The King of Bahrain‎ is the monarch

Monarch

A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...

 and head of state

Head of State

A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

 of Bahrain

Bahrain

' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of Hakim, and, from 1971 until 2002, the title of Emir

Emir

Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...

. On 14 February 2002, the then-Emir of Bahrain, Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa, declared Bahrain a kingdom and proclaimed himself the first king.

Hakims of Bahrain (1783–1971)

The Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

 title of the Hakim, as transliterated, was Hakim al-Bahrayn (Lord of Bahrain). The Hakim also held the honorific

Honorific

An honorific is a word or expression with connotations conveying esteem or respect when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term is used not quite correctly to refer to an honorary title...

 title of sheikh

Sheikh

Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...

.

Name	Reign		Remarks
	From	Until
Sheikh Ahmed ibn Muhammad ibn Khalifa	1783	1796
Sheikh Abdullah ibn Ahmad Al Khalifa	1796	1843	As co-regent
Sheikh Sulman ibn Ahmad Al Khalifa	1796	1825	As co-regent with Abdullah ibn Ahmad Al Khalifa
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
HH Sheikh Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa Shaikh Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa, KCIE, CSI was the ruler of Bahrain from 1869 until his death. His title was Hakim of Bahrain. He is one the longest reigning monarchs of the region...	December 1869	9 December 1932
HH Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa	10 December 1932	20 February 1942
HH Sheikh Salman ibn Hamad Al Khalifa	20 February 1942	2 November 1961
HH Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa	2 November 1961	16 August 1971	Proclaimed himself Emir

Emirs of Bahrain (1971–2002)

The Arabic title of the Emir, as transliterated, was Amir dawlat al-Bahrayn (Prince of the State of Bahrain). The Emir also held the honorific title of sheikh.

Name	Image	Reign		Remarks
		From	Until
HH Sheikh Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifa		16 August 1971	6 March 1999
HH Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa		6 March 1999	14 February 2002	Proclaimed himself King

King of Bahrain (2002–Present)

The Arabic title of the King, as transliterated, is Malik al-Bahrayn (King of Bahrain). The King also holds the honorific title of sheikh.

Name	Image	Reign
		From	Until
HM Sheikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa		6 march 1999	present

See also

• House of Khalifa
  Al Khalifa
  The Al Khalifa family is the ruling family of Bahrain. The Al Khalifa profess Sunni Islam and belong to the Anizah tribe that migrated from Najd to Kuwait in the early 18th century. They are also from the Utub tribe...
  
  
• Line of succession to the Bahraini throne
  Line of succession to the Bahraini throne
  Succession to the Bahraini throne is determined by primogeniture amongst the male descendants of Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa . However, the ruling King of Bahrain has the right to appoint any of his other sons as his successor if he wishes to...
  
  
• 2011 Bahraini uprising
  2011 Bahraini uprising
  The 2011 Bahraini uprising, sometimes called the February 14 Revolution is a series of demonstrations, amounting to a sustained campaign of civil resistance, in the Persian Gulf country of Bahrain...