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 reign of some monarchs has 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 week

Monarchs who reigned for less than a month

Monarchs who reigned for less than three months

Monarchs who reigned for less than six months

Monarchs who reigned for a year or less

Other monarchs that could have reigned for less than a year

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

Less than a year

Note: Some of the following have been disputed as genuine monarchs
NameCountryRoyal house/dynastyReign beganReign endedLengthComments
King JeonggangSilla KimJuly 8865 July 887≈1 yearAfter his death, his sister Man succeeded to the throne because he had no sons. She was named Queen Jinseong and was the last queen in Korean history.
King Chang of GoryeoGoryeo Wang13881389≈1 yearWhen was in his reign, the general Yi Seong-gye took the throne as regent because he was only 7 years old when took the throne. He died on his first year of reign by being assassinated together with his father King U of Goryeo
Empress Lý Chiêu HoàngVietnamLýOctober 122421 October 1225≈1 yearSucceeded to the throne through the suicide of her father Lý Huệ Tông. Renounced her claim on the throne in favour of her husband Trần Thái Tông, founder of the Trần Dynasty.
Emperor Hồ Quý LyVietnamHồFebruary 1400c. 1400–1401≈1 yearHồ Quý Ly succeeded to the throne after persuading 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 NghiVietnamNguyễn1 August 18844 July 188511 months, 3 daysCaptured during the Mandarins' Revolt and the French replaced him with Đồng Khánh.
King Fuad II of EgyptEgypt and The SudanMuhammad Ali26 July 195218 June 195310 months, 23 daysSucceeded with the abdication of his father, Farouk, following the Egyptian revolution of 1952. Never exercised real power over his country, as he was an infant and had been exiled with his father. His reign formally ended when Egypt was declared a republic.
King Edward VIIIUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and British dominionsWindsor20 January 193611 December 193610 months, 22 daysAbdicated in favour of his brother, George VI, to avoid a constitutional crisis.
King NarawaraMyanmarToungoo14 April 167227 February 167310 months, 13 daysDied of natural causes
Louise Hippolyte, Sovereign Princess of MonacoPrincipality of MonacoGrimaldi20 February 173129 December 173110 months, 9 daysDied of smallpox.
Emperor Agustín IMexican EmpireIturbide19 May 182219 March 182310 monthsAgustín I was proclaimed emperor by the Parliament of the newly independent Mexican Empire, but 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 Christian IISwedenOldenburg1 November 152023 August 15219 months, 22 daysAfter conquering Sweden in the spring and summer of 1520, King Christian II of Denmark and Norway entered 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.
King Harold IIKingdom of EnglandWessex5 January 106614 October 10669 months, 9 daysKilled at the Battle of Hastings by Norman forces.
Maharajah ManavaGauda, BengalShashanka625626≈8 monthsAfter the death of Shashanka and his brief reign, Gauda was conquered by an alliance of Harshavardhana and Bhaskaravarman.
Emperor Le Nghi DanVietnamLê28 October 145924 June 14608 months, 25 daysSucceeded to 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.
King InjongJoseon Yi28 November 15447 Augustus 15458 months, 10 daysSome 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 PhellesTyreDynasty of four brothers879 BC879 BC8 monthsLegendary king of Tyre, known only through Josephes and, by proxy, through Menander of Ephesus.
Claudine, Lady of MonacoMonacoGrimaldiJuly 145716 March 14588 monthsAbdicated in favour of her cousin, Lamberto, whom she married in 1465.
Emperor Kiến PhúcVietnamNguyễn2 December 188331 July 18847 months, 29 daysSucceeded the throne after the murder of emperor Hiệp Hoà. Kiến Phúc was also murdered and succeeded by Hàm Nghi.
King Louis ISpainBourbon14 January 172431 August 17247 months, 17 daysSucceeded with the abdication of his father, Philip V. Philip regained the throne following Louis' death from smallpox.
Matilda, Lady of the EnglishEnglandPlantagenet / Salian / NormandySpring 1141Autumn 1141c. 5–9 monthsForces loyal to Matilda, the daughter of Henry I, captured King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln on 2 February 1141. Matilda was never crowned, and following her defeat at the Rout of Winchester on 14 September 1141, Stephen was released in November. Matilda's son succeeded Stephen in 1154 as Henry II.
King Edmund IIEnglandWessex23 April 101630 November 10167 months, 7 daysEdmund's kingdom was ceded to Canute I after his death, the cause of which is uncertain.
King LulachKing of ScotsMoray15 August 105717 March 10587 months, 2 daysSucceeded his stepfather, Macbeth, who was killed in battle against Malcolm Canmore. Lulach was himself killed by Malcolm, who succeeded him.
BardiyaPersian EmpireAchaemenidearly 522 BCESeptember 522 BCE≈7 monthsBardiya 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 Tarabya of AvaMyanmarAvaApril 1400before 25 November 1400≈7 monthsAssassinated
King HildeprandKing of the LombardsJanuary 744<7 monthsDeposed and dead by August 744.
Pharaoh NedjemibrePharaoh of EgyptThirteenth Dynastyc. 1780 BCc. 1780 BC7 monthsOne of many contemporary pharaohs of the Second Intermediate period
Mbret WilliamAlbaniaWied7 March 19143 September 19146 months, 27 daysWilliam 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.
Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al SaidOmanAl Said11 1 2020IncumbentCurrently reigning.
Shah SogdianusShah of PersiaAchaemenid Empire424 BC424 BC6 months, 15 daysReigned briefly during a power struggle, was succeeded by Darius II
King Christian FrederikNorwayOldenburg16 February 181428 August 18146 months, 12 daysChristian 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 GruffuddWalesGwynedd11 December 128222 June 12836 months, 11 daysSucceeded to the princeship of Wales on the death of his brother Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. For most of his reign his rule was confined solely to Gwynedd due to the invasion of Wales by Edward I of England. He was captured in June 1283 and subsequently executed.
Sultan Jamshid bin AbdullahZanzibarAl Sa'id1 July 196312 January 19646 months, 11 daysJamshid bin Abdullah's short reign was brought to an end by the Zanzibar revolution and the abolition of the sultanate.
King Kale Kye-Taung NyoMyanmarAva9 November 142516 May 14266 months, 7 days Driven out of Ava and died shortly after while on the run
Tsar Peter III of RussiaRussiaHolstein-Gottorp-Romanov5 January 17629 July 17626 months, 4 daysWildly unpopular and barely able to even speak the Russian language, he was dethroned by his own consort, who became Catherine II.
Emperor Lê Túc TôngVietnamLê6 June 15047 December 15046 months, 1 dayLê Túc Tông was possibly murdered by his older brother and successor Lê Uy Mục.
King David VKingdom of GeorgiaBagrationic. 1154c. 1155≈6 monthsDavid V was murdered by his nobles and succeeded by his alienated brother, George III.
King Donald IIIKing of ScotsDunkeld13 November 1093May 1094≈6 monthsSucceeded his brother, Malcolm III, only to be overthrown by Malcolm's son Duncan II. Regained the throne upon Duncan's death and reigned until being overthrown again in 1097.
King Duncan IIKing of ScotsDunkeldMay 109412 November 1094≈6 monthsSeized the throne from his uncle, Donald III. Killed in battle against Donald, or possibly murdered.
Emperor Dương Nhật LễVietnamTrần136920 May 1370>6 monthsDethroned and killed. Replaced by Trần Phủ.