Hassanal Bolkiah (15 July 1946-) was the Sultan of Brunei from 1967 to, succeeding Omar Ali Saifuddien III and preceding Al-Muhtadee Billah.
Biography[]
Hassanal Bolkiah was born on 15 July 1946 in Brunei Town, British Brunei (present-day Bandar Seri Begawan) to a Malay family, the House of Bolkiah. In 1967 he became Sultan of Brunei after his father abdicated, and in 1984 he became the first reigning Sultan of Brunei after the country gained its independence from the United Kingdom. Brunei was a unitary Islamic absolute monarchy, and Bolkiah ruled the country under Sharia law according to Islamic tradition. Pork and alcohol were banned in the country, and Christmas was banned in January 2015. However, the country benefitted from strict laws, with public debt being at 0% (the only country besides Libya to have that honor), and it was a developed and peaceful nation.