The Kingdom of Magadha, later known as the Magadha Empire, was a kingdom and later empire in ancient north India. Many houses ruled the kingdom and it's empire over the centuries until it was defeated by the Satavahana Empire in c. 28 BCE. The history of the monarchs of Magadha, particularly in the Pre-Mauryan period, is shrouded in mystery and legend with various sources claiming different things.
The Brihadratha dynasty was the first ruling house of Magadha. Brihadratha founded this dynasty in 1700 BCE. This dynasty lasted for more than ten centuries, ruling Magadha from 1700 to 682 BCE.
Twenty-one kings of Brihadratha house ruled Magadha beginning with Brihadratha himself.
The Haryanka dynasty was the third ruling house of Magadha. This dynasty was founded by Bimbisara in 544 BCE. This dynasty lasted for 131 years, ruling Magadha from 544 to 413 BCE.
This dynasty had six monarchs.
The Shaishunaga dynasty, also called Shishunaga, was the fourth ruling house of Magadha. Shisunaga, who was originally a minister of King Nagadashaka, overthrew him in a popular rebellion and ascended the throne in 413 BCE. This dynasty lasted for only 68 years, ruling Magadha from 413 to 345 BCE.
Four monarchs of this dynasty ruled Magadha in succession.
The Nanda dynasty was the fifth ruling house of Magadha. Mahapadma Nanda founded this dynasty in 344 BCE after murdering his own father, King Mahanandin. This dynasty was the shortest-living dynasty of Magadha, ruling for only 23 years from 345 to 322 BCE.
Different sources mention different number of Nanda rulers. Buddhist, Jain and Puranic traditions state there were nine rulers, but differ considerably. Greek and Roman accounts mention two generations only—Mahapadma Nanda and his son Dhana Nanda.
The Maurya dynasty was the sixth and greatest ruling house of Magadha. Chandragupta Maurya founded this dynasty with help of his mentor and grand advisor Chanakya in 322 BCE after organizing a large army and overthrowing King Dhana Nanda. This dynasty lasted for 138 years, ruling Magadha from 322 to 184 BCE.
This dynasty ruled for a considerably longer period than the previous house and had nine rulers.
The Shunga dynasty was the seventh ruling house of Magadha. Pushyamitra Shunga, the Commander-in-Chief of Emperor Brihadratha Maurya, organized a coup d'état and killed the emperor, usurping the throne in 184 BCE. This dynasty lasted for 112 years, ruling Magadha from 184 to 72 BCE.
This dynasty had nine monarchs.
The Kanva dynasty was the eighth and last ruling house of Magadha. This dynasty was founded by Vasudeva Kanva who overthrow the Emperor Devabhuti in 73 BCE. This dynasty lasted for only 45 years, ruling Magadha from 73 to 28 BCE. On 28 BCE, the last emperor, Susarman Kanva was killed by the Satavahana Emperor Satakarni II and the Magadha Empire subsequently collapsed.