed the role of the ruler (regent) of Maldives in 1753 after Male was recaptured from the Malabars after 17 weeks of occupation. She was the daughter of Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar II and Aisha Manikfan. She abdicated the throne and moved to Addu Atoll in the south. She was later banished to various islands and eventually became the Ruler of Maldives for the second time as the regent during the reign of her younger brother Sultan Mohamed Ghiyasuddin in 1773.
Daughter of Sultan Muhammad Imaduddin III. Amina succeeded her cousin in 1754 as nominal regent for her absent father the age of nine, while Muleegey Hassan Manikfaan managed the political affairs as de facto regent. Her father died in 1757 in Minicoy, after which she formally became monarch and queen regnant. In 1759 Sultan Hassan Izzuddin became monarch because the citizens did not approve of a young female as their head.
Muleegey Dom Hassan Maniku or Don Bandaara was the first Sultan of the Huraa Dynasty. Son of Amina Dio daughter of Mohamed Kateeb of Muli and Huraa Mohamed Faamuladeyri Thakurufan.
Regency by Sultans elder sister Amina I. Her husband Ali Shahbandar took power during the regency, and Dhiyamigili dynasty lost the throne in the cascade of events that followed. Mohamed Manikfaan of Huraa usurped the throne and later abdicated in favour of his nephew who became Sultan Muizzuddin. Amina and her husband were banished to a remote island in Laamu Atoll.
His cousin Hassan Nooreddine Maandhoogey Manippulu acted as his regent due to his age. The regent abdicated in his name in favour of his older half brother.
Brother of Sultan Muhammad Imaaduddeen V. His cousin Hassan Nooreddine Maandhoogey Manippulu acted as his regent due to his age. His cousin abdicated in his name and assumed the throne himself.
Abdul Majeed Didi was elected Sultan but was never installed and continued to live in Ceylon. Maldives ruled by Council of Regency headed for a time by former Sultan Hassan Nooraddeen II. Following the death of Abdul Majeed, and after a national referendum, the Maldives became a republic.
^Mohamed, Naseema (2002). "Pre-Islamic Maldives"(PDF). Man and Environment Journal of the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies. 27 (1). Archived(PDF) from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
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