List of shortest-reigning monarchs

A monarch is the leader of a monarchy, a position usually intended to last for life or until abdication or deposition. The reigns of some monarchs have been notably short. Many of these monarchs acceded to the throne as a result of being first in an order of succession, while other monarchs claimed the throne as a result of conflict. The authenticity of some monarchs has been disputed, especially those who reigned during conflict. One factor in such debates is whether the monarch held the throne in a symbolic or nominal capacity.

Monarchs who reigned for less than a day

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Length	Notes	Ref.
	Louis XIX King of France	2 August 1830	About 20 minutes (disputed)	Heir-apparent of Charles X, who was forced to abdicate during the July Revolution. His abdication and his father's were announced through the same document, which refers to him as dauphin only. Louis Antoine is said to have been king between his father's signature and his own, but this does not appear to be historically accurate.
	Luís II King of Portugal	1 February 1908	About 20 minutes (disputed)	Carlos I was murdered in the Lisbon Regicide; his heir-apparent Prince Luís Filipe was also fatally wounded in the attack. Because Luís Filipe survived his father by about 20 minutes, the Guinness Book of Records identifies him as the second-shortest reigning monarch. However, according to the Portuguese tradition, the new monarch must be proclaimed by the Cortes Gerais; thus, the reign of Luís Filipe is disputed and not officially recognised. His younger brother, Manuel, who survived the attack, became the new king following his acclamation in the Cortes.
	Daughter of Xiaoming Emperor of Northern Wei	1 April 528	Less than a day	Proclaimed "Emperor" as an infant by her grandmother, Empress Dowager Hu, who passed her off as male. Later that same day, Hu admitted she was actually female and proclaimed Yuan Zhao as emperor. Official historical records never listed her as a legitimate sovereign.
	Philip Antipope	31 July 768	Less than a day	Elected after the death of Pope Paul I. His election was declared invalid, and he was declared guilty of simony; having been stripped of the pontifical garments, he was then personally forced to return to his monastery.
	Wanyan Chenglin Emperor of Jin	9 February 1234	Less than a day	Emperor Aizong abdicated in his favor while they were still besieged by the Mongols at Caizhou, then committed suicide by hanging. Killed while leading a charge in the streets of Caizhou
	Celestine II Antipope	13/14 December 1124	Less than a day	Elected after the death of Pope Callixtus II. Abdicated a couple of hours into his papacy due to factional violence breaking out during the investment ceremony
	Michael II Emperor of Russia	15 March 1917	Less than a day (disputed)	Succeeded after the abdication of Nicholas II. Made his accession conditional on the decision of the Provisional Government, contrary to the wishes of Nicholas, who abdicated without informing either. Numerous questions surround the existence of any "reign", starting with the legality, or lack thereof, of Nicholas's abdication to his brother while bypassing his son Alexei.
	Min Shin Saw King of Burma	1167	Less than a day	Succeeded after the death of his father Sithu I, who was smothered by his younger son Narathu. Min Shin Saw was assassinated that same night on his brother's order.
	Vira Bahu I King of Polonnaruwa	1196	Less than a day	Succeeded after the death of his father Nissanka Malla and crowned at night. He was assassinated at dawn by the commander-in-chief Tavuru Senevirat.
	Michael Emperor of Trebizond (first reign)	30 July 1341	Less than a day	Acclaimed emperor after arriving with the intention to marry Irene Palaiologina, who had been overthrown by Anna Anachoutlou while the voyage was underway. He was deposed and imprisoned on that same night by Anna. He recovered the throne in 1344 and reigned for five years.
	Soththisena King of Anuradhapura (Sinhala Kingdom)	434	Less than a day	He succeeded his father Mahanama as king and was succeeded by his stepsister, Chattagahaka Jantu. According to the Lesser Chronicle (Cūḷavaṃsa) of Sri Lanka, King Soththisena, the shortest reigning king of Sri Lanka, ascended the throne in the morning and was assassinated that evening in a palace conspiracy.

Other monarchs who reigned for less than a week

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Length	Notes	Ref.
	Napoleon II Emperor of the French	4–6 April 1814 (first reign)	2 days (disputed)	His father Napoleon Bonaparte was declared deposed by the French senate on 4 April 1814, but his formal abdication was not proclaimed until two days later. On 6 April, Napoleon renounced all personal rights to the throne and also those of his descendants. The French Empire was subsequently replaced by the restored Kingdom of France under Louis XVIII.
	Louis Philippe II King of the French	24–26 February 1848	2 days (disputed)	His grandfather Louis Philippe I abdicated on 24 February 1848, following the French Revolution of 1848. The Second Republic was proclaimed two days later. He was later recognized by monarchist loyalists as "Louis Philippe II" or "Philip VII".
	Khalid bin Barghash Sultan of Zanzibar	25–27 August 1896	2 days	Succeeded after the death of his cousin, Hamad bin Thuwaini, who was likely poisoned by Khalid. He was forced to flee during the Anglo-Zanzibar War, which only lasted less than an hour.
	Dục Đức Emperor of Vietnam	20–23 July 1883	3 days	Succeeded after the death of his uncle and adoptive father, Tự Đức. He was deposed and imprisoned by his regents Nguyễn Văn, Tôn Thất and Tran Tien. He died of starvation three months later.
	Xiaowen King of Qin (China)	250 BC	3 days	Succeeded after the death of his father, King Zhaoxiang. It is speculated that he was poisoned by chancellor Lü Buwei.
	Inayatullah Khan King of Afghanistan	14–17 January 1929	3 days	Succeeded after the abdication and flight of his brother, Amanullah Khan, during the uprising of Habibullāh Kalakāni. Abdicated in favour of Kalakani after he captured Kabul
	Dipendra King of Nepal	1–4 June 2001	3 days	Proclaimed king after the murder of his father Birendra and most of his family in the Nepalese royal massacre, where he also shot himself and was left in a coma. Died of his injuries without regaining consciousness
	Stephen (II) Pope	22 (or 23) – 25 (or 26) March 752	3 days (disputed)	Elected after the death of Pope Zachary. Died of a stroke. His pontificate is ambiguous because he died before his episcopal consecration. Because of this, he was removed from the official List of popes in 1961, and Pope Stephen III was redesignated as Pope Stephen II.
	Lê Long Việt Emperor of Vietnam	1005	3 days	Succeeded after the death of his father, Lê Đại Hành. Assassinated on orders of his brother Lê Long Đĩnh, who succeeded him.
	Lê Quang Trị Emperor of Vietnam	1516	3 days	Succeeded at the age of 8 after the murder of Lê Tương Dực. Murdered.
	John II King of Portugal (first reign)	11–15 November 1477	4 days	King of Portugal for a brief period following his father's retirement to a monastery. After he returned, John abdicated. He became the monarch again in 1481.
	John I King of France and Navarre	15–19 November 1316	4 days	Posthumous child of Louis X; king for the four days he lived.
	Crateuas King of Macedon	399 BC	3 / 4 days	Succeeded Archelaus I as king; little is known about him. Some historians believe that Crateuas was one of several conspirators in Archelaus' death and that the claim that Crateuas held the throne after him is an embellishment.
	Mahinda VI King of Polonnaruwa	1187	5 days	Took the throne after killing Vijayabahu II. He was killed by Vijayabahu II's sub-king, Nissanka Malla.
	Ioan Joldea Prince of Moldavia	September 1552	2–8 days	Succeeded after the assassination of Stephen VI by his boyars after a failed invasion of Transylvania. His reign length is disputed.
	Baeda Maryam III Emperor of Ethiopia	April 1826	Few days	Placed on the throne by Dejazmach Haile Maryam, the governor of Semien, but was deposed by Ras Marye of Yejju a few days later, who restored Gigar to the throne.

Other monarchs who reigned for less than a month

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Length	Reason for accession	Reason for reign's end
	Henry V King of France	2–9 August 1830	7 days (disputed)	Abdications of Charles X and Louis XIX, his grandfather and uncle, during the July Revolution	Proclamation hijacked by regent Louis Philippe of Orleans who chose not to announce it as expected. The National Assembly then proclaimed Louis Philippe the King of the French, and Henry marched into exile.
	Indra Bhattaraka King of Eastern Chalukyas	673	7 days	Made himself the monarch following the death of his elder brother Jayasimha I	Succeeded by his son Vishnuvardhana II, likely abdicated or was deposed
	Sigeric King of the Visigoths	16–22 August 415	7 days	Assassination of Ataulf by a former retainer of Sigeric's slain brother, Sarus	Assassinated and replaced by Ataulf's relative Wallia. Some lists of kings exclude him for considering him a usurper.
	Thong Lan King of Ayutthaya	1388–1389	7 days	Death of his father, Borommarachathirat I	Deposed and executed by Ramesuan
	Zein Pun King of Martaban	April–May 1330	7 days	Assassinated King Saw Zein	Assassinated by Sanda Min Hla, widow of Saw Zein
	Zimri King of Israel	885 BC or 876 BC	7 days	Assassinated King Elah	Committed suicide while under siege by Omri, who disputed the crown. His name became a byword for traitor.
	Muhammad al-Badr King of Yemen	19–26 September 1962	8 days	Death of his father, Ahmad bin Yahya	Monarchy abolished, although he would lead the pro-monarchist forces during the North Yemen Civil War, until 1970
	Saad Emir of Kuwait	15–24 January 2006	9 days	Death of Jaber III	Deposed by the National Assembly on the grounds of poor health
	Irina Godunova Tsarina of Russia	17–26 January 1598	9 days (disputed)	Proclaimed after the death of her husband and distant cousin Feodor I. Ruled for 9 days as nominal tsar.	Abdicated in favour of her brother Boris Godunov. Her reign is sometimes counted as having ended on February 21, when her brother Boris was formally elected tsar by the Boyars.
	Jane Queen of England and Ireland	10–19 July 1553	9 days (disputed)	Proclaimed at the Tower of London, per the will of her cousin Edward VI	Deposed and executed by Edward's sister, Mary I
	Henry II King of Haiti	8–18 October 1820	10 days (disputed)	Suicide of his father, Henry I	Murdered before being formally proclaimed. The kingdom was subsequently annexed by the Republic of Haiti.
	Igor II Grand Prince of Kiev	2–13 August 1146	11 days	Death of his brother Vsevolod II, announced on 1 August and proclaimed on 2 August	Forced to abdicate and replaced by Iziaslav II
	Xuantong Emperor of Great Qing (second reign)	1–12 July 1917	11 days	Restored by monarchist general Zhang Xun; he had last been emperor in 1912.	Restoration failed due to lack of support. Later became Emperor of Manchukuo
	Urban VII Pope	15–27 September 1590	12 days	Elected after the death of Sixtus V	Died of malaria. Shortest-reigning Pope recognized by the Holy See
	Louis II King of Holland	1–13 July 1810	13 days	Abdication and flight of Louis I after being pressured by Napoleon	Kingdom annexed by Napoleon
	Bel-shimanni King of Babylon	484 BC	c. 14 days	Proclaimed king in Borsippa and Dilbat, in rebellion against the Achaemenid Empire	Succeeded by Shamash-eriba, either after giving up his claim voluntarily or being defeated by him
	Eleanor Queen of Navarre	28 January – 12 February 1479	14 days	Proclaimed following the death of her father, John II	Died
	Boniface VI Pope	April 896	15 days	Elected after the death of Formosus	Unclear; he died of gout or was deposed according to different sources. His election was declared null and void in 898.
	Ali Ahmad Khan Emir of Afghanistan	17 January – 1 February 1929	15 days	Proclaimed Emir in Jalalabad in protest for Inayatullah Khan's abdication on Habibullah Kalakani	Captured and ransomed to Kalakani, who had him executed
	Ælfweard King of Wessex	17 July – 2 August 924	16 days (disputed)	Death of his father, Edward the Elder	Died. May have reigned in dispute with his elder brother Æthelstan, who succeeded him
	Celestine IV Pope	25 October – 10 November 1241	16 days	Elected after the death of Gregory IX	Died of natural causes
	Napoleon II Emperor of the French (second reign)	22 June – 7 July 1815	16 days	Abdication of his father, Napoleon I	Empire abolished, replaced by the Kingdom of France
	Shang Emperor of Tang	8–25 July 710	17 days	Assassination of his father, Emperor Zhongzong, by Empress Wei and her daughter Li Guo'er who wanted to use the young Shang as their puppet	Deposed; Wei and Li Guo'er were murdered. Most traditional historians did not consider him legitimate and do not include him in the list of emperors of the Tang dynasty, but modern historians usually do.
	Anikanga King of Polonnaruwa	1209	17 days	Assassinated his son, King Dharmasoka, who was an infant	Assassinated by General Vikkantacamunakka, who then surrendered control to former queen Lilavati
	Robert I Count of Hiémois	19 July – 6 August 1027	18 days	Was given a small state by his brother Richard III, Duke of Normandy	Death of his brother, at which point he became Duke of Normandy and left the title
	Sisinnius Pope	15 January – 4 February 708	20 days	Elected after the death of John VII	Died, possibly of gout
	Theodore II Pope	December 897	20 days	Elected after the deposition of Romanus	Died
	Muawiya II Caliph of Islam	683–684	20 days to 4 months	Death of his father, Yazid I	Died of disease
	Gordian II Roman Emperor	March–April 238	22 days	Father and son co-emperors proclaimed in rebellion against Maximinus Thrax in the so-called Year of the Six Emperors	Killed at the Battle of Carthage
	Gordian I Roman Emperor				Committed suicide upon learning of his son's death
	Marcellus II Pope	9 April – 1 May 1555	23 days	Elected after the death of Julius III	Died of a stroke
	Cem Sultan of the Ottoman Empire	28 May – 20 June 1481	23 days (disputed)	Proclaimed himself Sultan in Anatolia after the death of his father, Mehmed II	Fled to Mamluk Egypt after being defeated by his brother, Bayezid II
	Damasus II Pope	17 July – 9 August 1048	24 days	Installed by Henry III of Germany after deposing Benedict IX	Died of malaria or poison
	Rǫgnvaldr Óláfsson King of Mann and the Isles	6–30 May 1249	24 days	Death of his brother Haraldr Óláfsson in a shipwreck	Assassinated by his cousin and successor, Haraldr Guðrøðarson
	Constantine I Emperor of Russia	1–25 December 1825	24 days (disputed)	Proclaimed after the death of his brother, Alexander I	Refused to assume the throne because he had secretly renounced all rights in 1823 in order to marry Joanna Grudzińska. His younger brother became Nicholas I.
	Zhao Fu Emperor of Song	26 March 1129 – 20 April 1129	25 days (disputed)	Ascended the throne after his father, Emperor Gaozong, was forced to abdicated amidst a mutiny	Forced to abdicate in favour of his father. He is not considered a legitimate emperor by most historians.
	Milan Obrenović II Prince of Serbia	25 June – 8 July 1839	26 days	Abdication of his father, Miloš Obrenović I	Died of tuberculosis
	Quintillus Roman Emperor	270	≈27 days	Death of his brother, Claudius Gothicus	Assassinated or committed suicide
	Nepotianus Roman Emperor	3–30 June 350	27 days	Proclaimed emperor in Rome	Assassinated by Magnentius
	Pius III Pope	22 September – 18 October 1503	27 days	Elected after the death of Alexander VI	Died of sepsis in a leg wound
	Leo XI Pope	1–27 April 1605	27 days	Elected after the death of Clement VIII	Died
	Liu He Emperor of Han	74 BC	27 days	Installed by regent Huo Guang	Deposed by Huo Guang
	Taichang Emperor of Great Ming	28 August – 26 September 1620	29 days	Death of his father, the Wanli Emperor.	Died of disease
	Alexios V Emperor of Trebizond	April 1460	<1 month	Death of this father, John IV of Trebizond	Deposed by his uncle David
	Ptolemy XI Pharaoh of Egypt	80 BC	<1 month	Installed as husband and co-ruler of Berenice III	Murdered Berenice and was killed by a mob
	Praudha Raya King of Sangama dynasty	1485	<1 month	Deposed	Deposed by Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya

Other monarchs who reigned for less than three months

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Length	Reason for accession	Reason for reign's end
	Shallum King of Israel	752–745 BC	1 month	Assassinated King Zechariah	Assassinated and replaced by Menahem
	Napoleon I King of Spain	6 May – 6 June 1808	31 days (1 month)	Forced abdications of Charles IV and Ferdinand VII in Bayonne, and their subsequent imprisonment in France	Designated his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain. Usually not counted as a King of Spain unlike his brother
	Antipope Victor IV Pope	March–May 1138	≈1 month	Proclaimed after the death of Antipope Anacletus II	Through the influence of Bernard of Clairvaux, he was induced to make his submission to Pope Innocent II. Innocent initially restored him as cardinal of SS. Apostoli, but in the Second Lateran Council of April 1139, all former adherents of Anacletus II were condemned and deposed. He then retired to the priorate of S. Eusebio in Fontanella.
	Reccared II King of the Visigoths	February–March 612	≈1 month	Death of his father, Sisebut	Died
	Charles II Duke of Parma (second reign)	April – 17 May 1849	≈1 month	Restored by Austrian troops after fleeing during the Revolutions of 1848	Abdicated in favour of his son, Charles III
	Benedict V Pope	22 May – 23 June 964	32 days (1 month, 1 day)	Elected after the death of John XII	Deposed by Emperor Otto I
	Nabu-suma-ukin II King of Babylon	732 BC	1 month, 2 days	Deposed Nabu-nadin-zeri	Deposed by Nabu-mukin-zeri
	John Paul I Pope	26 August – 28 September 1978	33 days (1 month, 2 days)	Elected after the death of Paul VI	Died of a heart attack
	António King of Portugal	23 July – 25 August 1580	33 days (1 month, 2 days) (disputed)	Proclaimed after the death of his uncle Henry due to popular support	Forced to abdicate after being defeated by his cousin Philip I. Reigned in the Azores until 1583
	Zhongzong Emperor of Tang (first reign)	23 January – 26 February 684	34 days (1 month, 3 days)	Death of his father, Emperor Gaozong	Deposed by his mother, Empress Dowager Wu
	Umberto II King of Italy	9 May – 12 June 1946	34 days (1 month, 3 days)	Abdication of his father, Victor Emmanuel III	Monarchy abolished after republican victory in the 1946 Italian institutional referendum
	Adrian V Pope	11 July – 18 August 1276	38 days (1 month, 7 days)	Elected following the death of Innocent V	Died
	Salomon III Emperor of Ethiopia (Second reign)	16 June – 25 July 1799	39 days	Restored by Ras Mare'ed and Ras Guebre while Tekle Giyorgis I was campaigning in Begemder	Deposed by Dejazmach Gugsa and Dejazmach Alula, who were part of the army that defeated Salomon's supporters
	Li Zicheng Emperor of Great Shun	25 April – 4 June 1644	40 days (1 month, 10 days)	Proclaimed himself Emperor after his capture of Beijing and the suicide of the Chongzhen Emperor	Abandoned Beijing after his defeat by the Manchus at the Battle of Shanhai Pass. He was killed under unclear circumstances around 1645, likely in battle.
	Sweyn Forkbeard King of England	25 December 1013 – 3 February 1014	40 days (1 month, 9 days)	Declared king after conquering London	Died
	Tirigan King of Sumer	c. 2050 BC	40 days	Succeeded Si'um	Sumer annexed by Utu-hengal of Uruk
	Umor Khan of Bulgaria	766	40 days	Likely elected after the deposition and flight of Sabin	Unknown. Could have died or been deposed by Toktu
	Antipater Etesias King of Macedon	279 BC	45 days	Became king after the abdication of Meleager	Deposed by Sosthenes
	Ala ud-din Sikandar Shah Tughlaq dynasty	22 January − 8 March 1394	45 days (1 month and 14 days)	Succeeded Muhammad Shah III	Died of natural causes
	Xerxes II Shah of Persia and Pharaoh of Egypt	424 BC	45 days (1 month, 15 days)	Death of his father, Artaxerxes I	Assassinated by Sogdianus, his illegitimate half-brother and successor
	Ying Ziying King of Qin	October–December 207 BC	46 days	Enthroned by Zhao Gao after the assassination of Qin Er Shi	Assassinated by Xiang Yu
	Abd al-Rahman V Caliph of Cordoba	2 December 1023 – 17 January 1024	46 days (1 month, 15 days)	Overthrew Al-Qasim al-Ma'mun	Assassinated by Muhammad III
	Ferdinand VII King of Spain (first reign)	19 March – 6 May 1808	48 days (1 month, 17 days)	Abdication of his father, Charles IV, as a result of the Mutiny of Aranjuez	Forced to abdicate on his father by Napoleon I, who unbeknownst to Ferdinand, had been forced to abdicate his rights on Napoleon himself on the same day. The abdications were declared null by the Council of Castile on 11 August, recognizing him as king despite being imprisoned by the French at Château de Valençay. Napoleon recognized him on 11 December 1813, by the Treaty of Valençay, and he remained on the throne until his death in 1833.
	Sylvester III Pope	20 January – 10 March 1045	49 days (1 month, 19 days)	Elected after a revolt expelled Benedict IX from Rome	Deposed by Benedict IX
	Saw E King of Martaban	April–June 1330	49 days	Assassination of Zein Pun by former queen consort Sanda Min Hla	Assassinated by Sanda Min Hla
	Magnus the Strong King of Denmark	15 April – 4 June 1134	50 days (1 month, 19 days)	Appointed as co-king of Denmark with his father king Niels as senior king. Crowned as king of Denmark by Emperor Lothair III 15 April 1134	Killed at the Battle of Fotevik
	Benedict IX Pope (second reign)	10 March – 1 May 1045	52 days (1 month, 22 days)	Recaptured Rome and expelled Sylvester III	Abdicated on his godfather, Gregory VI, in order to marry his cousin
	Ningzong Khagan and Emperor of Great Yuan	23 October – 14 December 1332	52 days (1 month, 22 days)	Elected after the death of his uncle Emperor Wenzong	Died
	Pedro IV King of Portugal	10 March – 2 May 1826	53 days (1 month, 23 days)	Death of his father, John VI	Abdicated in favour of his daughter, Maria II, and returned to Brazil where he reigned as Pedro I until 1831.
	Charles II King of Hungary and Croatia	31 December 1385 – 24 February 1386	55 days (1 month, 24 days)	Deposed Queen Mary	Assassinated by Mary's mother, Elizabeth of Bosnia
	Gregory VIII Pope	21 October – 17 December 1187	57 days (1 month, 25 days)	Elected following the death of Urban III	Died
	Feodor II Tsar of Russia	23 April – 20 June 1605	58 days (1 month, 28 days)	Death of his father, Boris I	Assassinated by boyars supporting False Dmitry I
	Khusrau Khan Sultan of Delhi	10 July – 5 September 1320	58 days	Assassination of his homosexual partner and emperor Mubarak Shah	Assassinated by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq who founded the Tughlaq dynasty
	Al-Mansur Abu Bakr Sultan of Egypt and Syria	7 June – 5 August 1341	59 days (1 month, 29 days)	Death of his father, An-Nasir Muhammad	Deposed and executed
	Joachim Ernest Duke of Anhalt	13 September – 12 November 1918	60 days (1 month, 30 days)	Death of his father, Edward	Monarchy abolished
	Diadumenian Roman co-emperor	after 16 May 218 – after 8 June 218	1–2 months	Made co-emperor by his father, Macrinus	Assassinated after the deposition of Macrinus; he was also declared Enemy of Rome and subjected to Damnatio memoriae.
	Herennius Etruscus Roman co-emperor	May–June 251	1–2 months	Made co-emperor by his father, Decius	Killed at the Battle of Abritus
	Edgar II King of the English	after 14 October 1066 – early December 1066	1–2 months	Elected by the Witenagemot after Harold II's death	Submitted to William the Conqueror
	Ragibagh Khan Khagan and Emperor of Great Yuan	October – 14 November 1328	1–2 months	Installed following the death of his father, Yesün Temür	Died after a civil war broke out, probably murdered by a rival claimant
	Labashi-Marduk King of Babylon	556 BC	1-3 months	Succeeded his father, Neriglissar	Assassinated by Belshazzar
	David Tiberius Eastern Roman emperor	September – 5 November 641	<2 month	Made co-emperor of his brother Heraclonas by their mother, Empress Martina.	Deposed by supporters of Constans II
	Yuan Zhao Emperor of Wei	2 April – May 528	<2 months	Proclaimed by Empress Dowager Hu	Deposed and executed along with Hu. Traditional historians treat him ambiguously, and subsequent Northern Wei emperors never explicitly declared whether he was an emperor or not. He was not given an imperial posthumous name or temple name, but neither was his imperial status declared null.
	Leo V Pope	Late July – mid-September 903	<2 months	Elected after the death of Benedict IV	Deposed and imprisoned by Christopher, dying in February 904 under unclear circumstances. The Catholic Church considers Christopher an antipope and stretches Leo V's pontificate to the accession of Sergius III in January 904.
	Amyntas II King of Macedon	394/393 BC	<2 months	Death of his relative Aeropus II	Assassinated and succeeded by Aeropus II's son Pausanias
	John IV Prince of Moldavia	November–December 1577	<2 months	Deposed Peter IV	Deposed and executed after an Ottoman-Polish-Wallachian invasion restored Peter IV
	Salim II Sultan of Ndzuwani	February – 2 April 1891	<2 months	Succeeded his father Abdallah III	Unknown
	Peter VII Prince of Moldavia	August – September/October 1592	<2–3 months	Deposed Alexander V	Deposed and mutilated by Aaron I, who then handed him to the Ottomans to be executed
	Ciubăr Vodă Prince of Moldavia	c. December 1448 – January 1449	2 months (disputed)	A Croatian-Hungarian aristocrat sent by John Hunyadi to depose Roman II in favor of Peter III, but said to have reigned himself as Prince after Peter III fled	Unknown. Alexander II became Prince in February 1449. Some historians believe he merely occupied the country on Hunyadi's behalf and did not actually claim the throne.
	Mamia I King of Imereti (third reign)	November 1713 – 5 January 1714	2 months	Recovered the throne after defeating George VII at the Battle of Kutaisi	Died
	Meleager King of Macedon	279 BC	2 months	Death of his brother Ptolemy Keraunos	Forced to abdicate by his troops
	Trịnh Cán Lord of Tonkin	September–October 1782	≈2 months	Death of his father, Trịnh Sâm	Forced to abdicate on Trịnh Khải
	Gyanendra King of Nepal (first reign)	7 November 1950 – 7 January 1951	61 days (2 months)	Proclaimed when he was 4 years old by Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, in defiance of Gyanendra's grandfather Tribhuvan, who wanted to end the Rana family's hereditary occupation of the government. Afterward, Tribhuvan and most Nepalese royals, including Gyanendra, departed for India.	Tribhuvan returned and resumed rule after the Ranas agreed to his terms. Gyanendra would become the last king of Nepal five decades later, after the Nepalese royal massacre.
	Ibrahim ibn al-Walid Caliph of Islam	4 October – 4 December 744	61 days (2 months)	Death of his brother, Yazid III	Abdicated in favour of Marwan II, who murdered him in 750
	Innocent IX Pope	29 October – 30 December 1591	62 days (2 months, 1 days)	Elected after the death of Gregory XIV	Died
	Didius Julianus Roman Emperor	28 March – 1 June 193	66 days (2 months, 5 days)	Bought the throne in auction after the assassination of Pertinax	Deposed and executed. Also subjected to Damnatio memoriae
	Staurakios Eastern Roman Emperor	26 July – 2 October 811	68 days (2 months, 6 days)	Death of his father, Nikephoros I Logothetes	Forced to abdicate by Michael I Rangabe
	Frederick Charles King of Finland and Karelia	9 October – 14 December 1918	66 days (2 months, 5 days)	Elected by the Parliament of Finland	Renounced the throne without entering the country, which later became a republic
	Frederick Christian Elector of Saxony	5 October – 17 December 1763	74 days (2 months, 12 days)	Death of his father, Frederick Augustus II	Died
	Muhammad II Caliph of Cordoba (second reign)	10 May – 23 July 1010	74 days (2 months, 13 days)	Deposed Sulayman ibn al-Hakam	Assassinated and replaced by Hisham II
	Petronius Maximus Western Roman Emperor	17 March – 31 May 455	75 days (2 months, 14 days)	Elected by the Roman Senate after assassinating Valentinian III	Murdered by a mob while trying to flee Rome from the impending Vandal attack
	Alexios V Eastern Roman Emperor	27 January – 12 April 1204	76 days (2 months, 16 days)	Deposed co-emperors Isaac II and Alexios IV	Fled Constantinople during the Latin Sack of 1204. Later captured by Crusaders and executed
	Edward V King of England	9 April – 25 June 1483	77 days (2 months, 16 days)	Death of his father, Edward IV	Deposed and imprisoned by his uncle Richard III, who claimed he was illegitimate. He is presumed murdered in captivity.
	Chūkyō Emperor of Japan	13 May – 29 July 1221	78 days (2 months, 17 days)	Enthroned following the deposition of his father, Emperor Juntoku, in preparation for the Jōkyū War	Due to the Jōkyū War, the imperial court army was defeated by the Kamakura Shogunate army and he was deposed. Not officially recognized as Emperor until 1870 because of doubts raised by his short reign
	Tupac Huallpa Sapa Inca	Began c. 26 July 1533, ended 12–27 October 1533	c. 78–93 days	Installed as puppet Inca by the Spanish after the assassination of Atahualpa	Died of disease or poison
	Stephen II Despot of Serbia	1 April – 20 June 1459	80 days (2 months, 19 days)	Married a daughter of the late Despot Lazar Branković	Serbia annexed by the Ottoman Empire. Later became King of Bosnia for two years
	Cuitláhuac Great Speaker of the Triple Alliance	c. 29 June – September 1520	80 days (2 months, 19 days)	Elected soon before or after leading a revolt against the Spanish who were holding his brother Moctezuma II hostage in Tenochtitlan	Died of smallpox
	Hongxian Emperor of China	1 January – 22 March 1916	81 days (2 months, 21 days)	Offered the throne after unanimous vote by the Representative Assembly	Empire abolished after the monarchical restoration proved unexpectedly unpopular. Continued as President of the Republic of China until his death on 6 June
	Amanullah Khan King of Afghanistan (second reign)	March – 23 May 1929	83 days	Returned to contest the throne during the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929), in opposition to Habibullah Kalakani	Fled to British India
	Pertinax Roman Emperor	1 January – 28 March 193	86 days (2 months, 27 days)	Proclaimed after the assassination of Commodus	Assassinated by his Praetorian Guards, who then auctioned off the throne to the highest bidder.
	Berengaria Queen of Castile	6 June – 31 August 1217	86 days (2 months, 25 days)	Death of her brother, Henry I	Abdicated in favour of her son, Ferdinand III
	Christian Frederick King of Norway	17 May – 14 August 1814	89 days (2 months, 28 days)	Elected by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly	Abdicated by the Convention of Moss and returned to Denmark, where he became king (as Christian VIII) in 1839. The Crown of Norway was assumed by his rival, Charles XIII of Sweden.
	Shajar al-Durr Sultan of Egypt	2 May – 30 July 1250	89 days (2 months 28 days)	Placed on the throne by the Mamluks after the assassination of Turanshah, the last member of the direct male line of the Ayyubid dynasty. Shajar al-Durr was previously the wife of the penultimate sultan As-Salih Ayyub (who died in 1249) and was chosen to provide the Mamluks with a link to the legitimate Ayyubid dynasty.	Abdicated in favour of Aybak, her second husband
	Philip I King of Castile	27 June – 25 September 1506	90 days (2 months, 29 days)	Recognized as regnant king with equal authority to his wife, Queen Joanna, by the Treaty of Villafáfila	Died of typhoid or poison
	Gebre Krestos Emperor of Ethiopia	24 March – 8 June 1832	2–3 months (except for a short time during the first reign of Sahle Dengel)	Proclaimed emperor by Ras Ali II of Yejju	Died, possibly poisoned
	Florianus Roman Emperor	July–September 276	<3 months	Proclaimed after the death of his half-brother, Tacitus	Assassinated by his own troops while campaigning against the rebel Probus
	Sinmu King of Silla	839	<3 months	Assassinated Minae of Silla	Died from disease
	Alexander III Prince of Moldavia	December 1540 – February 1541	<3 months	Assassination of Stephen V	Deposed and later assassinated by Peter IV
	Alexander V Prince of Moldavia	June–August 1592	<3 months	Aaron I deposed by the Ottoman Empire	Deposed by Peter VII. In November he became the equally brief Prince of Wallachia, as Alexander III.
	Alexander II Prince of Moldavia (third reign)	February – March or May 1455	2–4 months	Deposed Peter Aaron	Deposed by Peter Aaron and forced into exile, where he died on 25 May 1455
	Shihabuddin Omar Emperor of Khalji dynasty	5 January – April 1316	~3 months	Deposed	Deposed by his elder brother Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah, later died in exile
	Tekle Giyorgis I Emperor of Ethiopia (Sixth reign)	24 March – June 1800	~3 months	Placed on the throne multiple times during the Zemene Mesafint.

Other monarchs who reigned for less than six months

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Length	Reason for accession	Reason for reign's end
	Shirikti-shuqamuna King of Babylon	c. 981 BC	3 months	Succeeded his brother, Ninurta-kudurri-usur I	Succeeded by Mar-biti-apla-usur
	Sîn-šumu-līšir King of Assyria and Babylon	626 BC	3 months	Rebelled against Sinsharishkun of Assyria	Defeated by Sinsharishkun
	Jehoahaz King of Judah	609 BC	3 months	Josiah killed at the Battle of Megiddo	Deposed and imprisoned by Necho II
	Shamash-eriba King of Babylon	484 BC	3 months	Proclaimed king in Sippar, in rebellion against the Achaemenid Empire	Defeated by Xerxes I
	Vikramabahu II King of Polonnaruwa	1196	3 months	Assassination of his nephew Vira Bahu I	Assassinated by his nephew Chodaganga I
	Min Hla King of Ava	August–November 1425	3 months	Assassination of his father, Thihathu of Ava	Assassinated by his stepmother, Shin Bo-Me
	George VIII King of Imereti	1716	3 months	Deposed George VII with Ottoman support	Fled back to Guria
	Ea-mukin-zeri King of Babylon	c. 1004 BC	3-5 months	Succeeded Simbar-shipak	Succeeded by Kashshu-nadin-ahi
	Otho Roman Emperor	15 January – 16 April 69	91 days (3 months, 1 day)	Proclaimed after the assassination of Galba	Committed suicide after the Battle of Bedriacum
	Murad V Ottoman Sultan and Caliph	30 May – 31 August 1876	93 days (3 months, 1 day)	Deposition of his uncle, Abdulaziz	Deposed during the Great Eastern Crisis
	Nebuchadnezzar IV King of Babylon	25 August - 27 November 521 BC	94 days (3 months, 2 days)	Rebelled against the Achaemenid Empire	Captured and executed by Darius the Great
	Napoleon I Emperor of the French (second reign)	20 March – 22 June 1815	94 days (3 months, 2 days)	Returned to Paris	Abdicated in favour of Napoleon II
	Sunjong King of Goryeo	2 September – 5 December 1083	95 days (3 months, 3 days)	Death of his father	Died
	Maria I Queen of Brazil	16 December 1815 – 20 March 1816	95 days (3 months, 4 days)	Brazil raised to a kingdom	Died
	Mustafa I Sultan of the Ottoman Empire	22 November 1617 – 26 February 1618	96 days (3 months, 4 days)	Death of his brother, Ahmed I	Deposed in favor of his nephew, Osman II. He reigned again for fifteen months after the assassination of Osman II in 1622, before he was deposed again.
	Louis VII Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt	25 April – 31 August 1678	96 days (3 months, 6 days)	Death of his father, Louis VI	Died of an infection
	Dulce Queen of León	23 September – 30 December 1230	97 days (3 months, 7 days)	Proclaimed as co-monarchs following the death of their father Alfonso IX	Renounced their rights to the throne following the Treaty of Benavente, accepting their brother Ferdinand III as sole monarch
	Sancha Queen of León
	Jeconiah King of Judah	9 December 598 BC – 15/16 March 597 BC	97 days (3 months, 7 days)	Death of his father Jehoiakim at the Siege of Jerusalem	Deposed and exiled to Babylon
	Frederick III German Emperor and King of Prussia	9 March – 15 June 1888	98 days (3 months, 6 days)	Death of his father, Wilhelm I	Died of laryngeal cancer
	Pupienus Roman Emperor	April–July 238	99 days	Co-emperors proclaimed by the Roman Senate in rebellion against Maximinus Thrax after the deaths of Gordian I and Gordian II, in the Year of the Six Emperors	Assassinated by the Praetorian Guard. They were succeeded by Gordian III, grandson of Gordian I.
	Balbinus Roman Emperor
	Charles II Duke of Parma (first reign)	31 December 1847 – 19 April 1848	110 days (3 months, 19 days)	Proclaimed after the death of Marie Louise of Parma	Fled the country and abdicated in favour of his son, Charles III
	Ibrahim Pasha Wali of Egypt	20 July – 10 November 1848	113 days (3 months, 21 days)	Succeeded his father Muhammad Ali after he was deemed incapable due to senility	Died of exhaustion after travelling to Constantinople to be confirmed in office
	Mindaugas II King of Lithuania	11 July – 2 November 1918	114 days (3 months, 22 days)	Accepted the throne after election by the Council of Lithuania	Monarchy "suspended" by the council. Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic declared a month later
	Olybrius Western Roman Emperor	11 July 472 – 2 November 472	114 days (3 months, 22 days)	Installed by Ricimer after the assassination of Anthemius	Died of dropsy
	Sima Lun Emperor of Jin	3 February – 31 May 301	117 days (3 months, 28 days) (disputed)	Deposed his great-nephew Emperor Hui	Forced to return the throne to Emperor Hui, and committed suicide shortly afterwards. Many historians do not consider him a legitimate emperor.
	Nebuchadnezzar III King of Babylon	September/October - 18-22 December 522 BC	3-4 months	Rebelled against the Achaemenid Empire	Captured and executed by Darius the Great
	Aemilianus Roman Emperor	June–September 253	3–4 months	Proclaimed in rebellion against Trebonianus Gallus and Volusianus	Assassinated by his own troops
	Ansprand King of the Lombards	March–June 712	3–4 months	Deposed Aripert II	Died
	Solamish Sultan of Egypt and Syria	August–November 1279	<4 months	Placed on the throne after his older brother Barakah was deposed by powerful emirs	Deposed by his regent Qalawun, who took over as sultan
	Sriranga II King of Vijayanagara	1614	~4 months	Succeeded Venkatapati Raya	Assassinated by Gobburi Jagga Raya
	Renseneb Pharaoh of Egypt	1777 BC	4 months	Succeeded Khaankhre Sobekhotep	Unknown. Could have been deposed by Hor
	Philip IV King of Macedon	May – September 297 BC	4 months	Death of his father, Cassander	Died of disease
	Sivali Queen of Anuradhapura	35	4 months	Death of her brother Chulabhaya	Deposed by her cousin Ilanaga
	Christopher Pope	October 903 – January 904	4 months (disputed)	Deposed and imprisoned Leo V	Deposed by Sergius III. Though counted as legitimate for most of history, he was removed from the Annuario Pontificio in the mid-20th century and is considered an antipope by the modern Catholic Church.
	Susenyos II Emperor of Ethiopia	August – 15 December 1770	4 months	Elected by a principal council in Gondar after Tekle Haymanot II and Ras Mikael Sehul left for Tigray	Fled after Ras Mikael Sehul returned to Gondar and restored Tekle Haymanot II
	Stephen VIII Prince of Moldavia	24 April – August 1595	4–5 months	Deposed Aaron I	Deposed by Jeremy I, with Polish support. Stephen tried to recover the throne in December, but he was defeated at the Battle of Suceava, captured, and impaled.
	Michael I Prince of Moldavia	May–September 1600	4–5 months	Invaded Moldavia and deposed Jeremy I, who fled to Poland	Returned to Wallachia after defeat in the Battle of Mirăslău. Jeremy I was restored.
	Andreyas Emperor of Ethiopia	1429 – March 1430	4–6 months	Succeeded his father Yeshaq I	Died at a young age
	Wazir Ali Khan Nawab of Awadh	21 September 1797 – 21 January 1798	122 days (4 months)	Death of his uncle and adoptive father, Asaf-ud-Daula	Deposed by the East India Company
	Hiệp Hòa Emperor of Đại Nam	30 July – 29 November 1883	122 days (3 months, 30 days)	Deposition of his nephew, Dục Đức	Deposed and forced to commit suicide
	Nepherites II Pharaoh of Egypt	mid-late 380 BC	4 months	Death of his father, Hakor	Deposed and likely killed by Nectanebo I
	Sarwe Iyasus Emperor of Ethiopia	1433	4–8 months	Succeeded his father Takla Maryam	Died of Bubonic Plague
	Khande Rao Holkar II Maharaja of Indore	13 November 1843 – 17 March 1844	125 days (4 months, 4 days)	Death of his cousin and adoptive father, Hari Rao Holkar	Died suddenly
	Abd al-Malik Imad ad-Dawla King of Zaragoza	24 January – 31 May 1110	127 days (4 months, 7 days)	Death of his father, Al-Musta'in II, at the Battle of Valtierra	Deposed by the Almoravids. Fled to Rueda de Jalón, where he ruled as a vassal of Alfonso I of Aragon until his death in 1130
	Faisal I King of Syria	8 March – 14 July 1920	128 days (4 months, 6 days)	Crowned by the Syrian Congress	Surrendered to a French ultimatum and was expelled to Mandatory Iraq, where he was made King in 1921 and reigned until his death in 1933. The Arab Kingdom of Syria was abolished on July 25, 1920, and replaced with the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon.
	Michael V Eastern Roman Emperor	13 December 1041 – 21 April 1042	129 days (4 months, 8 days)	Death of his adoptive father, Michael IV	Deposed by Zoë and Theodora III
	Wenzong Khagan and Emperor of Great Yuan (first reign)	16 October 1328 – 26 February 1329	133 days (4 months, 10 days)	Installed following the death of Yesün Temür Khan	Abdicated in favour of his brother Emperor Mingzong
	Charles IV King of Naples	22 February – 7 July 1495	135 days (4 months, 14 days)	Crowned after conquering the city of Naples	Left Italy after defeat in the First Italian War
	Liu Bian Emperor of Han	15 May – 28 September 189	136 days (4 months, 13 days)	Death of his father, Emperor Ling	Deposed and replaced by his younger half-brother, Emperor Xian
	Alexander Hangerli Prince of Moldavia	7 March – 24 July 1807	139 days (4 months, 17 days)	Appointed by Selim III	Deposed and replaced by Scarlat Callimachi
	Yonas Emperor of Ethiopia	18 August 1797 – 4 January 1798	140 days (4 months, 18 days)	Proclaimed Emperor by Ras Isra'el of Begemder	Deposed by Gugsa of Yejju
	Hisamuddin of Selangor King of Malaysia	14 April – 1 September 1960	140 days (4 months, 18 days)	Elected after the death of Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan	Died of illness
	Ntare V King of Burundi	8 July – 28 November 1966	143 days (4 months, 20 days)	Deposed his father, Mwambutsa IV	Deposed by Prime Minister Michel Micombero, who became the dictatorial first president of Burundi
	Edward Duke of Anhalt	21 April – 13 September 1918	145 days (4 months, 23 days)	Death of his brother, Frederick II	Died
	Chong Emperor of Han	20 September 144 – 15 February 145	148 days (4 months, 26 days)	Death of his father, Emperor Shun	Died
	John V Eastern Roman Emperor (third reign)	17 September 1390 – 16 February 1391	152 days (4 months, 30 days)	Recovered the throne from his grandson, John VII, who had deposed him months before	Died
	Hostilian Roman co-emperor	July–November 251	<5 months	Made co-emperor by Trebonianus Gallus after the death of Hostilian's father and brother at the Battle of Abritus	Died from plague or poison
	Peter Aaron Prince of Moldavia (first reign)	October 1451 – February 1452	<5 months	Assassinated Bogdan II	Deposed by Alexander II
	İsa Sultan of the Ottoman Empire	January–May 1403	3–5 months (disputed)	Defeated by his brother Mehmed I at the Battle of Ulubad	Strangled in September 1403
	Ælfwynn Lady of Mercia	12 June – December 918	5 months	Death of her mother, Æthelflæd	Abdicated in favour of her uncle Edward I
	Eraric King of the Ostrogoths	541	5 months	Elected after the murder of Ildibad	Assassinated by Totila's followers
	Valagamba King of Anuradhapura (first reign)	103 BC	5 months	Ascended the throne following the assassination of his brother Khallata Naga	Deposed by Pulahatta. He regained the throne in 88 BC.
	Abd al-Rahman IV Caliph of Cordoba	29 April – September 1018	Around 5 months	Proclaimed Caliph after Ali ibn Hammud al-Nasir's assassination	Assassinated. Title disputed with Al-Qasim al-Ma'mun
	Innocent V Pope	21 January – 22 June 1276	153 days (5 months, 1 day)	Elected following the death of Gregory X	Died
	John VII Eastern Roman Emperor	14 April – 17 September 1390	156 days (5 months, 3 days)	Deposed his grandfather, John V	Restoration of John V
	Sonni Baru King of Songhai	6 November 1492 – 12 April 1493	158 days	Succeeded his father Sonni Ali	Fled after being defeated at the Battle of Anfao
	Celestine V Pope	5 July – 13 December 1294	161 days (5 months, 8 days)	Elected following an interregnum	Resigned
	Roman II Prince of Moldavia	15 September 1447 – 23 February 1448	161 days (5 months, 8 days)	Assassinated his uncle, Stephen II, who had previously deposed and blinded Roman's father, Iliaş. He was co-prince with his other uncle Peter III.	Fled to Poland where he died in July 1448. Thereafter Peter III ruled in solitary.
	Yohannes II Emperor of Ethiopia	7 May – 18 October 1769	165 days (5 months, 12 days)	Summoned by Ras Mikael Sehul after the murder of his great-nephew Iyoas I	Poisoned on the orders of Ras Mikael Sehul
	Lê Túc Tông Emperor of Đại Việt	17 July – 30 December 1504	166 days (5 months, 13 days)	Death of his father, Lê Hiến Tông	Died of illness
	Al-Mustansir Caliph of Cairo	13 June – 28 November 1261	168 days (5 months, 15 days)	Proclaimed Caliph in Egypt after the Mongols sacked Baghdad and killed his nephew, Caliph Al-Musta'sim, in 1258	Killed in an ambush near Hit while trying to reconquer Iraq
	Abu Bakr Shah Tughlaq dynasty	15 March 1389 – 30 August 1390	168 days (5 months, 15 days)	Succeeded Tughluq Khan	Deposed and imprisoned by Muhammad Shah III
	Tughluq Khan Tughlaq dynasty	20 September 1388 – 14 March 1389	168 days (5 months, 18 days)	Succeeded Firoz Shah Tughlaq	Assassinanted shortly after his victory against Muhammad Shah III
	Álvaro V Manikongo	27 February – 14 August 1636	170 days (5 months, 20 days)	Poisoned Álvaro IV	Poisoned
	Yazid III Caliph of Islam	17 April – 3/4 October 744	171–172 days (5 months, 17–18 days)	Likely assassinated his cousin, Al-Walid II	Died of a brain tumor
	Charles I King of Norway	20 November 1449 – 13 May 1450	174 days (5 months, 22 days)	Elected in Trondheim by a portion of the Norwegian Council, in defiance of Christian I of Denmark who had been elected by the other part	Renounced his claim to Norway and recognized Christian I. He continued ruling as King of Sweden until he was also replaced there in 1457 by Christian I, and took exile in Poland.
	Charles VIII King of Sweden (second reign)	9 August 1464 – 30 January 1465	174 days (5 months, 21 days)	Returned from exile during a rebellion against Christian I	Exiled again after defeat by Christian I's regent in Sweden, Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna. He recovered the throne for a third time in 1467 and reigned until his death in 1470.
	Gong Emperor of Sui	18 December 617 – 12 June 618	176 days (5 months, 25 days)	Installed as a puppet emperor by Li Yuan	Deposed by Li Yuan, who established the Tang dynasty and later had Emperor Gong murdered
	Al-Muntasir Caliph of Islam	11 December 861 – 7 June 862	178 days (5 months, 24 days)	Assassination of his father, Al-Mutawakkil	Died of disease
	Isaac II Eastern Roman Emperor (second reign)	1 August 1203 – 27/28 January 1204	179 days (5 months, 26–27 days)	Restored to the throne after the flight of his brother Alexios III, who had imprisoned and blinded him in 1195	Deposed by Alexios V. Isaac II died soon afterwards under unclear, but possibly natural circumstances. Alexios IV was strangled on February 8.
	Alexios IV Eastern Roman Emperor			Proclaimed co-emperor with his father because of his deteriorated mental and physical state; he ruled alone in practice.
	Heraclonas Eastern Roman Emperor	May – October/November 641	<6 months	Death of his father, Heraclius I	Deposed, mutilated, and exiled to Rhodes by Constans II

Other monarchs who reigned for a year or less

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Length	Reason for accession	Reason for reign's end
	Marduk-ahhe-eriba King of Babylon	c. 1042 BC	6 months	Succeeded Adad-apla-iddina	Succeeded by Marduk-zer-X
	Zechariah King of Israel	753–752 or 746–745 BC	6 months	Death of his father, Jeroboam II	Assassinated by his captain Shallum, who succeeded him.
	Mark King of Makuria	c. 747	6 months	Crowned by the former king Zachary I after the deposition and exile of Abraham	Assassinated by Abraham's supporters
	Kamarnava II Eastern Ganga dynasty	1015	6 months	Succeeded Vajrahasta IV	fate unknown, succeeded by Gundama II
	Amda Seyon II Emperor of Ethiopia	1494	6 months	Succeeded his father Eskender	Died at the age of 7, succeeded by his uncle Na'od
	Shivaji IV Kolhapur State	2 July 1821 – 3 January 1822	6 months	Succeeded Sambhaji III	Succeeded by Shahaji
	Vallabharaja King of Gurjara	c. 1008	6 months	Crowned after his father Chamundaraja retired	Died of smallpox while on campaign
	Stephen VII Prince of Moldavia	8 August 1563 – January 1564	6 months	Deposed and assassinated John II	Fled to Poland after the Ottomans refused to recognize him and restored Alexander IV, the prince before John II
	Wu Sangui Emperor of Great Zhou	March–August 1678	6 months	Rebelled against the Qing dynasty and proclaimed himself Emperor in Hengyang	Died
	Amha Selassie Emperor of Ethiopia	12 September 1974 – 12 March 1975	181 days (6 months)	Proclaimed by the Derg while he was receiving medical treatment in Switzerland, following the deposition of his father Haile Selassie. He did not accept this proclamation as legitimate and did not return to Ethiopia.	Monarchy abolished
	Shunzong Emperor of Tang	28 February – 28 August 805	182 days (6 months)	Death of his father, Emperor Dezong	Abdicated in favour of his son Emperor Xianzong
	Hasan ibn Ali Caliph of Islam	661	6–7 months	Elected after the death of his father, Ali	Abdicated in favor of Muawiyah I
	Enlil-nadin-shumi King of Babylon	c. 1224 BC	6-18 months	Kashtiliash IV deposed by Tukulti-Ninurta I of Assyria	Succeeded by Kadashman-Harbe II
	Mingzong Khagan and Emperor of Great Yuan	27 February – 30 August 1329	183 days (6 months, 3 days)	Abdication of his brother Emperor Wenzong	Died, possibly poisoned. Emperor Wenzong was restored to the throne.
	Peter III Emperor of All Russia	5 January – 9 July 1762	185 days (6 months, 4 days)	Death of his aunt, Elizabeth I	Deposed and possibly assassinated by his wife, Catherine II
	Kale Kye-Taung Nyo King of Ava	9 November 1425 – 16 May 1426	188 days (6 months, 7 days)	Deposed his nephew, Min Hla	Deposed by Mohnyin Thado
	Henry VI King of England (second reign)	3 October 1470 – 11 April 1471	191 days (6 months, 9 days)	Restored after Edward IV's flight during the 1470 Lincolnshire Rebellion	Deposed by Edward IV after recapturing London and probably assassinated
	Dafydd ap Gruffudd Prince of Gwynedd and Wales	11 December 1282 – 22 June 1283	193 days (6 months, 11 days)	Death of his brother, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, at the Battle of Orewin Bridge	Captured in battle by Edward I of England, who had him hanged, drawn, and quartered on 3 October
	William I Prince of Albania	21 February – 3 September 1914	194 days (6 months, 11 days)	Formally offered the throne by Albanian notables after being chosen for the position by the European Great Powers	Fled to Italy amidst unrest related to the outbreak of World War I.
	Jamshid bin Abdullah Sultan of Zanzibar	1 July 1963 – 12 January 1964	195 days (6 months, 11 days)	Death of his father, Abdullah bin Khalifa	Monarchy abolished
	Sogdianus Shah of Persia and Pharaoh of Egypt	424–423 BC	6 months, 15 days	Proclaimed himself after the death of his father Artaxerxes I, in defiance of the legitimate heir, his half-brother Xerxes II, whom he later had assassinated	Assassinated by his other half-brother, Darius II
	Jean Casimir-Perier Co-Prince of Andorra	27 June 1894 – 16 January 1895	203 days (6 months, 20 days)	Became Prince of Andorra as President of France	Resigned
	Constantius III Western Roman Emperor	8 February – 2 September 421	206 days (6 months, 23 days)	Made co-emperor by Honorius	Died
	Al-Qasim al-Ma'mun Caliph of Cordoba (second reign)	12 February – 9 September 1023	209 days (6 months, 26 days)	Flight of Yahya al-Mu'tali from Cordoba	Deposed and imprisoned
	Duncan II King of Scots	May – 12 November 1094	<7 months	Crowned at Scone as a puppet of William the Conqueror, in rebellion against Donald III who retained control of the Scottish Highlands	Killed in battle or assassinated after defeat
	Alexander II Prince of Moldavia (first reign)	February – 12 October 1449	<7 months	Deposed Peter III	Deposed by Bogdan II. Recovered the throne in 1452
	Peter Aaron (second reign) Prince of Moldavia	August 1454 – February 1455	<7 months	Deposed Alexander II	Deposed by Alexander II
	Bardiya Shah of Persia and Pharaoh of Egypt	early 522 BC – September 522 BC	7 months	Rebelled in the Zagros Mountains against Cambyses II, then in Egypt, some time before Cambyses' death	Assassinated by nobles led by Darius I, who claimed he was not the real Bardiya (brother of Cambyses) but a royal impostor
	Pilaya Mara King of Anuradhapura	91–90 BC	7 months	Assassinated King Panya Mara	Murdered by his chief minister, Dathika
	Lilavati Queen of Polonnaruwa (third reign)	1211–1212	7 months	Restored after deposition of Lokissara	Deposed by Parakrama Pandyan II
	Tarabya King of Ava	April 1400 – before 25 November 1400	7 months	Death of his father Swa Saw Ke	Assassinated by his former tutor Thihapate of Tagaung after he became insane
	Nedjemibre Pharaoh of Egypt	c. 1780 BC or 1736 BC	>7 months	Succeeded Sewadjkare I	Possibly deposed by Khaankhre Sobekhotep
	Lulach King of Scots and Mormaer of Moray	15 August 1057 – 17 March 1058	214 days (7 months, 2 days)	Death of his stepfather Macbeth at the Battle of Lumphanan	Assassinated by Malcolm III
	Paul Deschanel Co-Prince of Andorra	18 February 1920 – 21 September 1920	216 days (7 months, 3 days)	Became Prince of Andorra as President of France	Resigned
	Shang Emperor of Han	13 February – 21 September 106	220 days (7 months, 8 days)	Death of his father, Emperor He	Died
	Galba Roman Emperor	8 June 68 – 15 January 69	221 days (7 months, 7 days)	Proclaimed in rebellion against Nero, who committed suicide	Assassinated by Otho in vengeance for adopting Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus as his heir instead of him
	Edmund II King of the English	23 April – 30 November 1016	221 days (7 months, 7 days)	Elected in London by part of the Witenagemot after the death of his father, Æthelred the Unready; another part elected King Cnut of Denmark in Southampton.	Died, possibly assassinated, after agreeing to divide the kingdom with Cnut. Thereafter Cnut reigned over the whole of England.
	Yahya al-Mu'tali Caliph of Cordoba (second reign)	9 November 1025 – 19 June 1026	222 days (7 months, 10 days)	Reconquered Cordoba from Muhammad III	Deposed in absentia by Hisham III. Became king of Malaga where he reigned until 1035
	Guttorm King of Norway	2 January – 11 August 1204	222 days (7 months, 9 days)	Death of his uncle, Haakon III	Died of illness
	Kōbun Emperor of Japan	9 January – 21 August 672	226 days (7 months, 13 days)	Death of his father, Emperor Tenji	Committed suicide after being deposed by his uncle, Emperor Tenmu. Only counted officially and given a posthumous name after 1870
	Louis I King of Spain	15 January – 31 August 1724	229 days (7 months, 16 days)	Abdication of his father, Philip V	Died of smallpox. Philip V regained the throne and reigned until his own death in 1746.
	Jovian Roman Emperor	27 June 363 – 17 February 364	232 days (7 months, 19 days)	Elected after the death of Julian in the Battle of Samarra	Died in his sleep, possibly suffocated by a defective brazier
	Sulayman ibn al-Hakam Caliph of Cordoba (first reign)	8 November 1009 – 2 June 1010	236 days (7 months, 24 days)	Declared Caliph after taking Cordoba from Muhammad II and freeing, but declining to reinstall former Caliph Hisham II	Deposed by Muhammad II. Recovered the throne in 1013 and reigned for three years
	Stephen IX Pope	3 August 1057 – 29 March 1058	238 days (7 months, 26 days)	Elected after the death of Victor II	Died
	Kiến Phúc Emperor of Đại Nam	1 December 1883 – 31 July 1884	243 days (7 months, 30 days)	Deposition of his adoptive great uncle, Hiệp Hòa	Died of illness or poison
	Theodore I King of Corsica	12 March – 11 November 1736	244 days (7 months, 30 days)	Elected king by Corsican rebels against the Republic of Genoa	Left Corsica in a failed bid to get foreign support
	Alfonso III Duke of Modena and Reggio	11 December 1628 – July 1629	<8 months	Death of his father, Cesare	Abdicated in favor of his son to become a monk
	Phelles King of Tyre	879 BC	8 months	Assassinated his brother Astarymus	Assassinated by Ithobaal I
	Ulpia Severina Roman Empress	270	8 months	Assassination of her husband, Aurelian. Only woman to have ruled the Roman Empire in her own right	Election of Tacitus
	Tacitus Roman Emperor	25 September 275 – June 276	8 months	Elected by the Roman Senate after the assassination of Aurelian	Died of fever while returning from a military campaign in Gaul
	Manava King of Gauda	625–626	8 months	Death of his father, Shashanka	Kingdom conquered and divided between Harsha and Bhaskaravarman
	Abd al-Wahid I Caliph of the Almohad Empire	February–September 1224	8 months	Elected after the death of his grand-nephew, Yusuf II	Assassinated
	George I Prince of Moldavia	November 1399 – June 1400	8 months	Succeeded his brother Stephen I while he was ill but still alive	Deposed and imprisoned after invasion by Mircea I of Wallachia, who installed George's exiled half-brother, Alexander I
	Amda Iyasus Emperor of Ethiopia	1433–1434	8 months	Succeeded his brother Sarwe Iyasus	Unknown fate
	Baeda Maryam II Emperor of Ethiopia	15 April – December 1795	8 months	Made emperor by Dejazmach Wolde Gabriel while Tekle Giyorgis I was absent from Gondar	Deposed by Ras Aligaz and Tekle Giyorgis I restored
	Ferdinand IV Grand Duke of Tuscany	21 July 1859 – 22 March 1860	245 days (8 months, 1 day)	Abdication of his father, Leopold II, after their flight in the Second Italian War of Independence	Tuscany annexed by the Kingdom of Italy
	Lê Nghi Dân Emperor of Đại Việt	3 October 1459 – 6 June 1460	247 days (8 months, 3 days)	Assassinated his half-brother, Lê Nhân Tông	Deposed in favor of his other half-brother Lê Thánh Tông. He was exiled to Lạng Sơn and died shortly after.
	Vitellius Roman Emperor	16 April – 22 December 69	250 days (8 months, 6 days)	Proclaimed in rebellion against Galba	Assassinated
	Jianwen Emperor of Jin	6 January – 12 September 372	250 days (8 months, 6 days)	Installed by general Huan Wen	Died of illness
	Injong King of Joseon	29 November 1544 – 8 August 1545	252 days (8 months, 9 days)	Death of his father, Jungjong	Possibly poisoned by his step-mother Queen Munjeong so his half-brother Myeongjong would become king
	Francis (III) Erdmann Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg	20 November 1665 – 30 July 1666	253 days (8 months, 10 days)	Death of his father Julius (I) Henry	Died
	Ninurta-kudurri-usur II King of Babylon	c. 939 BC	8 months, 12 days	Succeeded his father, Nabu-mukin-apli	Succeeded by his brother, Mar-biti-ahhe-iddina
	John XXI Pope	8 September 1276 – 20 May 1277	255 days (8 months, 12 days)	Elected following the death of Adrian V	Died after apartment collapsed
	Tewodros I Emperor of Ethiopia	12 October 1413 – 23 June 1414	255 days (8 months, 12 days)	Succeeded his father Dawit I	Died in battle against the Adal Sultanate
	Muhammad II Caliph of Cordoba (first reign)	15 February – 1 November 1009	259 days (8 months, 17 days)	Overthrew Hisham II and his prime minister Abd al-Rahman Sanchuelo, who tried to make Hisham name him his heir	Deposed by Sulayman ibn al-Hakam
	Benedict XI Pope	22 October 1303 – 7 July 1304	259 days (8 months, 16 days)	Elected after the death of Boniface VIII	Died
	Hongxi Emperor of Great Ming	7 September 1424 – 29 May 1425	264 days (8 months, 22 days)	Death of his father, the Yongle Emperor	Died
	Sancho II King of León	12 January – 6 October 1072	268 days (8 months, 24 days)	Deposed and imprisoned his brother, Alfonso VI	Killed at the Siege of Zamora
	Albert V Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg	29 December 1468 – 24 September 1469	271 days (8 months, 26 days)	Was given Anhalt-Bernburg to rule	Died of old age
	Matilda Lady of the English	2 February – c. 1 November 1141	c. 272 days (8 months, 28 days) (disputed)	Captured her cousin Stephen, King of England, at the Battle of Lincoln	Stephen exchanged (behind her back and against her will) for her half-brother Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, who was captured at the Rout of Winchester. She was called Lady of the English and not Queen because she was never crowned despite planning to this end.
	William III King of Sicily	February–October 1194	<9 months	Death of his father, Tancred	Deposed by his uncle, Henry I
	Claudine Lady of Monaco	July 1457 – 16 March 1458	<9 months	Death of her father, Catalan Grimaldi. As she was only six years old, her grandmother Pomellina Fregoso was named regent in her father's will.	Pomellina was deposed after trying to murder Lamberto Grimaldi, Claudine's cousin and bethrothed. Lamberto then assumed the position of Lord of Monaco in detriment of his future wife.
	Mamia I King of Imereti (second reign)	October 1711 – June 1712	<9 months	Deposed George VII, who fled to Kartli	Fled to Kartli himself after being defeated by George VII at the Battle of Chkhari
	Marduk-apla-iddina II King of Babylon (second reign)	703-702 BC	9 months	Deposed Marduk-zakir-shumi II	Fled to Elam after his defeat by Sennacherib of Assyria
	Benedict IX Pope (third reign)	November 1047 – July 1048	9 months	Returned to Rome after the death of Clement II	Expelled by the troops of Henry III of Germany, who imposed Damasus II
	Uthman ibn Abi-Bakr King of Valencia	1085–1086	9 months	Death of his father, Abu-Bakr ibn Abd-al-Aziz	Deposed by Yahya al-Qadir
	Gavril Radomir Emperor of Bulgaria	6 October 1014 – August 1015	9 months	Death of his father Samuel	Murdered by his cousin Ivan Vladislav
	Chodaganga King of Polonnaruwa	1196–1197	9 months	Assassinated Vikramabahu II	Deposed and blinded by General Tavuru Senevirat who handed power to Queen Lilavati, widow of Parakramabahu I
	Lokissara King of Polonnaruwa	1210–1211	9 months	Invaded Sri Lanka with a Tamil army from the continent, deposing Lilavati	Deposed by General Parakrama, who restored Lilavati
	Tekle Haymanot II Emperor of Ethiopia (First Reign)	18 October 1769 – August 1770	9 months	Succeeded his father Yohannes II	Deposed when he left Gondar for Tigray
	Az-Zahir Caliph of Islam	5 October 1225 – 10 July 1226	278 days (9 months, 5 days)	Death of his father, An-Nasir	Died of natural causes
	Harold II King of the English	5 January – 14 October 1066	282 days (9 months, 9 days)	Elected by the Witenagemot at the suggestion of the dying king Edward the Confessor	Killed at the Battle of Hastings
	Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor King of Malaysia	31 January 2024 – present	288 days	Elected for the period 2024–2029	Currently reigning
	Clement II Pope	25 December 1046 – 9 October 1047	288 days (9 months, 14 days)	Elected at the request of Henry III of Germany, following the depositions of competing popes Benedict IX, Sylvester III, and Gregory VI	Poisoned with lead sugar, either accidentally or intentionally
	Christian II King of Sweden	1 November 1520 – 23 August 1521	295 days (9 months, 22 days)	Conquered Sweden, which had been in rebellion against the Kalmar Union for seven years	Deposed by the rebel "Protector of the Realm" Gustav Vasa, who was elected King Gustav I in 1523
	Vetranio Western Roman Emperor	1 March – 25 December 350	299 days (9 months, 24 days)	Made co-emperor of Constantius II after the assassination of Constans	Deposed by Constantius II, who became single emperor
	Habibullah Kalakani Emir of Afghanistan	14 December 1928 – 13 October 1929	303 days (9 months, 29 days)	Abdication of Inayatullah Khan	Deposed and executed by Mohammed Nadir Shah
	Aaron I Prince of Moldavia (first reign)	September 1591 – before 20 June 1592	<10 months	Designated by the Ottomans after the abdication of Peter VI	Deposed by the Ottomans and replaced with Alexander V
	Agustín I Emperor of Mexico	19 May 1822 – 19 March 1823	304 days (10 months)	Elected by the Congress of Mexico after Ferdinand VII of Spain refused the position for himself and any of his relatives	Abdicated. The monarchy was abolished shortly after.
	Frederik X King of Denmark	14 January 2024 – present	305 days	Became king upon the abdication of his mother, Margrethe II.	Currently reigning
	Leo II Eastern Roman Emperor	18 January – November 474	10 months	Made augustus (co-emperor) by his grandfather, Leo I	Died
	Carus Roman Emperor	c. September 282 – c. July 283	Around 10 months	Either assassinated Probus, or was proclaimed after such assassination	Allegedly struck by lightning while campaigning against the Sassanids
	Muhammad XII Emir of Granada (first reign)	June 1482 – 20 April 1483	Around 10 months	Rebelled against his father, Muley Hacén, seizing Granada and Almería. His father successfully defended and retained Málaga.	Captured at the Battle of Lucena during an incursion in Castilian territory. Liberated by the Christians in order to fuel inter-Muslim conflict, he titled himself Emir again in 1487 and reigned until 1492.
	Simon I Prince of Wallachia (first reign)	October 1600 – 3 July 1601	Around 10 months	Assassination of Michael II	Deposed by Radu IX
	Ismail II Emir of Granada	23 August 1359 – 24 June or 13 July 1360	306–325 days (10 months, 1–19 days)	Deposed and exiled his brother, Muhammad V, to North Africa	Deposed and assassinated by his brother-in-law, Muhammad VI
	Romulus Augustus Western Roman Emperor	31 October 475 – 4 September 476	309 days (10 months, 4 days)	Installed in Ravenna by his father, General Orestes, after rebelling against Julius Nepos. The latter fled to Dalmatia and continued ruling there as Western Roman emperor until 480.	Deposed by Odoacer, who sent the imperial insignia to Constantinople and titled himself King of Italy
	Martin II King of Sicily	25 July 1409 – 31 May 1410	310 days (10 months, 6 days)	Death of his son Martin I	Died
	Antipope Alexander V Pope	26 June 1409 – 3 May 1410	311 days (10 months, 7 days)	Elected in opposition to the Roman pope Gregory XII and the Avignon pope Benedict XIII	Died suddenly
	Louise Hippolyte Princess of Monaco	20 February – 29 December 1731	312 days (10 months, 9 days)	Death of her father, Anthony I	Died of smallpox
	Zhao Bing Emperor of Song	10 May 1278 – 19 March 1279	313 days (10 months, 9 days)	Death of his half-brother Emperor Duanzong	Murdered by his chancellor Lu Xiufu during the Battle of Yamen
	Narawara King of Burma	14 April 1672 – 27 February 1673	319 days (10 months, 13 days)	Death of his father, Pye Min	Died
	Edward VIII King of the United Kingdom, the British Dominions, and Emperor of India	20 January – 11 December 1936	326 days (10 months, 21 days)	Death of his father, George V	Abdicated in favour of his brother George VI in order to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite
	Fuad II King of Egypt and the Sudan	26 July 1952 – 18 June 1953	327 days (10 months, 23 days)	Abdication of his father, Farouk I	Monarchy abolished
	Paul Doumer Co-Prince of Andorra	13 June 1931 – 7 May 1932	329 days (10 months, 24 days)	Became Prince of Andorra as President of France	Assassinated
	Jovan Nenad Tsar of Bačka	29 August 1526 – 26 July 1527	331 days (10 months, 28 days)	Carved a Serbian kingdom in southern Hungary after the death of Louis II in the Battle of Mohacs, refusing to recognize John Zapolya as King of Hungary and collaborating with the Habsburgs	Assassinated after failing to link with the Habsburgs
	Baldwin I Latin Emperor of Constantinople	16 May 1204 – 14 April 1205	333 days (10 months, 29 days)	Elected by the Crusaders after the Sack of Constantinople	Captured by Kaloyan of Bulgaria at the Battle of Adrianople. Later died in prison
	Mishal Emir of Kuwait	16 December 2023 – present	334 days	Became emir after the death of his half-brother Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah	Currently reigning
	Al-Muhtadi Caliph of Islam	21/22 July 869 – 21 June 870	334–335 days (11 months)	Assassination of his cousin, Al-Mu'tazz	Assassinated
	Marwan I Caliph of Islam	June 684 – April/May 685	11–12 months	Elected after the death of Muawiya II	Died
	Alexander III Prince of Wallachia	Began August–November 1592, ended 2–12 September 1593	11–14 months	Succeeded Stephen I	Deposed by Michael II and exiled to Constantinople, where he was accused of conspiracy and executed in 1597
	Dmitry I Tsar of Russia	10 June 1605 – 17 May 1606	341 days (11 months, 7 days)	Deposition of Feodor II	Assassinated
	Richard III Duke of Normandy	28 August 1026 – 6 August 1027	343 days (11 months, 9 days)	Death of his father Richard II	Died of illness
	Napoleon I Emperor of Elba	11 April 1814 – 20 March 1815	343 days (11 months, 9 days)	Title created by the Treaty of Fontainebleau	Fled to France
	Moshoeshoe II King of Lesotho (second reign)	25 January 1995 – 15 January 1996	355 days (11 months, 21 days)	Reinstated as king in the place of his son Letsie III	Died in a car accident
	Alfonso II King of Naples	25 January 1494 – 23 January 1495	363 days (11 months, 29 days)	Death of his father, Ferdinand I	Abdicated in favour of his son, Ferdinand II
	Christian (I) Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg	16 November 1863 – 15 November 1864	364 days (11 months, 30 days)	Became King of Denmark as Christian IX and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg upon the death of Frederick VII	Saxe-Lauenburg came under the control of Austria and Prussia in 1864.
	Charles III Duke of Parma (first reign)	19 April 1848 – April 1849	Around 12 months	Abdication of his father, Charles II, after both fled during the Revolutions of 1848	Father restored by Austrian troops
	Simon I Prince of Wallachia (second reign)	August 1601 – August 1602	Around 12 months	Deposed Radu IX	Deposed by Radu X
	Michael VI Eastern Roman Emperor	31 August 1056 – 31 August 1057	365 days (12 months)	Succeeded Theodora III after being chosen by her as successor, shortly before her death	Abdicated in favour of Isaac I and became a monk
	Elizabeth II Queen of Tanganyika	9 December 1961 – 9 December 1962	365 days (12 months)	Gained independence within the Commonwealth of Nations and shared a monarch with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and certain other sovereign states	Monarchy abolished
	Elizabeth II Queen of Uganda	9 October 1962 – 9 October 1963	365 days (12 months)
	Elizabeth II Queen of Kenya	12 December 1963 – 12 December 1964	366 days (12 months)
	Zababa-shuma-iddin King of Babylon	c. 1158 BC	1 year	Succeeded Marduk-apla-iddina I	Succeeded by Enlil-nadin-ahi

Other monarchs who may have reigned for less than a year

The following monarchs may also have reigned for less than a year, but only an approximate length of reign is known.

Portrait	Monarch	Reign	Reason for accession	Reason for reign's end
	5–70 unnamed rulers Pharaohs of Egypt (Seventh Dynasty)	c. 2181 BC (70–75 days total)	Existence questioned due to poor and imprecise records. Some believe it fictional, a metaphor for a chaotic interregnum between the Sixth and Eighth Dynasties; others that it really existed but its pharaohs were included in the Eighth Dynasty by mistake.
	Neferkare Pepiseneb Pharaoh of Egypt	2181–2170 BC	Succeeded Neferkahor	Succeeded by Neferkamin Anu after a reign of one year or more. Only attested in the Abydos King List and possibly the Turin King List (as Neferkare Khered Seneb)
	Sewadjkare I Pharaoh of Egypt	c. 1781 BC or 1737 BC	Succeeded Sehetepibre	Succeeded by Nedjemibre. Only known from the Turin King List, which originally included his reign duration but is illegible due to damage
	Ashur-shaduni King of Assyria	c. 1473 BC	Succeeded his father, Nur-ili	Deposed by his uncle, Ashur-rabi I
	Kara-hardash King of Babylon	c. 1333 BC	Succeeded his father, Burnaburiash II	Assassinated by Nazi-Bugash
	Ninurta-tukulti-Ashur King of Assyria	c. 1132 BC	Succeeded his father, Ashur-dan I	Deposed by his brother, Mutakkil-Nusku
	Mutakkil-Nusku King of Assyria	c. 1132 BC	Deposed his brother, Ninurta-tukulti-Ashur	Died
	Nazi-Bugash King of Babylon	c. 1333 BC	Assassinated Kara-hardash	Assassinated by Ashur-uballit I of Assyria, who installed Kara-hardash's brother Kurigalzu II on the throne
	Baba-aha-iddina King of Babylon	813-812 BC	Succeeded Marduk-balassu-iqbi	Deposed by Shamshi-Adad V of Assyria
	Marduk-zakir-shumi II King of Babylon	703 BC	Proclaimed in rebellion against Sennacherib of Assyria	Deposed by Marduk-apla-iddina II
	Sinsharishkun King of Babylon	626 BC	Defeated the rebel Sîn-šumu-līšir	Independence of Babylon under Nabopolassar
	Pausanias King of Macedon	394/393 – 393/392 BC	Became king after Amyntas II was assassinated	Assassinated by a distant cousin, Amyntas III
	Nidin-Bel King of Babylon	Autumn 336 - 335 BC	Possible rebel king between the reigns of Artaxerxes IV and Darius III; existence dubious
	Laconicus King of Sparta	192 BC	Proclaimed after the assassination of Nabis of Sparta	Sparta annexed by the Achaean League
	Antiochus King of Syria	150 BC	Only known from a coin minted at the end of Demetrius I Soter's reign
	Seleucus V King of Syria	125 BC	Assassination of his father, Demetrius II Nicator	Assassinated by his mother and co-ruler, Cleopatra Thea
	Cleopatra IV Pharaoh of Egypt	28 June 116 BC – 115 BC	Death of her father, Ptolemy VIII. Reigned alongside her brother and husband, Ptolemy IX	Pushed out of joint rule by her mother, Cleopatra III
	Zhao Jiande King of Nanyue	112–111 BC	Assassination of Zhao Xing	Assassinated, Nanyue annexed by the Han dynasty
	Antiochus XI King of Syria	94–93 BC	Proclaimed himself king after his brother Seleucus VI was killed fighting against their cousin Antiochus X	Died in battle against Antiochus X
	Arsaces King of Pontus	37–36 BC	Death of his brother Darius	Died
	Sundara Satakarni Satavahana dynasty	76-77 (~1 year)	Succeeded Purindrsena	Died in battle Saka-Satavahana Wars
	Chakora Svatikarna Satavahana dynasty	77-78 (~6 months)	Succeeded Sundara Satakarni	Died in battle Saka-Satavahana Wars
	Liu Yi Emperor of Han	125	Elected to succeed the late Emperor An	Died of illness
	Adur Narseh Shah of Persia	209	Death of his father, Hormizd II	Assassinated and replaced with Shapur II. His reign is questioned by some historians because he is mentioned in Greek sources but not in Persian ones.
	Gongsun Yuan King of Yan	237–238	Rebelled against Cao Wei	Deposed and executed by Wei, along with his family
	Vithimiris/Vinitharius King of the Goths	c. 376	Suicide of Ermanaric when faced by Alan and Hunnic invasions	Killed in battle with the Huns
	Ellac King of the Huns	453–454	Death of his father, Attila	Killed at the Battle of Nedao
	Ildibad King of the Ostrogoths	540–541	Elected after Witiges was taken prisoner to Constantinople by the Byzantines	Murdered by his bodyguard
	John King of the Moors and Romans	545–546	Elected after the death of Stotzas in the Battle of Thacia	Arrested by the Byzantines and crucified in Constantinople
	Teia King of the Ostrogoths	Began July 552, ended October 552 – early 553	Elected after the death of Totila in the Battle of Taginae	Killed at the Battle of Mons Lactarius
	Seaxburh Queen of Wessex	672–674	Succeeded her husband, Cenwalh of Wessex, after his death. Only woman included in the list of kings of Wessex	Died. The throne was inherited by either Cenfus or his son Æscwine, who were distant relatives of her husband.
	Roderic King of the Visigoths	710/711–711/712	Seized the throne by force, either assassinating Wittiza or in the aftermath of Wittiza's death by other causes	Killed at the Battle of Guadalete
	Sigeberht King of Wessex	756–757	Succeeded Cuthred, a distant relative	Deposed by Cynewulf and later assassinated
	Sabin Khan of Bulgaria	765–766	Assassination of Telets	Deposed, fled to Constantinople
	Toktu Khan of Bulgaria	766–767	Succeeded Umor, possibly after deposing him	Assassinated while trying to flee from a revolt
	Pagan Khan of Bulgaria	767–768	Elected after the deposition or assassination of Toktu.	Deposed and assassinated.
	Dae Won-ui King of Balhae	c. 793 – November 793	Death of his father Mun	Assassinated on the order of his nephew Seong by the ministers
	Seong King of Balhae	November 793 – mid 794	Assassinated his uncle Dae Won-ui	Deposed and assassinated by his uncle Gang
	Anulo King of Denmark	812	Death of King Hemming. Anulo and his followers claimed him to be the rightful new king of Denmark.	Killed in battle fought against another claimant for the kingship of Denmark (the party of Anulo won the battle, and Anulo's brothers became new joint kings of Denmark)
	Sigfred King of Denmark	812	Death of King Hemming. Sigfred and his followers claimed him to be the rightful new king of Denmark.	Killed in battle fought against another claimant for the kingship of Denmark
	Gan King of Balhae	817–818	Death of his father Hui	Assassinated by his uncle Seon
	Nepotian King of Asturias	842	Succeeded his childless "kinsman", Alfonso II, whom he had served as count of the palace	Deposed by Alfonso's second degree cousin, Ramiro I
	Fruela King of Asturias	866	Seized the throne by force in the aftermath of Ordoño I's death	Assassinated after some months and replaced with Ordoño's son, Alfonso III. Called "The Usurper" to distinguish from Fruela I and Fruela II
	Jeonggang King of Silla	886–887	Death of his brother, Heongang	Died
	Alfonso Fróilaz King of Leon	July 925 – late 925	Death of his father, Fruela II	Deposed by his cousins Sancho Ordóñez, Alfonso IV, and Ramiro II, who then fought among themselves. Fróilaz allied with Alfonso IV and may have been rewarded with a sub-kingdom in the northeast until both were removed by Ramiro II in 932.
	Arinjaya Chola Chola dynasty	957-958 CE	Succeeded Gandaraditya Chola	Died in a war in Arrur, succeeded by Parantaka Chola II
	Bezprym Duke of Poland	1031 – spring? 1032	Flight of his brother Mieszko II to Bohemia during a period of German and Kievan invasions	Assassinated. Duchy divided between his brothers Mieszko and Otto and cousin Dytryk
	Abd Allah ibn al-Hakam al-Tujibi King of Zaragoza	1039	Assassinated his cousin, Al-Mundhir ibn Yahya	Deposed by Al-Musta'in I
	Eric and Eric Kings of Sweden	1066–1067	Death of Stenkil. Each claimed the throne for himself and fought the other.	Killed in battle in quick succession. The throne went to Stenkil's son, Halsten.
	Ragnvald Knaphövde King of Sweden	late 1120s	Elected in Östergötland after the death of Inge	Assassinated by the Geats, who had elected Magnus I
	David V King of Georgia	c. 1154–1155	Deposed his father, Demetrius I	Unclear, but likely assassinated. His reign is given different lengths in different chronicles: from one to six months, to even two years.
	Magnus II King of Sweden	1160–1161	Assassinated Eric IX	Killed in battle with Eric IX's son, Charles VII
	Parakrama Pandyan I Pandya dynasty	1161-1162	Executed by Parakramabahu I	Succeeded by Vira Pandya III
	Jaya Harivarman II King of Champa	1166–1167	Succeeded Jaya Harivarman I	Succeeded by Jaya Indravarman IV
	Vijayabahu II King of Polonnaruwa	1186–1187	Death of his uncle, Parakramabahu I	Assassinated by Mahinda VI
	Suryajayavarman King of Champa	1190–1191	Installed by the Khmer after they invaded and deposed Jaya Indravarman IV	Fled to Cambodia during the revolt of Vidyanandana, leaving the capital Vijaya to Jaya Indravarman V
	Jaya Indravarman V King of Champa	1191–1192	Flight of Suryajayavarman	Assassinated by Vidyanandana
	Dharmasoka King of Polonnaruwa	1208–1209	Succeeded Kalyanavati	Assassinated by Anikanga
	Lilavati Queen of Polonnaruwa (second reign)	1209–1210	Assassination of Anikanga by General Vikkantacamunakka, who surrendered control to Lilavati	Deposed by Lokissara
	Peter I Latin Emperor of Constantinople	1216–1217	Elected after the death of his brother-in-law, Henry I	Captured during a failed campaign against the Despotate of Epirus; he died in prison in 1219.
	Lý Chiêu Hoàng Empress of Đại Việt	October 1224 – October/November 1225	Abdication of her father, Lý Huệ Tông, who retired to become a Buddhist monk.	Forced to abdicate in favour of her husband, Trần Thái Tông. She was the only empress regnant in the history of Vietnam.
	Ermengol IX Count of Urgell	1243	Death of his father, Ponce I	Died, reasons unknown
	Haraldr Guðrøðarson King of Mann and the Isles	1249–1250	Assassinated his cousin Rǫgnvaldr Óláfsson	Deposed and exiled to Norway by Haakon IV, who probably also installed Rǫgnvaldr's brother Magnús Óláfsson as king
	Tsenfa Arad Emperor of Ethiopia	1294–1295	Five sons of Yagbe'u Seyon reigned consecutively after him for one year each, possibly as a result of dynastic confusion.	Throne seized by their uncle Wedem Arad
	Hezba Asagad Emperor of Ethiopia	1295–1296
	Qedma Asagad Emperor of Ethiopia	1296–1297
	Jan Asagad Emperor of Ethiopia	1297–1298
	Saba Asagad Emperor of Ethiopia	1298–1299
	Simon II Lord of Lippe	10 August 1344 – Late 1344	Death of his father Simon I	Died likely of age related causes
	Albert III Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst	1359 – c. 1 August 1359	Made co-monarch alongside his uncle Waldemar I	Died
	Balc Prince of Moldavia	1359 or 1364	Death of his father, Sas	Deposed by Bogdan I
	Peter I Prince of Moldavia	1367 – July 1368	Death of his grandfather, Bogdan I	Deposed by his uncle, Lațcu
	Dương Nhật Lễ Emperor of Đại Việt	1369–1370	Death of his uncle, Trần Dụ Tông	Deposed by his father-in-law, Trần Nghệ Tông
	Al-Musta'sim Caliph of Cairo (first reign)	1377	Deposition of Al-Mutawakkil I	Deposed by Al-Mutawakkil I. He became Caliph a second time in 1386–1389.
	Yusuf II Emir of Granada	1391–1392	Death of his father, Muhammad V	Possibly assassinated by his son, Muhammad VII
	Hồ Quý Ly Emperor of Đại Ngu	28 February 1400 – 1401	Deposed his grandson, Trần Thiếu Đế	Abdicated in favour of his son, Hồ Hán Thương
	Virupaksha Raya Emperor of Vijayanagara	1404-1405	Death of Harihara II	Killed by his own sons
	Ramachandra Raya Emperor of Vijayanagara	1422	Death of Deva Raya I	Succeeded by Veera Vijaya Bukka Raya
	Muhammad IX Emir of Granada (second reign)	1430–1431	Deposed and assassinated Muhammad VIII, who had deposed him earlier	Deposed by Yusuf IV
	Yusuf IV Emir of Granada	1 January 1432 – c. 1432	Deposed Muhammad IX	Deposed by Muhammad IX
	Peter III Prince of Moldavia (first reign)	May 1444 – 1445	Made co-prince by his half-brother Stephen II after he deposed his other brother and previous co-prince, Iliaș, who had been imposed by the Poles	Unknown. He became co-prince again in 1447, this time with his nephew Roman II, a son of Iliaș.
	Yusuf V Emir of Granada	1445–1446	Deposed his nephew Muhammad X	Deposed by Muhammad X
		1462	Deposed his brother Abu Nasr Sa'd	Deposed by Abu Nasr Sa'd
	Muhammad XI Emir of Granada	1453–1454	Death of Muhammad IX	Deposed by Abu Nasr Sa'd and assassinated by Sa'd's son, Muley Hacén
	Praudha Raya Emperor of Vijayanagara	1485	Succeeded Virupaksha Raya II	Deposed by Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya
	Thimma Bhupala Emperor of Vijayanagara	1491 (~2 months)	Death of Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya	Assassinated by an unknown Sangama dynasty commander
	Al-Mustamsik Caliph of Cairo (second reign)	1516–1517	Deposed his son Al-Mutawakkil III, who had previously deposed him in 1508	Abdicated in favor of Al-Mutawakkil III
	Al-Mutawakkil III Caliph of Cairo (second reign)	1517	Abdication of his father	Captured by Selim I and deported to Constantinople, where he surrendered the title to Selim (according to later tradition)
	Tupac Amaru I Sapa Inca	1571 – 24 September 1572	Death of his brother Titu Cusi Yupanqui	Executed by the Spanish
	Mạc Toàn Emperor of Đại Việt	1592–1593	Capture and assassination of his father Mạc Mậu Hợp by the Lê	Abdicated in favour of Mạc Kính Chỉ
	Mạc Kính Chỉ Emperor of Đại Việt	1592–1593	Abdication of Mạc Toàn	Assassinated by the Trịnh lords
	Karposh King of Kumanovo	October? – November? 1689	Recognized as King by the Habsburgs while in rebellion against the Ottoman Empire	Captured and executed by the Ottomans
	Mamia I King of Imereti (first reign)	1701	Installed as puppet king by his father-in-law Giorgi Abashidze, following the assassination of Simon I	Abdicated in favour of Abashidze, who became King George VI of Imereti, and returned to Guria where he continued ruling as Prince
	Abdullah I King of Iraq	8 March 1920 – c. 1920	Proclaimed by the Congress of Iraq	Refused the position. Became Emir of Transjordan in 1921 and King of Jordan in 1946

See also

• List of current reigning monarchs by length of reign
• List of longest-reigning monarchs
• List of shortest-reigning popes
• List of the oldest living state leaders
• Pedro Lascuráin, the shortest-ruling President
• Records of heads of state
• Saul Wahl, legendary King of Poland for one day