Less Than A Year
Note: Some of the following have been disputed as genuine monarchs
| Name | Country | Royal house/dynasty | Reign began | Reign ended | Length | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Jeonggang | Silla (Korea) | Kim | July 886 | 5 July 887 | ~1 year | After his death, his sister Man succeeded the throne because he had no sons. She was named Queen Jinseong, the last queen in Korean history. |
| Empress Lý Chiêu Hoàng | Vietnam | Lý | October 1224 | 21 October 1225 | ~1 year | Succeeded the throne through the suicide of her father Lý Huệ Tông. Renounced her claim on the throne for her husband Trần Thái Tông founder of the Trần Dynasty. |
| Emperor Hồ Quý Ly | Vietnam | Hồ | February 1400 | c. 1400-1401 | ~1 year | Hồ Quý Ly succeeded the throne after coaxing emperor Trần Thuận Tông to relinquish power to a three-year-old prince named An. Trần Thuận Tông was then executed and the throne was seized from An. Hồ Quý Ly renounced the throne in favor of his son Hồ Hán Thương. |
| Emperor Hàm Nghi | Vietnam | Nguyễn | 1 August 1884 | 4 July 1885 | 11 months 3 days | Captured during the Mandarins' Revolt and the French replaced him with Đồng Khánh. |
| King Fuad II of Egypt | Egypt and The Sudan | Muhammad Ali | 26 July 1952 | 18 June 1953 | 10 months 23 days | Succeeded the throne after the abdication of Farouk I after the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Fuad II's reign came to an end with the declaration of a republic in Egypt. |
| King/Emperor Edward VIII | Great Britain, Ireland and British dominions beyond the seas and India | Windsor | 20 January 1936 | 11 December 1936 | 10 months 22 days | Edward VIII abdicated the throne in favour of his brother George VI of the United Kingdom to avoid a constitutional crisis. |
| Emperor Agustín I | Mexican Empire | Iturbide | 19 May 1822 | 19 March 1823 | 10 months | Agustín I was proclaimed emperor by the Parliament of the newly independent Mexican Empire and later deposed by Republican forces leading to the foundation of the First Mexican Republic. His grandsons were later adopted by Mexico's second Emperor Maximilian I of the House of Habsburg in the 1860s. |
| King Harold Godwinson | Kingdom of England | Wessex | 5 January 1066 | 14 October 1066 | 9 months 9 days | Killed at the Battle of Hastings by Norman forces. |
| King Injong | Joseon (Korea) | Yi | November 1544 | July 1545 | ~9 months | Some historians believe that Injong was poisoned by the Smaller Yun faction, led by Yun Won-Hyung, to enable Injong's half-brother to ascend the throne. |
| King Lokissara | Polonnaruwa | 1211 | 1211 | ~9 months | Leader of a Tamil army and usurper of the Sinhala throne. | |
| False Dmitry I | Russia | Otriepjew | 21 July 1605 | 17 May 1606 | 9 months 27 days | Probably an impostor, Dmitry seized the throne of Russia after Feodor II was killed. He was killed himself during an assault on the Kremlin. |
| King Christian II | Sweden | Oldenburg | 1 November 1520 | 23 August 1521 | 9 months 22 days | After conquering Sweden in the spring and summer of 1520, king Christian II of Denmark and Norway made his entry into the defeated Swedish capital of Stockholm on 7 September 1520. On 1 November he was elected and on 4 November he was crowned king of Sweden. On 23 August 1521, he was officially deposed, when Gustav Vasa was elected regent of Sweden at a meeting in Vadstena. |
| Maharajah Manava | Gauda, Bengal | Shashanka | 625 | 626 | ~8 months | After the death of Shashanka and his brief reign, Gauda was conquered by an alliance of Harshavardhana and Bhaskaravarman. |
| Emir Habibullah Ghazi | Afghanistan | 17 January 1929 | 13 October 1929 | 8 months 26 days | Habibullah Ghazi succeeded Inayatullah Khan Seraj who had abdicated in his favour after just three days. Habibullah Ghazi's reign soon ended when he was deposed and executed by Mohammed Nadir Shah. | |
| Emperor Le Nghi Dan | Vietnam | Lê | 28 October 1459 | 24 June 1460 | 8 months 25 days | Succeeded the throne by leading a revolt against and killing his younger brother Lê Nhân Tông. Nghi Dan's reign ended in another revolution in which he was killed and replaced by his younger brother Lê Thánh Tông. |
| Emperor Vitellius | Roman Empire | Year of Four Emperors | 16 April 69 | 22 December 69 | 8 months 6 days | Not allowed by the Praetorian Guard to resign to his successor, Emperor Vespasian, he was killed on the Gemonian stairs and cast into the Tiber |
| King Phelles | Tyre | Dynasty of four brothers | 879 BC | 879 BC | 8 months | Legendary king of Tyre, known only through Josephes and, by proxy, through Menander of Ephesus. |
| King Louis I | Spain | Bourbon | 14 January 1724 | 31 August 1724 | 7 months 17 days | Louis I succeeded the throne after the abdication of his father Philip V who also regained the throne after the death of Louis I from smallpox. |
| Queen Matilda | England | Plantagenet / Salian / Normandy | Spring 1141 | Autumn 1141 | c. 5–9 months | Matilda seized the throne after capturing King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln 2 February 1141. Matilda later released Stephen in trade for her half-brother after which Stephen reclaimed the throne in November. |
| Emperor Galba | Roman Empire | Year of Four Emperors | 8 June 68 | 15 January | 7 months 7 days |
120 people assassinated Galba by beheading him and his head and trunk were later buried. |
| King Edmund Ironside | England | Wessex | 23 April 1016 | 30 November 1016 | 7 months 7 days | Edmund's kingdom was ceded to Canute I after his death, the cause of which is uncertain. |
| King Lulach | King of Scots | Moray | 15 August 1057 | 17 March 1058 | 7 months 2 days | Lulach succeeded the throne after Macbeth of Scotland was killed in battle by the future Malcolm III of Scotland, Lulach himself was also slain by Malcolm III who succeeded him. |
| Emperor Heraklonas | Byzantine Empire | Heraclian | 11 February 641 | September 641 | ~7 months | Heraklonas became joint co-emperor with his brother Constantine III at the time of his father's death and then sole emperor on the death of his brother Constantine III in May 641. Heroklonas was then forced to accept Constantine III's son as joint emperor Constans II. Heroklonas was then mutilated and banished after a revolt, leaving Constans II as sole emperor. |
| Bardiya | Persian Empire | Achaemenid | early 522 BCE | September 522 BCE | ~7 months | Baridya was either a son of Cyrus the Great or an impostor, he seized power from Cambyses II and was assassinated by Darius the Great. |
| King Hildeprand | King of the Lombards | January 744 | | <7 months |
Deposed and dead by August 744. |
| |
| Pharaoh Nedjemibre | Pharaoh of Egypt | Thirteenth Dynasty | c.1780 BC | c.1780 BC | 7 months | One of many contemporary pharaohs of the Second Intermediate period |
| Emperor Dương Nhật Lễ | Vietnam | Trần | 1369 | 20 May 1370 | >6 months | Dethroned and killed. Replaced by Trần Phủ. |
| Emperor Kiến Phúc | Vietnam | Nguyễn | 2 December 1883 | 31 July 1884 | 6 months 29 days | Succeeded the throne after the murder of emperor Hiệp Hoà. Kiến Phúc was also murdered and succeeded by Hàm Nghi (who also reigned less than a year). |
| Mbret William | Albania | Wied | 7 March 1914 | 3 September 1914 | 6 months 27 days | William accepted a request from Albania to be its sovereign and soon, due to the outbreak of the First World War and civil war within Albania, fled into exile. Albania officially declared itself a republic on 31 January 1925. |
| King Christian Frederik | Norway | Oldenburg | 16 February 1814 | 28 August 1814 | 6 months 12 days | Christian Frederick was made King of Norway upon its independence from Denmark after defeat in the Napoleonic Wars and the Treaty of Kiel. Later in 1814 after an invasion by Sweden Christian Frederick renounced the throne after the Convention of Moss. Christian Frederick would later become King Christian VIII of Denmark. |
| Prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd | Wales | Gwynedd | 11 December 1282 | 22 June 1283 | 6 months 11 days | Dafydd succeeded to the princeship of Wales on the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in December 1282. For most of his reign his rule was confined solely to Gwynedd due to the invasion of Wales by Edward I. He was captured in June 1283. |
| Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah | Zanzibar | Al Sa'id | 1 July 1963 | 12 January 1964 | 6 months 11 days | Jamshid bin Abdullah's short reign was brought to an end by the Zanzibar revolution and the abolition of the sultanate. |
| Emperor Lê Túc Tông | Vietnam | Lê | 6 June 1504 | 7 December 1504 | 6 months 1 day | Lê Túc Tông was possibly murdered by his older brother and successor Lê Uy Mục. |
| King Donald III | King of Scots | Dunkeld | 13 November 1093 | May 1094 | ~6 months | Donald III succeeded the throne after the assassination of Malcolm III and later lost the throne to Duncan II. Donald III regained the throne on 12 November 1094 after the assassination of Duncan II and reigned until 1097. |
| King Charles I | King of Norway | Bonde | 20 November 1449 | June 1450 | ~6 months | Charles was elected king in Trondheim after the death of Christopher of Bavaria, but Christian I had more supporters in southern Norway and was able to force Charles' abdication. |
| King Duncan II | King of Scots | Dunkeld | May 1094 | 12 November 1094 | ~6 months | Duncan II seized the throne from Donald III only to be assassinated and replaced by him. |
| King Zechariah of Israel | Israel | House of Omri | 773 BC | 773 BC | 6 months | Biblical King of Israel from the Second Book of Kings |
| Emperor Alexius IV Angelus | Byzantine Empire | Angelus | 1 August 1203 | 27 January 1204 | 5 months 26 days | Alexius IV Angelus became co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire when his father Isaac II Angelus regained the throne from Alexius III Angelus. Both reigns would be short being usurped by Alexios V Doukas leading to the deaths of Alexius IV Angelus and Isaac II Angelus. |
| David V of Georgia | Kingdom of Georgia | Bagrationi | 1155 | 1155 | ~5 months | |
| Emperor Wu Sangui | China | Zhou | March 1678 | August 1678 | ~5 months | Wu Sangui proclaimed himself Emperor of a new Zhou Dynasty and was soon quashed by Kangxi. Wu Sangui had also been instrumental in the removal of Emperor Li Zicheng. |
| King George VII | King of Imereti | Bagrationi | June 1712 | November 1713 | ~5 months | Also reigned in other periods of time. |
| Emperor Isaac II Angelus | Byzantine Empire | Angelus | 1 August 1203 | ~January 1204 | ~5 months | Isaac II Angelus had previously been Emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 7 September 1185 until 1195 until he was imprisoned by his brother Alexius III Angelus, who usurped the throne from him. After Isaac II Angelus was released from captivity by the Fourth Crusade he then regained his empire with his son Alexius IV Angelus as co-emperor forcing Alexius III Angelus into exile. This second reign ended when he and his son Alexius IV Angelus were captured and usurped once more by Alexios V Doukas, this time resulting in the death of Isaac II Angelus and Alexius IV Angelus. |
| King Charles VIII of Sweden | King of Sweden | Bonde | Autumn 1464 | 30 January 1465 | 4–5 months | Charles, who had been removed from office 7 years prior, was recalled during a rebellion, but soon found his luck changed and was forced out of office a second time. He would return to claim the throne a third time in 1467. |
| Duke Eduard | Anhalt | Ascania | 21 April 1918 | 13 September 1918 | 4 months 23 days | Eduard succeeded his brother Friedrich II, but died suddenly within 5 months and left the throne to his teenage son Joachim Ernst. |
| Duke Charles II | Parma | Bourbon-Parma | 17 December 1847 | 19 April 1848 | 4 months 2 days | Charles II abdicated in favour of his son Charles III after the revolution of 1848. Charles II had previously succeeded his father King Louis I of Etruria to become Louis I from 27 May 1803 to 1807 when it was annexed by France and succeeded his mother Maria Louisa to become Duke Charles I of Lucca from 13 March 1824 to 1847 when it was annexed by Tuscany. |
| Pharaoh Renseneb | Egypt | Thirteenth Dynasty | c.1775 BC | c.1775 BC | 4 months | Pharaoh of the Second Intermediate period. Attested 4 months in the Turin Papyrus |
| Emperor Hiệp Hoà | Vietnam | Nguyễn | 30 July 1883 | 29 November 1883 | 3 months 29 days | Succeeded the throne after the death of emperor Dục Đức after a reign of 3 days. Hiệp Hoà was murdered and succeeded by Kiến Phúc (who also reigned less than a year). |
| King Mindaugas II | Lithuania | Württemberg | 11 July 1918 | 2 November 1918 | 3 months 21 days | Mindaugas II was elected King by the Council of Lithuania soon after independence from the Russian Empire and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The council soon changed its decision and declared Lithuania a republic. |
| King Jehoiachin of Judah | Judah | House of David | 9 December 599 BC | 16 March 599 BC | 3 months 10 days | Biblical King from the Second Book of Kings. |
| Kaiser/King Frederick III | German Empire and Prussia | Hohenzollern | 9 March 1888 | 15 June 1888 | 3 months 6 days | Frederick III succeeded his father's throne with terminal larynx cancer and was unable to speak during his brief reign. |
| Sultan Murad V | Ottoman Empire | Osman | 30 May 1876 | 31 August 1876 | 3 months 1 day | Murad V replaced his uncle Abdülaziz who had been deposed by his ministers (and died soon after). Murad V was also soon deposed in favour of his brother Abdul Hamid II, who was also deposed. |
| Emperor Otho | Roman Empire | Year of Four Emperors | 15 January 69 | 16 April 69 | 3 months 1 day | Committed suicide after losing the Battle of Bedriacum to his successor, Emperor Vitellius |
| King Teia | King of the Ostrogoths | 1 July 552 | cOctober 552 | ~3 months | Probably killed at the Battle of Mons Lactarius. | |
| King George VIII | King of Imereti | Gurieli | 15 March 1720 | June 1720 | ~3 months | 1726 |
| Emperor Constantine III | Byzantine Empire | Heraclian | 11 February 641 | May 641 | ~3 months | Constantine III was junior co-emperor with his father Heraclius from 22 January 613 until his death 11 February 641. Constantine III then became joint co-emperor with his brother Heraklonas who was sole emperor after Constantine III's death. |
| King Sinmu | Silla (Korea) | Kim | April 839 | July 839 | ~3 months | He killed King Minae and succeeded the throne, but died by furuncle on his back after three months. |
| King Sunjong | Goryeo (Korea) | Wang | July 1083 | October 1083 | ~3 months | King Sunjong is the shortest reigning monarch in Korean history. |
| King Jehoahaz of Judah | Judah | House of David | July 610 BC | October 610 BC | 3 months | Biblical King from the Second Book of Kings. |
| Emperor Yuan Shikai | China | Yuan | 1 January 1916 | 22 March 1916 | 2 months 22 days | President Yuan Shikai declared himself emperor of his newly created Chinese Empire on 1 January 1916. Due to the unpopularity of the new Empire he reverted to being the president of the Republic of China until his death on 5 June 1916. |
| King Pedro IV | Portugal | Braganza | 10 March 1826 | 28 May 1826 | 2 months 18 days | Pedro succeeded the throne upon the death of his father and was forced to abdicate in favour of his daughter Maria II. He also reigned as Emperor Pedro I of Brazil from 12 October 1822 to 7 April 1831 until he abdicated in favour of his son Pedro II. |
| King Edward V | England | York | 9 April 1483 | 25 June 1483 | 2 months 16 days | Edward V succeeded the throne on the death of his father Edward IV and was replaced by his Uncle who became Richard III after Parliament declared Edward V's claim to the throne invalid. It is unknown what happened to Edward V after his "reign". |
| Seventh Dynasty of Egypt | Ancient Egypt | Seventh Dynasty | c.2180 BC | c.2180 BC | 70 days | According to Manetho, these fourteen kings reigned a total of 70 days. |
| Emperor Alexios V Doukas | Byzantine Empire | Doukas | 5 February 1204 | 12 April 1204 | 2 months 7 days | Alexios V Doukas usurped the throne from emperors Isaac II Angelus and Alexius IV Angelus and was then deposed during the Fourth Crusade. Soon after that, whilst in exile, he was blinded by his father-in-law, the previously deposed Alexius III Angelus, and then brought back to Constantinople and sentenced to death for treason. |
| King Väinö I | Finland | Hesse-Kassel | 9 October 1918 | 14 December 1918 | 2 months 5 days | Väinö I was elected king by the newly independent Kingdom of Finland and due to German defeat in the First World War renounced his title without travelling to his own kingdom. |
| King Mamia III Gurieli | King of Imereti | Gurieli | November 1713 | 5 January 1714 | ~2 months | reigned for around a year (1701-1702), eight months (October 1711-June 1712), three months (November 1713-5 January 1714) |
| Chúa Trịnh Cán | Vietnam | Trịnh | 1782 | 1782 | ~2 months | Trịnh Cán succeeded his father Trịnh Sâm to the throne aged 6 years and his half brother Trịnh Khải soon killed him and usurped his throne. |
| Duke Joachim Ernst | Anhalt | Ascania | 13 September 1918 | 12 November 1918 | 1 month 30 days | Joachim Ernst abdicated his throne at the end of the First World War during the German revolution. He died as a prisoner of war in Buchenwald camp as a prisoner of Soviet forces. |
| King Boleslaw I Chrobry | Poland | Piast | 18 April 1025 | 17 June 1025 | 1 month 30 days | Boleslaw I died not long after the coronation, due most likely to an illness. |
| King Edgar II | Kingdom of England | Wessex | 15 October 1066 | 10 December 1066 | 1 month 25 days | Edgar succeeded the throne with the death of Harold II during the Norman invasion only to submit his throne to William I. |
| Tsar Feodor II | All Russia | Godunov | 23 April 1605 | 20 June 1605 | 1 month 22 days | Tsar Feodor II succeeded to the throne after the death of his father Boris Godunov and was soon after killed during the Time of Troubles. |
| Emperor Ziying | China | mid-October 207 BC | December 207 BC | 1 month 16 days | Ziying was the last ruler of the Qin Dynasty of China | |
| Emperor Ningzong | China | ~1332 | ~1332 | 1 month 13 days | Ningzong was briefly installed as Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, a ruling dynasty of China. | |
| Tirigan | Sumer | Dynasty of Guti | c.2050 BC | c.2050 BC | 40 days | Last king of Guti, according to the Sumerian King List. |
| King Sweyn I | England | 25 December 1013 | 3 February 1014 | 1 month 9 days | Sweyn usurped the throne from Æthelred II who regained the throne after Sweyn's death. Sweyn was also king of Denmark from c985 and king of Norway c985 to 995 and co-monarch from 1000 until his death. | |
| King Umberto II | Italy | Savoy | 9 May 1946 | 12 June 1946 | 1 month 3 days | Umberto II succeeded the throne when his father Victor Emmanuel III abdicated in an attempt to retain the monarchy. 33 days after the reign of Umberto II began, a republic was declared. |
| Emperor Li Zicheng | China | Li | 25 April 1644 | 27 May 1644 | 1 month 2 days | Li Zicheng declared himself Emperor of China after Chongzhen committed suicide and was then forced from power after the Battle of Shanhai Pass. |
| Pope John Paul I | Holy See | 26 August 1978 | 28 September 1978 | 1 month 2 days | ||
| Pope Benedict V | Holy See | 22 May 964 AD | 23 June 964 AD | 1 month 1 day | ||
| King Shallum of Israel | Israel | 773 BC | c.772 BC | 1 month | Biblical King from the Second Book of Kings. Because he became King in the 38th year but died in the 39th year, then his reign probably spans the Jewish New year. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Shortest-reigning Monarchs
Famous quotes containing the word year:
“The rarest of all things in American life is charm. We spend billions every year manufacturing fake charm that goes under the heading of “public relations.” Without it, America would be grim indeed.”
—Anita Loos (1888–1981)