King of Bahrain
The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain is the monarch and head of state of Bahrain. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of Hakim, and, from 1971 until 2002, the title of Emir. On 14 February 2002, the then-Emir of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, declared Bahrain a kingdom and proclaimed himself the first king.
The King enjoys wide range of powers, which include appointing the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, holding the supreme command over the Defence Force, chairing the Higher Judicial Council, appointing the parliament's upper house and dissolving its elected lower house.
List of rulers
Hakims of Bahrain (1783–1971)
The Arabic title of the Hakim, as transliterated, was Hakim al-Bahrayn. The Hakim also held the honorific title of sheikh.| Name | Reign start | Reign end | Notes |
| Sheikh Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Khalifa | 1783 | 1796 | Leader of the Bani Utub invasion of Bahrain |
| Sheikh Salman bin Ahmad al-Khalifa | 1796 | 1825 | As co-regent |
| Sheikh Abdullah ibn Ahmad Al Khalifa | 1796 | 1843 | As co-regent |
| Sheikh Khalifah ibn Sulman Al Khalifa | 1825 | 1834 | As co-regent with Abdullah ibn Ahmad Al Khalifa |
| Sheikh Muhammad ibn Khalifah Al Khalifa | 1834 | 1842 | First reign as co-regent with Abdullah ibn Ahmad Al Khalifa |
| Sheikh Muhammad ibn Khalifah Al Khalifa | 1843 | 1868 | Second reign |
| Sheikh Ali ibn Khalifah Al Khalifa | 1868 | 1869 | |
| Sheikh Muhammad ibn Khalifah Al Khalifa | 1869 | 1869 | Third reign |
| Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al Khalifa | September 1869 | 1 December 1869 | Deposed and exiled to India. Confined at Asirgarh, but later removed to Chunar. He died at Chunar Fort, near Benares, India, 1877. |
| HH Sheikh Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa | 1 December 1869 | 26 May 1923 | Abdicated; died on 9 December 1932 |
| HH Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa | 27 May 1923 | 20 February 1942 | |
| HH Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa | 20 February 1942 | 2 November 1961 | |
| HH Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa | 2 November 1961 | 16 August 1971 |